Civil Engineer Expert Consultant

Type of contract: Short Term / Regular Consultant

Unit/Division : Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)

Duty Station (City, Country): Lomé, Togo

Contract Duration: 03 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, has a population of 8.6 million. Located in the Gulf of Guinea, Togo serves as a key corridor to the landlocked countries of the Central Sahel region. Agriculture and food systems are critical to Togo's food security, livelihoods, and development. Togo's economy relies heavily on commercial and subsistence agriculture, with both sectors providing employment for 60% of the workforce. 

The Government of Togo, in its 2025 roadmap, has positioned agriculture as a priority engine of growth for production, income, and job creation.  The sector has proven to be more effective than others in poverty reduction and job creation, and the sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems is seen as supporting the economic development of many African countries. Togo's Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) was established in November 2022 as a key initiative of the Presidency (BdP) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MAVHDR) with the support of WFP's Agri-Food Transformation Advisory Support Center (TASC) program.  The ATA is tasked with supporting Togo in implementing its 2025 National Roadmap which places agriculture at the heart of economic growth by creating opportunities to increase production, income, and job creation for smallholder farmers in ZAAP (Planned Agricultural Development Zones) and by meeting the country's food needs.

Togo's ADA's ZAAP program intervention model is a multi-year effort to pilot ever-increasing services to 60 ZAAP through private sector engagement.  ATA uses a contract farming approach to involve the private sector in the provision of services (inputs, information, mechanization, procurement) that are technically and economically viable and offer a good return on investment while addressing the challenges of climate change using climate-resilient techniques. From 2024, ATA Togo is implementing several programs: Contract Agriculture (CA), Cantonal Mechanized Works Company (ECTM), Hydro-Agricultural Development (AHA), Agricultural Land Use Planning (ZAAP) and Storage. Storage (e.g., warehouses) is part of Phase 3 of the approach used by ATA to transform agriculture in Togo. The Storage program, which will be launched in 2025, aims to put in place structures and practices that allow for better conservation/safety of agricultural inputs and products, ensuring better product quality, reducing post-harvest losses, compliance with contractual obligations and seizing business opportunities. These structures include village storage warehouses and drying areas. The ATA's ambition is to ensure that each ZAAP has a storage warehouse and a drying area and knows how to operate them.

The purpose of this position is to provide technical assistance to the Agricultural Transformation Agency for (i) the definition of needs, (ii) the recruitment of the project manager, and (iii) strengthening the capacities of the ATA staff to understand the fundamentals of civil engineering applied to the work of the ATA. Also, the expert (iv) will provide his or her expertise in civil engineering to the Agency on an ad hoc basis for its hydro agricultural development and agricultural land development activities.

The incumbent will work both independently and as part of a team, using technical knowledge and expertise to conduct field diagnostics and assessments, analyze data, prepare reports, provide advice and solutions to problems, identify opportunities for improvement, and build the capacity of ATA staff to apply engineering principles to ATA's agricultural projects.

The day-to-day activities and overall technical assignment of the incumbent will be managed by the ATA of Togo. The civil engineering expert will report to the Director General of the ATA. Administrative oversight will be provided by the WFP country office in Togo. 

ACCOUNTABILITIES/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Diagnosis of producers' needs for storage and drying facilities
• Definition of the functional needs of storage and drying facilities
• Drafting of the technical specifications for the storage and drying facilities
• Drafting of the terms of reference for the recruitment of the project manager
• Evaluation of technical bids for the project management contract (if available)
• Support for the monitoring of works and acceptance of works (if available)
• Build capacity of ATA staff on civil engineering aspects related to the work of the ATA
• Technical assistance to the Agency on the civil engineering aspects of hydro-agricultural development projects, as required
• Technical assistance to the Agency on the civil engineering aspects of agricultural land development projects, as required

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Evaluate building concepts, design documents, architectural plans and on-site construction to recommend and advise on improvements.
• Apply best practices, engineerings standard and innovative technologies during assessments; Ensure that country-specific technical requirements and engineering standards are used.
• Create technical reports and recommendations based on desk reviews and field missions.
• Manage and analyze project proposals to ensure that the business case and technical feasibility of potential warehouses and other construction projects managed by the ATA are feasible within prescribed resources.
• Prepare accurate and timely reports on construction projects to facilitate informed decision-making
• Participate in discussions with partners, donors and stakeholders on ATA construction projects and lead engineering presentations
• Establish and maintain partnerships with internal and external clients in order to effectively meet client expectations
• To build the capacity of ATA staff in formal and informal settings so that they can better understand engineering approaches to construction as part of their ongoing capacity development.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Master's degree or higher in civil engineering or a related engineering discipline (rural engineering), or a first university degree with additional years or experience and/or advanced training/courses. Accreditation to the status of "Professional Engineer" or "Chartered Engineer" or equivalent recognized by an appropriate national or international regulatory authority.

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years of work experience in civil engineering or a related engineering discipline (i.e., rural engineering); Experience includes 1) evaluating the design of construction projects, 2) managing construction that meets design requirements, 3) evaluating construction by others, and 4) preparing technical reports to inform desk research and fieldwork evaluation.  

Knowledge & Skills:

• Ability to perform a technical review of initial construction plans for small and medium-sized projects
• Ability to perform technical revision of architectural plans for small and medium-sized projects
• Ability to evaluate construction projects in the field to determine whether they follow agreed-upon architectural plans.
• Ability to write technical reports evaluating construction plans, concepts, and field visits to construction sites
• Ability to apply engineering skills to other projects, e.g. irrigation
• Managed or contributed to the management of small and medium-sized engineering or construction projects, assuming responsibility for engineering decision-making
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and act as the main point of contact for the area of interest in terms of stakeholder meetings and follow-up of beneficiaries in engineering.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a range of stakeholders in a cross-cultural environment.

Languages:

Fluency (level C) in French and basic level of English required (written and verbal)

Les candidats intéressés sont priés de soumettre leur candidature en ligne via le lien https://wd3.myworkdaysite.com/en-GB/recruiting/wfp/job_openings/job/Lome-Togo-The-Republic-Of/Civil-Engineer-Expert-Consultant_JR111594 . 

• Étape 1: Cliquez sur le lien.
• Étape 2: Cliquez sur « Postuler » pour vous inscrire et créer votre CV en ligne. (CV de préférence en Français)
• Étape 3: Soumettez votre candidature.