Working with: Health Coordinator, and Senior Logistician and other team members
Location: Grand Gedeh and Maryland Counties (with travel to other field sites & Monrovia as requested)
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Duration: 4 months (with possible extension)
Salary: £26,700 – £27,450 per annum (dependant on relevant experience), inclusive of annual Cost of Living Allowance Benefits: Insurance cover, accommodation, R&R), annual leave entitlement of 24 days per annum rising to 30 days at the completion of 12 months of continuous employment with Merlin.
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date.
Please note that this is an unaccompanied position.
Merlin Undaunted and determined, Merlin saves lives. We deliver medical expertise to the toughest places. And we stay to help build lasting health care.
Our mission is to end the needless loss of life in the poorest countries caused by a lack of effective health care. We help communities set up medical services for the long term including hospitals, clinics, surgeries and training for nurses and other health workers.
We do whatever it takes and we stay for as long as it takes.
Context and Background
Due to a lack of qualified health workers, a dilapidated health infrastructure and insufficient government funds following two civil wars, Liberia’s health care system is only beginning to make the transition from emergency to development phase. Merlin was one of the few agencies to remain throughout the last civil war and since 1997, has been working with the Ministry of Health in Liberia to renovate health facilities, supply medicines and equipment, and train and supervise health workers.
Merlin supports 81 health facilities (clinics, hospitals and health centres) in 6 counties in the county (10 of these facilities through a local partner). Merlin’s support is aimed at strengthening referral linkages, monitoring/supportive supervision mechanisms, developing health information systems and capacity building first level service providers as well as the County Health and Social Welfare Team (CH&SWT) management staff. The support also includes the re-vitalization of the network of Community Health Volunteers (CHVs), increasing community awareness/acceptance for preventive health services through health education and the delivery of cross-cutting Reproductive Health (RH), Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) /AIDS projects. Merlin is currently also working with two local partner organisations in Liberia.
All Merlin projects are designed to build the capacity of Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH&SW) staff and Merlin has implemented specific projects to provide national level training of County Health and Social Welfare Teams (CH&SWTs) to develop their management skills and capability to assist in the transition of service delivery support to the government. Merlin remains committed to supporting the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH&SW) during Liberia’s transitional phase from emergency relief to development. Merlin is transitioning to a counterpart approach of programming specifically targeted at strengthen the CH&SWT in a decentralised health system in line with the national health plan focused on the delivery of the basic package of health services (BPHS).
Main purpose of the role
As the Construction Manager Grand Gedeh and Maryland you will manage the rehabilitation and construction program in the two counties (and any other sites as requested) by assuming overall responsibility for the successful execution of the rehabilitation and construction activities including all elements of planning, management, staffing direction and control and successful execution.
Overall Objectives (scope) Will be to:
• Renovation and improvement of clinics to MOH&SW standards
• Construction of new buildings
• Support Merlin Country Management Team in developing policy, procedures and systems for Construction / rehabilitation projects in Liberia
Responsibilities
• Develop Merlin’s standard construction documents to include all financial reporting documents, contracts, standard details, etc
• Take full responsibility for the renovation, improvement and construction of health facilities in Grand Gedeh and Maryland Counties. The responsibilities will include: o Providing quality assurance that all construction meets Merlin’s and Ministry of Health standards by regular construction site visits and inspections, meeting with contractors, building departments, etc. o Responsibility for all necessary financial documentation for construction related services: certified contractors’ invoices, quantity surveys, Under the supervision of Merlin Finance Director, to ensure compliance with Merlin Financial policies etc o Manage the tendering process for construction under the supervision of Merlin Logistics Manager to ensure compliance with Merlin standard contracting policies
• Develop a professional relationship with relevant government officials, other INGOs, Contractors, etc to create an effective network to assist Merlin in its construction objectives
• Assess HR needs, hire, and manage national technical officers and / or site supervisors to assist in the rehabilitation / construction activities. Specifically o Provide clearly defined objectives, evaluations and appraisals of all staff o Provide training to national staff in construction project management and technical aspects as required. Training may include the use of AutoCAD, Excel, and Word
• Provide adequate reporting ; this will include input into the Merlin monthly report and weekly progress updates to the Project Coordinators
• Develop plans, specifications, bills of quantity, and contracts when required, based on MOH and Merlin standards for varying levels of construction
• Coordinate designs in AutoCAD for projects that will include site development plans, building plans, civil and structural details if required
• Be responsible for tracking costs on relevant construction budget lines
• Be responsible for the safety of workers on site and the security of materials and equipment during construction
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications, experience and competences
• Professional qualification in construction, civil engineering or architecture
• Strong experience of engineering and construction related project management and design of buildings in developing countries.
• Proven ability to coordinate and develop a team that includes working with Merlin’s health professionals, local employees and professional technical counterparts with varied language skills and socio-cultural backgrounds.
• Substantial knowledge, understanding, and ability to form and confirm engineering design and construction contracts, bills of quantities, and specifications.
• Extensive experience of contract administration including change order control and negotiation(s), auditing for conformance, and close-out.
• Successful experience in environmental protection (disposal).This should include: solid waste management and disposal, water and sanitation design and project management.
• Good ability to produce succinct reports in a timely manner.
• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English.
• Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office and AutoCAD.
• Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different cultures and departments.
• Have a flexible approach to management and prioritization of workload that will involve multiple tasks.
• Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues.
• An understanding of, and commitment to, Merlin’s mission and values.
Desirable
Qualifications, experience and competences
• Experience in engineering and construction in Liberia or other West African countries
• Practical experience with masonry, wood and steel construction and structures.
• Some experience with design and construction of health facilities.
• Proven experience with relevant engineering software.
How to apply:
To apply for this position To apply for this job, please go to www.merlin.org.uk/jobs and apply using our online recruitment system. In order to apply for a job with Merlin online you will need to complete a short registration process and create an account – the online recruitment system explains how to do this. Once your account has been created, you will be able to save the information that you have entered in your application and re-visit it at any time before you submit it.
If you are unable to apply online please contact: applications@merlin.org.uk.
Please note that we do not accept CVs. Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
Closing Date: Thursday, 01 March 2012
