Intern for Soil and Water Conservation Engineering

Internal/External Vacancy Announcement #126/2020

SDR- CDSDR Programme 

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. GIZ promotes complex reforms and change processes.

The Ethiopian government recognizes the high economic value of the lowland areas and their products. Therefore, the pastoral and agro-pastoral population is supported in strengthening their drought resilience, allowing them to adapt their farming system to a changing natural and economic environment. German Development Cooperation (GDC) supports the Ethiopian government with the SDR programme “Strengthening Drought Resilience Programme in Afar and Somali regions”. The SDR support programme contributes to the focal area ‘Agriculture and food security” of GDC.

The project “Capacity Development for the Strengthening of Drought Resilience of the pastoral and agro-pastoral population in the Ethiopian arid and semi-arid lands (CDSDR-SR) – co-financed by Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) – aims to enhance drought resilience and improve livelihoods and food security of vulnerable communities in Afar and Somali region.

Responsibilities

The intern for Soil & Water Conservation Engineering:

• Provides background research support for developing dry valley rehabilitation approaches and their integration into bigger watersheds and the local context;
• Within defined dry valleys, assists in site identification, study and design of water spreading weirs (WSW), water harvesting structures and soil & water conservation (SWC) measures;
• Provides support for WSW profile taking, setting out and on-site supervision;
• Provides assistance for preparing Terms of Reference (ToR), basic estimates, Bill of Quantities (BOQ), schedules etc. for construction contracts;
• Prepares a hard copy folder per dry valley with all relevant information for each WSW and other SWC including design, concerned land owners, maintenance works done etc and;
• Supports for documentation, recording of design, section drawing and manages construction site logbook;
• Analyses, summarizes and reviews data; reports findings, interprets results and makes recommendations;
• Learns from local communities during the joint implementation of SWC measures;
• Perform other duties and tasks at the request of the team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science (Eng.) in Civil Engineering.

Professional experience

• This position is particularly for fresh graduates, profound practical experience is not a prerequisite. However, a sound theoretical knowledge in the context of SWC/harvesting measures or/and other rural infrastructure engineering for lowland areas is expected.

Other knowledge, additional competencies

• Excellent communication skills orally and written in English language;
• Good analytic and organizing skills;
• Sense for continuous quality improvement;
• Team working capacities;
• High degree of initiative and creativeness;
• Openness to learn from communities;
• Good computer skills, esp. Microsoft Office;
• Very good attention to detail;
• Basic writing and speaking skills in Somali and / or German is a pro;
• Very high capacity of team work with internal staff members also in the regional offices;
• Flexible for traveling to Jijiga, Somali Region.