Infrastructures Expert 

Infrastructures Expert 

  (m/f/x) – Palestine

Enabel is the Belgian development agency. It implements Belgium’s governmental cooperation. The agency also works for other national and international donors. With its partners in Belgium and abroad, Enabel offers solutions to address pressing global challenges - Climate Change, Urbanisation, Human Mobility, Peace and Security, Economic and Social Inequality - and to promote Global Citizenship. With 2,000 staff, Enabel manages about 170 projects in twenty countries, in Belgium, Africa and the Middle East. 

Enabel is implementing a 5-year bilateral cooperation programme for Palestine. This program is, on the one hand, building on the successes of governmental cooperation over the past decade, and on the other hand providing a response to the Palestinian and global challenges of this decade. Enabel has supported Palestine since 1993 - initially through delegated cooperation and then through direct governmental cooperation since 1997. The current portfolio is for a period of 5 years (2022-2026) with a budget of 70 million euros. 

The new portfolio, through the motto “Empowered youth in a green Palestine” focuses on 2 pillars:  

• The empowerment of youth based on a continuum between developing competencies, skills, access to employment and entrepreneurship;  
• The fight against climate change based by supporting the development of an emerging green and circular economy (GCE) and the implementation of the National Determined Contributions (NDC). The aim is to contribute to a sustainable and inclusive Palestinian society and reduce environmental hazards as well as dependency on non-renewable natural resources. 

In addition to the new Portfolio, Enabel is also implementing several projects funded by the European Union, among which Resilience in Schools of East Jerusalem (RiSE) project, for which a second phase is under formulation, and is due to start in August 2024, as well as one project funded by Brussels Capital Region on Climate Action.

In this context, Enabel is actively looking for an Infrastructure Expert, who will be leading the Infrastructure Support Unit (4 other staff) and coordinate the provision of thematic expertise in the field of Architecture and Civil Engineering to the different projects, and follow up all infrastructure activities, in close collaboration with the different Intervention Managers and the different support departments (procurement, finance, monitoring and evaluation and communication). 

As Infrastructure Expert you will be directly reporting to the Resident Representative of Enabel in Palestine/Jordan. Under the additional technical guidance of the Urban Planning and Infrastructure Expert responsible for Palestine at Enabel Headquarters, you will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the various construction works within Enabel’s bilateral portfolio and other Enabel projects. 

Responsibilities:

• You lead the Infrastructure Support Unit (4 people) of Enabel Palestine, 
• You coordinate the provision of technical expertise in the field of Civil Engineering and Architecture to the different projects of Enabel Palestine having infrastructure activities, 
• You coordinate the design and realization of the various foreseen infrastructure works (school construction, rehabilitation and extensions, greening and retrofitting of Vocational Training Centres, public spaces), with the aim to reach the interventions objectives and meet the ambitious environmental targets set by Enabel, 
• You help reinforce the green building code, regulations and standards as well as their concrete application at local level, 
• You advise on the basis of your technical expertise, in order to achieve performance in accordance with national and international norms and standards, 
• You organise knowledge building and knowledge management in order to create an inclusive, informed climate of trust within the project, 
• You contribute to ensure the planning of expenditure is respected and proactively managed 
• You contribute to the management of contracts (consultancies and works), in close collaboration with intervention managers, 
• You contribute to capacity development of institutional partners and partner organisations. 
• You proactively manage risks related to infrastructure activities and put mitigation measures into place. 

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Required qualifications 

Master’s degree in architecture, civil engineering or related field.  

Required experience  

• At least 5 years of relevant post-graduate experience in the implementation of infrastructure projects, including construction and rehabilitation of public buildings  
• An international experience (i.e. in the international development sector and outside your country of origin) is an asset. 

Required skills and knowledge 

• Excellent project management skills 
• Proven experience in successfully managing a team of several people 
• Expertise in green building principles, including energy efficiency, low-carbon construction materials, water saving measures and wastewater treatment, applied to the Palestinian context 
• Good understanding of the issue of Climate Change and other planetary limits 
• Good strategic leadership and conceptual thinking skills 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including liaising with National and Local Authorities 
• Capacity and openness to horizontal collaboration, including with other colleagues in a non-hierarchical way 
• Knowledge management and knowledge building 
• You are result-oriented; 
• Ability to use new technologies used in the area of expertise; 
• You are fluent in spoken and written Arabic and English.  

For logistical reasons, permanent residency in East Jerusalem or Israeli citizenship is considered a strong asset. 

Applicants are also required to commit to the vision, mission and values of Enabel.

An interesting and varied job in an international environment. 

A contract of 36 months. You are based in Ramallah, with frequent travelling to Jerusalem and inside the country.  

A salary package that comprises the monthly gross salary, in accordance with our salary scales (Class 6). The various amounts vary in function of relevant recognised experience for the function and family composition. 

Following this recruitment procedure a shortlist of successful applicants may be constituted which may be sourced in the next three years for similar job openings. 

Every person who fulfils the conditions listed in our job advertisements may apply. Enabel is committed to equal opportunities and diversity in its workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability status or any other factor other than competence. 

Are you interested? 

Apply on-line by submitting an application letter and your updated CV, at the latest by 26 July 2024. Only applications that are registered via our on-line portal will be considered.