European Union Jobs in Uganda; Operations Officer - Infrastructure (Roads)

Job Title:        Operations Officer - Infrastructure (Roads)
Job Location:   Kampala, Uganda
Employer:    European Union
Job Family:    External Relations

About  Us:

At nearly 500 million, the population of the European Union is the third largest in the world after China and India. Its sheer size and its impact in commercial, economic and financial terms make the EU a globally important power. It accounts for the greatest share of world trade and generates one quarter of global wealth.

With size and economic power come responsibilities. The Union is the biggest provider of financial assistance and advice to poorer countries. Faced with today’s complex and fragile world order, the EU is increasingly involved in conflict prevention, peacekeeping and anti-terrorism activities. It supports reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Union has taken the lead in dealing with the problem of global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases.

Job Overview:
Under the overall guidance of the Head of Section, The Operations Officer will be responsible to facilitate the preparation, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and closure of EC supported projects and Programmes related to the infrastructure portfolio of the Delegation, in particular in the Transport Sector, but also in Energy, Water and Sanitation and Urban Development. Where applicable, the Officer will also be expected to participate and contribute to the policy dialogue between the Government of Uganda and the European Commission on transport and energy related issues.

The Operations Officer is attached to the Infrastructure Section of the Delegation and is directly answerable to the Head of Section and works in close collaboration with other members of the section.

Job Requirements:

• The candidate must be a holder of a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, possibly with an
• Academic training focusing on roads infrastructure.Master of Science in Engineering related field or relevant post graduate courses will be an advantage.

Experience

• At least 5 years of post- academic work experience with road projects or other infrastructure related activities. Experience with design, supervision and or construction of roads will be highly desirable.
• Experience with project management is desirable, in particular, with regard to project cycle of
• Identification, preparation, implementation and evaluation of projects.
• Good knowledge of Government practices and development partners organization and in particular EDF procedures will also be an advantage. Mixed experience of private and public sectors would be a further asset.

Languages
English:
Listening    Reading        Spoken        Spoken        Writing
                Interaction    production
Very good    Very good    Very good    Very good    Very good

Knowledge of additional EU Working languages or African local languages will be an advantage


Knowledge
•    Budget, Finance and Contracts
o    Financial regulation and procedures
•    Contracts definition and management
•    Audit, Control, Inspection & Evaluation
o    Methods and techniques
Reporting methods and techniques
o    Evaluation principles and techniques
•    Management and Organisation
o    Project management

Competences
 Analysing and Problem Solving
o    Ability to conceptualise problems, identify and implement solutions
Communicating
o    Ability to understand and be understood
o    Negotiation skills
o    Ability to chair meetings
Delivering Quality and Results
o    Ability to work in a proactive and autonomous way
o    Client orientation
o    Ability to monitor resources
Resilience
o    Perseverance
o    Stress resistance
Working with Others
o    Ability to work in a team
o    Sociability skills
Leadership
Capacity to plan and mange resources
Global vision (360 degrees)
An awareness of and attentiveness to individual differences.

Other Skills
•    Ability to interact with counterparts from different fields, including Government officials, development partners, policy makers etc.
•    Excellent communication skills – verbal and written
•    Computer literacy
•    Ability to work in a multicultural team
•    Familiarity with EC and EDF procedures would be an advantage.


Job Environment
Organisational entity
Type: EU Delegation
Size: 50-55
Gender balance (within the entity): 40% women
Comments
Presentation of the entity:

The Directorate General for Development and Cooperation is responsible for designing EU development policies and for the implementation of the Commission's external aid instruments.

Job related issues
Atypical working hours (sometimes there will be need to work overtime in order to keep
Commitment deadlines)
Missions
Frequent, i.e. 2 or more mission / month
Long duration, i.e. missions lasting more than a week

Workplace, health & safety related issues
Noisy environment
Physical effort / materials handling
Work with chemical / biological materials
Radioprotection area
Use of personal protective equipment
Others

Job Duties:
General Program Management – Management and monitoring of assigned programmes and projects in Transport, Energy and Water and Sanitation sector

• Analyse and instruct proposals for assigned programmes/projects submitted by the Government of Uganda.  Prepare the decision of the Commission approving the proposal submitted.
• Manage, monitor and/or evaluate the implementation of assigned programmes/projects in Uganda in line with the conditions of the Financing Agreements and the objectives of the respective programmes and projects.  Analyse annual and final implementation reports.
• Provide assistance to national, regional or local authorities in implementing the assigned programmes and projects.
• Prepare relevant updates/amendments of assigned programmes and projects during the implementing period.
• Prepare contributions to section's planning and reporting requirements (JAR, EAMR, AMP).
• Ensure that CRIS is updated on a regular basis and all necessary documents are attached.

Procurement & Contract Management – Preparation and management of calls for tender
•    Launch, manage and monitor calls for proposals/tenders, evaluation and selection of projects, in coordination with the Finance & Contract Section.
•    Ensure the follow-up of the implementation of the projects and the performance of project managers and partners, monitor contractual obligations (via periodic reviews, audits, reporting and assistance, etc.) and gather and handle external expertise.
•    Deal with horizontal activities, concertation and networking aspects of the programme and its projects.

Quality Management And Evaluation – Evaluation of the implementation of programmes
•    Organise and lead evaluations as foreseen in the Regulations (ex-ante, mid-term, ex-post).
•    Assess the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the approved programmes/projects and the Commission strategy.
•    Analyse and follow up the results and recommendations of evaluation reports and audits.  Ensure the "retro-feeding" of experiences.

Procurement And Contract Management – Financial management of programmes
•    Supervise, co-ordinate and/or act as operational initiator of contracts
•    Monitor the financial expenditure as reported in cost statements and provide reasonable assurance that claimed costs correspond to the work accomplished.
•    Provide the available information for audit and control by Commission services or the European Court of Auditors.

Policy Development – Policy development in the area of Infrastructures in Uganda
•    Follow up policy developments particularly in the transport sector, at national and regional level. To act as focal point also for issues regarding Energy, Urban development and Water and Sanitation

External Communication (general) – increase visibility of assistance provided by the EC
•    Identify and implement opportunities to increase visibility and present the assigned activities of the portfolio of the infrastructure section.
•    Present activities and portfolio of the infrastructure section to partners and stakeholders.
•    Inform and draft replies to questions from European Institutions, Member States or the general public.

Deadline Date: 12/05/2014

How to Apply:
Applicants should send an application letter, a completed EU Standard Curriculum Vitae that must include three relevant referees, reference letter(s) of previous employment(s) and copies of education and training certificates addressed to:

Head of Delegation
European Union
Delegation to the Republic of Uganda
Crested Towers, 15th floor
Plot 17-23 Hannington Road
Kampala

Email: DELEGATION-UGANDA@eeas.europa.eu