Overview
The Emergency Response Civil Engineer (Shelter) will conduct technical assessments of affected infrastructure, provide technical support for shelter programs, and manage temporary sites and settlements.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct detailed structural inspections of homes, public buildings, and community centers.
- Classify buildings according to damage level and habitability.
- Identify needs for repair, reinforcement, or demolition.
- Prepare technical reports and recommendations for rehabilitation.
- Support safety certification processes for buildings used by the displaced population.
- Design temporary and transitional shelter solutions.
- Assess the suitability of shelters set up during the initial phase of the emergency.
- Adapt designs to local climatic, cultural, and construction conditions.
- Oversee the construction and improvement of shelters.
- Ensure compliance with humanitarian standards and structural safety criteria.
- Assess the physical conditions of camps, temporary settlements, and collective centers.
- Design or improve drainage systems, access points, and internal circulation.
- Plan expansions or reorganization of spaces when necessary.
- Identify risks associated with flooding, landslides, or aftershocks.
- Develop proposals for risk reduction within displacement sites.
- Prepare technical specifications and bill of quantities.
- Supervise contractors, foremen, and community work crews.
- Verify the quality of materials and construction processes.
- Certify physical progress on construction projects.
- Prepare supervision and monitoring reports.
- Incorporate safe and resilient construction criteria.
- Promote earthquake-resistant repair techniques.
- Identify geological and environmental hazards in the areas where work is being carried out.
- Integrate mitigation measures into shelters and settlements.
- Support the development of contingency plans for communal sites.
- Train masons, local workers, and community brigades.
- Promote safe construction practices.
- Develop technical guidance materials for affected families.
- Advise beneficiary households on maintenance and basic repairs.
- Participate in awareness-raising sessions on risk reduction.
- Participate in meetings of the Shelter Cluster, CCCM, and infrastructure technical groups.
- Coordinate with municipal authorities and response agencies.
- Provide technical information to support programmatic decision-making.
- Contribute to multisectoral assessments.
- Support the prioritization of interventions based on vulnerability and risk.
- Develop databases on damage and repair needs.
- Prepare maps of risks and affected infrastructure.
- Generate periodic technical reports for humanitarian coordination.
- Maintain a photographic and documentary record of interventions.
- Support the monitoring of Shelter and CCCM indicators.
- Identify homes suitable for repair.
- Design low-cost rehabilitation solutions.
- Promote “Build Back Safer” approaches.
- Support the transition from temporary shelters to more durable solutions.
- Contribute to community recovery and resilience strategies.
Required Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited academic institution with three years of relevant professional experience; or, High School diploma with five years of relevant professional experience in civil works, construction supervision, infrastructure rehabilitation, or disaster response operations.
- Relevant experience in civil engineering, construction management, infrastructure rehabilitation, or supervision of civil engineering projects.
- Experience conducting structural assessments, damage assessments, and technical inspections of buildings and infrastructure.
- Experience in preparing technical specifications, bill of quantities, cost estimates, and construction monitoring reports.
- Experience in supervising contractors, skilled labor, and community-based construction activities.
- Experience in the design, rehabilitation, or construction of housing, shelters, community infrastructure, or public facilities.
- Experience in emergency, post-disaster, recovery, reconstruction, or resilience-building programs is highly valued.
- Experience supporting projects related to shelter, settlements, camp management (CCCM), WASH, or infrastructure in humanitarian contexts will be considered an asset.
- Experience coordinating with government authorities, local communities, implementing partners, UN agencies, NGOs, and other humanitarian actors.
- Previous experience working with displaced populations and communities affected by natural disasters is a plus.
- Previous experience working with international organizations, humanitarian agencies, government institutions, or development partners in multicultural environments is a plus.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from an accredited academic institution; or, High School diploma.
- Professional registration/license to practice engineering, where applicable, is desirable.
- Additional training in earthquake-resistant construction, shelter planning, disaster risk reduction (DRR), humanitarian response, project management, or infrastructure rehabilitation will be considered an asset.
