General

Description of assignment title: Education Construction Officer

Assignment country: Mozambique

Duty stations: Xai-Xai

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 07/13/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: National

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives:

• The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children's rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education, hygiene/sanitation and protection of a society's most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Context:

• The project is implemented by UNICEF Mozambique with funding support from Education Cannot Wait (ECW) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) to improve access to quality pre-primary and primary education, while responding to the impact of floods that affected Gaza and Maputo provinces. As part of the emergency response, the project focuses on the construction of temporary learning spaces, rehabilitation of damaged schools, and implementation of resilient infrastructure solutions to ensure safe and continuous learning for affected children. The intervention also promotes disaster risk reduction and school resilience through technical support in assessments, design, procurement, supervision, monitoring, and coordination of construction works, while strengthening the capacity of government counterparts, local communities, and partners involved in school reconstruction activities.

Task description:

• Develop or support developing tender documents in collaboration with MEC and/or other partners or Engineering Services depending on contracting options (through MEC, NGOs or direct contracting).
• Review or support reviewing applications of bidders in collaboration with MEC and/or other partners or Engineering Services depending on contracting options mentioned above.
• Support assessment, designing and estimating the budget and needs of construction activities within the framework of country programmes and projects and inspecting the execution of works as required.
• Support the undertaking of post-damage assessments for quality assurance and conduct quality assurance on built and recovered infrastructures.
• Support conducting surveys of data on the ground, prepare measurements, budgets, specifications and participate in the processes of acquisition of materials and equipment.
• Conduct periodic monitoring and inspection visits to project implementation sites to ensure that works are done as per the technical standards, specifications and best practices.
• Support training sessions for district technicians, building masters, communities, NGOs and other partners involved in the projects.
• Provide technical assistance to government and MEC counterparts through periodic coordination meetings on the areas of public social infrastructure construction in particular procurement.
• Support the collection, analysis of data and reporting of the construction activities as required by government, donors and partners in the implementation process.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 3 years

Nationality: Candidate must be a national, legal resident or hold refugee status in the country of assignment.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 3 years

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Required
• Portuguese, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level:

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or a related discipline.

Competencies and values:

• Accountability.
• Adaptability and flexibility.
• Creativity.
• Judgement and decision-making.
• Planning and organizing.
• Professionalism.
• Self-management.

Skills and experience:

• Candidates should have a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in procurement, engineering, or construction works, particularly in public building and school infrastructure projects, with knowledge of procurement processes in Mozambique. Experience in disaster-resilient construction, collaboration with government institutions, NGOs, and local communities, as well as proficiency in MS Office, GIS, CAD, and related technical software, is highly desirable.
• Required skills:
• Procurement and contract management.
• Public building and school construction.
• Project planning, programming, and supervision.
• Knowledge of Mozambique procurement processes.
• Disaster-resilient and risk-reduction construction.
• Structural design and building calculations.
• Stakeholder and community engagement.
• Coordination with government institutions, NGOs, and private sector.
• Field assessments, surveys, and technical training.
• Rural and community-based project implementation.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• GIS, ArcGIS, CAD, and 3D modeling skills.
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive.
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.
• Desirable:
• Sound security awareness;
• Have affinity with or interest in UNICEF, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Area(s) of expertise:

• Crisis and emergency response, Engineering and construction , Procurement and contracting

Driving license:

• -

Other information