Remote Structural Engineer

Job Summary

The Remote Structural Engineer provides structural validation across the engineering lifecycle of UNOPS infrastructure portfolios. Core duties include auditing architectural and structural blueprints, drafting technical specifications for construction materials, reviewing calculation notes, conducting objective evaluations of international commercial bids, and executing field quality-control checks to ensure total compliance with local and international building codes.

Qualification & Requirements

Technical Toolset & Environment

• Hardware & Software: Must possess a reliable personal laptop capable of running advanced engineering software, along with a stable, high-speed internet connection.
• Workplace Agility: A quiet, suitable home-office environment with the flexibility to participate in virtual meetings during standard business hours.
• Core Engineering Software Literacy: Advanced proficiency in structural analysis, modeling, and drafting software (e.g., SAP2000, ETABS, STAAD.Pro, AutoCAD, Revit, or equivalent industry standards).

Core United Nations Competencies

• Integrity & Diversity: Treats all individuals with profound respect, champions inclusion, and models the ethical norms and core values of the United Nations Charter.
• Analytical Decision-Making: Evaluates structural data, load reports, and courses of action dispassionately to make calculated, logical, and pragmatic safety determinations.
• Communication Metrics: Expresses complex technical engineering concepts in a clear, concise, and accessible manner to non-technical project managers and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Design Review & Structural Validation (40%)

• Audit Blueprints: Review, verify, and critique structural drawings, reinforcement details, foundation plans, and framing layouts for concrete, steel, and masonry structures.
• Verify Calculations: Audit dead, live, wind, and seismic load schedules, calculation notes, and finite element models to ensure compliance with international building codes (Eurocodes, ACI, ASCE, or local equivalents).
• Assess Structural Resilience: Evaluate structural safety profiles and integrate sustainable engineering, climate-resilient designs, or retrofitting methods into existing infrastructure masterplans.

2. Specification Engineering & Procurement Support (35%)

• Draft Technical Specifications: Author and refine highly specialized technical requirements, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), and Terms of Reference (ToRs) for construction materials, structural steel, concrete mixes, and specialized geotechnical works.
• Lead Bid Evaluations: Analyze incoming commercial supplier bids for complex public works contracts, formulating clear, evidence-based technical evaluation reports.
• Resolve Inquiries: Formulate accurate, transparent responses to technical clarifications raised by contractors and suppliers during active tendering windows.

3. Quality Assurance & Site Inspections (25%)

• Field Inspection Deployments: Travel to physical project sites when requested to conduct structural audits, monitor construction quality, and verify that field assembly matches approved plans.
• Evaluate Reports: Review material testing (e.g., concrete cylinder tests, steel tensile tests), commissioning reports, and material submittals presented by construction companies, flagging structural anomalies or non-compliance.

Expected Outputs & Deliverables

• Rigorously reviewed, stamped, or approved structural engineering design packages and calculation notes.
• Clear, comprehensive Bills of Quantities (BoQs) and technical specifications for structural materials.
• Objective, auditable technical bid evaluation matrixes analyzing commercial contractor proposals.
• Highly structured site-visit inspection logs, defect lists, and structural quality assurance reports.

Selection & Assessment Process

UNOPS maintains a transparent, merit-based selection architecture designed to evaluate your exact engineering capacity:

• Initial Screening: Applications are thoroughly reviewed against mandatory academic and professional milestone benchmarks once the vacancy window closes.
• Technical Assessment: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete an objective technical examination testing structural analysis, specification drafting, and code compliance.
• Competency Interview: Candidates passing the technical filter will undergo a structured, competency-based panel interview evaluating behavioral alignment and professional experience.
• Timeline Note: The end-to-end recruitment process typically spans one to three months from the closing date.

Skills Required:

• Civil / Engineering / Cotm