The position is located with the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Regional Programmes Division and based in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Regional Programmes Division is responsible for consolidating and enhancing the linkages between UN Habitat’s activities in the field with the Strategic Plan, the 2030 Agenda, and the UN-Habitat’s overall future priorities and to make sure that they are appropriate to the country context.

UN-Habitat’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific manages UN-Habitat’s project portfolio in the Asia and Pacific region. It ensures that country priorities are in alignment with the UN-Habitat’s organizational policies and strategic objectives and brings through its Regional Representative to the attention of the Executive Management Committee (EMC) opportunities and challenges in the region, allowing for timely feedback and responses to urgent demands and requests from the Member States.

Since 1992, UN-Habitat has worked closely with Afghan communities, contributing to the physical and social reconstruction of the country. Our work has focused on the development of urban policies and regulations; strategic urban planning; increasing municipal revenue; establishing community-based organizations; addressing the land and housing needs of IDPs and returnees and contributing to the provision of basic urban services.

In October 2023, 4 powerful (6.3 magnitude) earthquakes struck Herat Province, western Afghanistan resulting in wide-scale destruction across 382 villages in 9 Districts with 275,256 already-vulnerable individuals (48,347 families) in dire need of humanitarian assistance. To respond to this humanitarian emergency, UN-Habitat has developed an emergency project called “Building resilient community infrastructure in Afghanistan through a build-back-better approach” to be submitted to the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support one damaged public infrastructure project and one damaged health facility with an anticipation of being funded. This proposed project will be implemented in Zindajan district and target to benefit a total of 1,313 affected population (187 affected families).

To enable smooth and timely implementation of the project, UN-Habitat will closely work with affected population using the peoples process, community-based organizations, such as Community Development Councils (CDCs) and organizations of persons with disabilities. UN-Habitat is also closely coordinating with other UN agencies such as OCHA, UNDP, IOM, UNHCR, and WHO to complement their interventions and to avoid duplication of efforts.

UN-Habitat will implement a project that will improve community resilience by rehabilitating and retrofitting the damaged community infrastructure, including health and WASH systems, by taking a build-back-better (BBB) approach. The project will involce the earthquake-affected populations in the survey and assessment processes.

The incumbent will support implementation of the Provision of Building resilient community infrastructure in Afghanistan through a build-back-better approach project to provide “Post-Earthquake Investigation” consultancy services and ensure that the required outputs are achieved in line with the work plan.

He/She will have the following duties and responsibilities:

• Conduct thorough visual site inspections at Zanda Jan, Shakeban, Shada, and post-earthquake investigations for Kernail Clinic in Zindajan district.
• Physically and visually inspect all components of the health centers, including but not limited to columns, beams, slabs, walls, ramps, corridors, and sidewalks.
• Record the current condition of the soil beneath the foundations and strength of the concrete elements in the structure, including conducting geotechnical testing such as soil sampling, classification, properties, bearing capacity, and seismic considerations.
• Perform Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) including the Rebound Hammer test and Core test to assess the safety of the structures and identify the need for repairs or retrofitting.
• Coordinate with relevant entities to collect all available documentation such as drawings, specifications, and calculations, and if not available, be responsible for drafting and preparing such documents based on the site condition.
• Map all damages and cracks on the structure elements, categorize cracks based on standard engineering analysis methods.
• Analyze the buildings using engineering analytical software such as Staad Pro, SAP, and ETABS, complying with standard norms applicable to Afghanistan including, but not limited to, ACI, ASTM, IBC, AASHTO, and other relevant standards.
• Ensure that all analyses are performed in compliance with design standards such as ACI, ASCE 7-10, and compute deflection calculations for key elements of the building in accordance with ACI 318M-08.
• Report the findings of the site inspections and structural analyses to the program, along with relevant photographs from the affected buildings.
• Provide necessary information about the geological, physical, and properties of soil to contribute to the analysis of the building’s stability and safety.
• Identify the ground water table and consider seismic considerations for soils vulnerable to potential failure or collapse under seismic loading, such as liquefiable soils.
• Ensure that the safety of the structures is thoroughly evaluated, and that the analysis contributes to the program’s decisions on the repairment of the structures.
• Ensure adherence to UN-Habitat operational policies, procedures, and standards of conduct.
• Ensure the availability of an investigation team comprising of other technical personnel under the scope of work (SoW) attached herewith.
• Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor(s) under the scope for work (SoW) attached herewith.

Objectives of the investigation.

The objective of the investigation is to thoroughly investigate the type, severity and extent of the incurred damage from the earthquake and provide engineering recommendations through retrofitting measurements and techniques.

1. Target Area

The health centers are in Zindajan district of Herat province.

2. Scope of the Work.

The Consultant shall thoroughly study the area and (i) conduct visual site inspection for four health centers (Health center, Zanda Jan / health center, Shakeban / health center, Shada / health center) and (ii) conduct post-earthquake investigations for the one health center (Kernail Clinic) in Zindajan district.

The investigation shall come through site inspections and structural analysis of the health centers.

Kernail Clinic is in the north part of Zendajan district in Kernail Wardak village. This clinic provides health services and treatment to 21 villages of Zendajan district, and it was in the epicenter of the earthquake and damaged badly.

2.1- Site Inspection:

The Consultant shall conduct site visits from all the health centers physically and visually inspect the entire health center including but not limited to columns, beams, slabs, walls, ramps, corridors, and sidewalks. The inspections shall be conducted by expert engineers (team) and shall be reported to the program along with the relevant photographs from the affected buildings as per the number of health centers mentioned above.

The inspection report shall be based as the input for the analysis and further assessment of the buildings’ stability and safety.

2.2 Tests:

The Consultant shall be responsible for recording the current condition of the soil beneath the foundations and strength of the concrete elements in the structure. In doing so, the Consultant shall be conducting below tests as a minimum:

2.3 Geotechnical Investigation:

The Consultant shall conduct geotechnical testing to provide necessary information about the geological, physical and properties of soil as a prerequisite for the analysis of the building, including but not limited to soil sampling, soil classification, soil properties such as dry density, moisture content, grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, bearing capacity and collapse/swell potential as per ASTM standards. The investigation shall also identify the ground water table.

The investigation shall also include seismic considerations for the soils vulnerable to potential failure or collapse under seismic loading such as liquefiable soils. the projects’ location shall be studied with respect to fault zones of the earthquake and distances from the fault zones shall be determined.

2.4 Concrete Tests:

The Consultant shall be responsible for conducting Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) to evaluate the safety of the structures and determine if repairs or retrofitting are needed to ensure the structure can withstand future seismic events. As a minimum below, tests shall be performed.

• Rebound Hammer test: the Consultant shall perform this test to provide an idea about the soundness and quality of cover concrete. This test shall apply to concrete beams.
• Core test: the consultant shall conduct this test on concrete elements after identification of the weak zones in the structure (mainly RCC columns) to measure the compressive strength of concrete and other properties such as density, water absorption, and tensile strength shall be measured in accordance with BS, ASTM and ACI codes. The core test should be taken away from the critical section of the element

3. Analysis: The Consultant shall be responsible for comprehensive analysis of the health centers including all    individual elements and the building as a whole structure to help the program take decisions on the repairment of the structures.
4. Collect documentation: The Consultant shall coordinate with the relevant entity/department/organization to collect all “available” documents (such drawings, specifications/requirements, and calculations. If those documents are not available, the Consultant shall be responsible for drafting and preparing such documents based on the site condition. All the damages and cracks on the structure elements shall be mapped and cracks shall be categorized based on the standard engineering analysis methods.
5. The Consultant shall thoroughly analyze the building through globally accepted engineering analytical software such as Staad Pro. SAP and ETABS, complying with standard norms applicable to Afghanistan including but not limited to ACI, ASTM, IBC, AASHTO and other standards in Afghanistan. The analysis shall be based on the result of findings from the site, soil and concrete tests.
6. All analysis shall be performed complying with the design standards such as ACI, ASCE 7-10, and deflection calculations shall be computed for key elements of the building in accordance with ACI 318M-08
7. Deliverable:  The Consultant shall be responsible to provide the complete investigation report as a minimum but not limited to:

• Field visit report and findings supported by photographs.
• Geotechnical and concrete testing samples and reports
• Reports on structural analysis & retrofitting measures.
• Recommendations for earthquake resistant construction.

All submissions and correspondence including drawings shall be in English and are to be in hardcopy and softcopy. The submission requirements shall be all in A4 and A3 size paper.

8. Investigation team: For the post-earthquake investigation task in Herat Province, Afghanistan, the investigative team should ideally comprise the following professionals with relevant expertise:

8.1- Structural Engineers:

• Experienced structural engineers with expertise in assessing and evaluating the structural integrity of buildings and infrastructure.
• Proficiency in conducting visual inspections, structural analyses, and identifying necessary repairs or retrofitting measures.
• Knowledge of seismic design principles and familiarity with international building codes and standards.

8.2- Geotechnical Specialists:

• Geotechnical engineers or specialists with expertise in evaluating soil conditions, ground stability, and the effects of seismic events on the terrain.
• Proficiency in conducting geotechnical investigations, soil testing, and assessing the potential for soil liquefaction and ground failure.
• Understanding of the impact of geological factors on structural safety and resilience.

8.3- Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Experts:

• Professionals with specialized knowledge in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) techniques for assessing the integrity of concrete and masonry structures.
• Experience in utilizing NDT methods such as Rebound Hammer tests, Core tests, and other relevant techniques to evaluate material integrity and identify structural concerns.

8.4- Documentation and Reporting Specialists:

• Personnel capable of collecting, organizing, and documenting relevant data, including photographs, structural drawings, and analysis results.
• Proficiency in preparing detailed reports summarizing the findings of the investigation and providing recommendations for structural improvements.

8.5- Project Manager or Coordinator:

• An individual responsible for overseeing the overall coordination of the investigative team, ensuring adherence to timelines, resource allocation, and communication with stakeholders.
• Proficient in project management, logistics, and coordination of field activities, including site assessments, data collection, and reporting.

8.6- Field Technicians and Support Staff:

• Support personnel equipped to assist with on-site activities, data collection, documentation, and logistical support for the investigative team.

8.7- Collaboration with Local Experts:

• Collaborate with local engineers, architects, and community leaders to gain insights into the specific conditions and challenges in the earthquake-affected areas, and for cultural and contextual understanding.

The interdisciplinary nature of the investigative team ensures comprehensive coverage of structural, geotechnical, and non-destructive testing aspects, allowing for a thorough assessment of the affected structures and the geological conditions. Additionally, the collaboration with local experts fosters a holistic approach that considers the region’s unique circumstances and contributes to effective decision-making for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• The consultant will be reporting on a day-to-day basis to the project manager.
• Close cooperation with Management and Technical team for the implementation of the project.

Results Expected:

The Consultant shall be responsible to provide the complete investigation report as a minimum but not limited to:

• Field visit report and findings supported by photographs.
• Geotechnical and concrete testing samples and reports
• Reports on structural analysis & retrofitting measures.
• Recommendations for earthquake resistant construction.
• All submissions and correspondence including drawings shall be in English and are to be in hardcopy and softcopy. The submission requirements shall be all in A4 and A3 size paper.

Competencies (Select 3 Maximum)

Professionalism: Ability to identify and resolve budgetary problems and identify sources for data collection. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Teamwork:  Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Planning& Organizing:  Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education:

• Master’s degree in structural design and analysis with minimum 5 years’ relevant experience in post-earthquake investigation. Experience in Afghanistan or surrounding context is preferred.

b) Experience:

• For the post-earthquake investigation task outlined in Herat Province, Afghanistan, a significant level of experience and expertise is crucial for the investigative team. The following guidelines can be considered for the level of experience and qualifications:

b.1- Structural Engineers:

• Preferably, structural engineers with a minimum of 5-10 years of experience in structural assessments, seismic analysis, and retrofitting design for buildings and infrastructure.
• Experience in post-earthquake investigations, familiarity with international seismic design codes and standards, and a proven track record in evaluating and recommending structural improvements.

c)  Language:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English and Local/National Language of the duty station is required.

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Vacancy Reference NO. in website: VAC-11162

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