Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)D
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONTR Local Entry and Mid-Level Support
Target Start Date2024-04-01
Job Posting End DateMarch 20, 2024
Terms of ReferenceDuration and dates of the assignment:
From: 1st April 2024 To: 31st September 2024
Work 100% (full-time) during the above-mentioned period: Yes
Total amount of days/weeks/months to be worked: 6 months
Duty Station(s) (specify if working from home): Tongogara Refugee Settlement
Assignment and/or Mission travel applicable: No
If yes, specify destination(s) and period(s):
Suggested fee (daily/monthly/lumpsum) and currency:
Total budgetary amount allocated for consultancy (incl. travel and DSA etc): USD 37,548
Payment schedule: monthly per timesheet
General Background of Project or Assignment:
Tongogara Refugee Settlement (TRS) is located in the Middle Sabi area of Chipinge District, Manicaland Province, some 550 kilometres south-east from Harare and approximately, 80 km west of Chipinge town [longitude: -20.347495ยฐ, latitude: 32.328163ยฐ]. The camp area falls under the agro-ecological Zone 5 that normally experiences low amounts of rainfall, on average 200 to 400 mm per year. The camp is mostly a dry, hot and dusty area for the better part of the year. The camp is accessible during dry periods, however, access becomes difficult during rains. TRS being home to more than 15,000 refugees is in the process of transformation to promote-self reliance among the inhabitants given the protracted nature of the caseload due to instability in the Great Lakesโ region.
More than 15,000 refugees and asylum seekers reside in TRS, where water supply systems are operated currently on five solar-operated pumps connecting to reticulation networks supplying different residential sections and nearby host communities. The networks have become complex due to continued expansion over the past decade. The current complete reliance on manual handling of all control valves and insufficiency in measurement with limited deployment of water flowmeters and other measurement devices create challenges as the system cannot ensure optimized water supply as per ideal hydraulic design as well as timely controlling of distribution across the settlement based on calculated demands against changing supply on solar pumping system. This may pose a potential risk of infectious disease outbreaks, such as cholera, in areas where water distribution may fail to reach them.
There are emerging technologies globally to address water management challenges in the refugee setting. In 2022, UNHCR Zimbabwe launched a pilot Real Time Monitoring (RTM) water supply project using Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN). RTM is being tested within selected 13 pilot Country Operations, including Zimbabwe. Although the use of RTM/LoRaWAN provides opportunities for effective monitoring, simply generating and observing RTM water data via LoRaWAN is passive. The ongoing RTM pilot project is intended to only monitor water systems such as water levels in storage tanks, water qualities, flow rates, and pressures in pipelines as well as groundwater levels in boreholes in real-time, while actions required to be taken based on the RTM data are not included in the system design, such as opening and closing valves and chlorinating the distribution lines based on the RTM data captured in the project. In other words, there remains a requirement to always act with manual interventions in real-time to address complex water distribution across the settlement.
At the user level, the camp has more than 150 communal tap stands connected to the reticulation systems and each tapstand has a Water Management Committee (WMC). Those committee members represent water users and are expected to communicate to UNHCR and its WASH Partner about the situation of water availability and use at each tapstand. What is missing is the water data readily and easily available to enable communication on how much water is distributed to each tapstand/section and when used. There has also been a monitoring called Mobile Data Collection (MDC) using mobile tablets, in collaboration with refugee data collectors about waterflow at taps, and conditions of aprons and drainage, as well as other key sanitation and hygiene indicators.
Under this context, UNHCR Zimbabwe has been selected by a fund to test Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) to foster equitable, real-time, and risk-detected water supply management. The funded project is called Innovation Project. The project should cover installing PLC devices, blending PLC with RTM, developing dashboards for the end users and UNHCR (with a service contractor of the system), and strengthening communication with WMCs, and managing MDC activities. The assignment for the Contractor is intended to implement, analyse and integrate all these elements into a successful water distribution and monitoring with the new technologies.
Overall purpose and Scope of Assignment:
(Concise and detailed description of activities, including measurable outputs and delivery dates, impact indicators (what qualitative and quantitative results would be achieved upon completion of consultancy), performance indicators (time lines, value of the service rendered in relation to the cost, timeliness) and work plan.):
The overall purpose of the contract is to coordinate the implementation, monitoring and documentation of the Innovation Project to achieve success. It is also integral that contractor collect, analyse and present project-related information for key stakeholders and within UNHCR at Country, Southern Africa and Headquarters levels. The following sections describe details of major tasks for the contractor.
a) Overall coordination and implementation of the Innovation Project based at TRS, using RTM, PLC and MDC in close collaboration with UNHCR WASH Partner:
- Lead in gathering geodetic data of key points in the existing water supply networks
- Collaborate with the UNHCR Water System Expert in developing hydraulic models for the design and management of RTM/PLC/MDC;
- Conduct borehole forensic assessments with borehole camera to confirm borehole construction, carry out analysis to determine any borehole rehabilitation requirements, and determine optimal solar pumps election and safe yields ;
- Lead on installing RTM and PLC devices;
- Coordinate with the PLC service provider in the whole project cycle, including their on-site training for installation, dashboard development and monitoring;
- Monitor, analyse and document inputs and outputs data of RTM/PLC-assisted water distribution;
- Integrate RTM/PLC/MDC into a water distribution monitoring and controlling system;
- Collaborate with staff at UNHCR Zimbabwe Country Office (ZCO), Regional Burau for Southern Africa (RBSA), and Headquarters (HQ) as well as key (both governmental and non-governmental) stakeholders in the country in the whole project cycle;
- Organize weekly/biweekly online discussions with HQ Innovation Department and Water System Department to update on project progress, successes, and challenges. Share identified areas that need their support.
- Report to the projectโs technical and operational supervisors at RBSA as well as Programme Unit at ZCO on a regular basis.
b) Organize trainings with UNHCRโs WASH Partner for WMCs on data-assisted water management as well as promotion of water conservation
c) Engage with UNHCR Livelihoods, Education and Health staff in optimizing water supply for livelihoods and institutions.
d) Lead a baseline and an endline water management survey for households, livelihoods and institutions.
e) Provide support in UNHCRโs WASH-related coordination and monitoring, engaging with its WASH Partner at TRS. Share progresses and challenges within ZCO and RBSA through attendance at WASH and Programme meetings and regular reporting.
f) Produce quality reports of the project at midline (3-4 months after deployment) and endline (2 weeks to 1 month before the project completion or end of assignment). The reports will includes (not exhaustive): quantified and qualified project impacts, summary of activities, challenges and successes for replication of the project elements to other country operations, and costed future action plans.
Technical support will be available from ZCO, RBSA and HQ. To have their support, the contractor is expected to proactively coordinate with them throughout the project period.
โข The successful candidate is required to (mandatory):
o have at least a bachelorโs degree in a field related to the water sector
o have successful experience in water supply management for serving household, agricultural and institutional water demands for more than 2 years
o have successful experience in engaging with marginalized communities at field level for more than 2 years
o have excellent ability in managing borehole quality assurance and solar-operated piped water scheme in densely populated settings
o have excellent ability in developing and testing hypothesises within a project cycle to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of outputs
o have familiarity, in both hardware and software, with Lorentz and/or Grundfos solar pumps
o have familiarity with IT-related innovation in the field of WASH
o have familiarity with quantitative data management, including data visualization for effective communication with non-experts
o be committed to documenting and presenting project progress and deliverables under tight schedule
โข Additionally, the successful candidate is expected to (desired):
o have experience in water supply modeling and geodetic data capturing and analysis
o have professional experience using the EPANET application
o have worked and achieved success on all aspects of WASH implementation for more than 3 years
o have worked on WASH within an international organization for more than 1 year.
Monitoring and Progress Controls (report requirements, periodicity, format, deadlines):
a. The final product (e.g., survey completed, data collected, workshop conducted, research documents produced specify):
- Midline and endline reports.
- Survey data on water management
- Functioning integrated systems of RTM, PLC and MDC.
b. Delivery Periodicity, as applicable: yes.
c. Work on the basis of time employed: Yes
d. If it is to result in a written product specify:
- Number of pages: 15 - 25 pages for each report (not including in count references, graphs, pictures, tables). Template will be provided.
- Language(s): English
- Number of copies: Drafts should be submitted in Microsoft Word and final versions of each required document should be submitted in PDF. Presentation slides should be submitted in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Standard Job Description
Required Languages
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Desired Languages
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Additional Qualifications
Skills
EducationBachelor of Science (BS): Water/Sanitation Engineering, Bachelor of Science (BS): Water Resources Development, Bachelor of Science (BS): Water Supply
Certifications
Work Experience
Other informationTechnical support will be available from Zimbabwe Country Office (ZCO), Regional Bureau for Southern Africa (RBSA) and Headquarters (HQ). The consultant is expected to proactively collaborate with these stakeholders throughout the project period.This position doesn't require a functional clearance
Home-BasedNo