Land Surveyor Blogs

Job Posting – GIS Network Mapping, December 2018
WNL Development Solutions (WNL) is a Canadian-based consulting firm focused on internationally funded development projects in West Africa, with expertise in infrastructure development and institutional reform.
We are currently recruiting a Team Leader/GIS Water Network Mapping Expert for an internationally funded project in Nigeria.
Title: Team Leader/GIS Water Network Mapping Expert
Location: Nigeria
Status: Full-time, single status
Duration: 8-12 months, full time on-site
Commencement: first quarter of 2019
Reporting To: Project Director, based in Canada
Project Description: The project is to prepare GIS maps of the existing water distribution network and other water system assets, for a government owned water utility in Nigeria in a city with a population of approximately 1 million. There are very few available records of the existing water distribution network and as such extensive field investigations and detailed field surveying will be required to confirm pipe locations and coordinates, routings, depths, sizes, materials and condition and similar information for valves, hydrants, cleanouts, reducers, customer connections, etc. Other major water supply system components such as intakes, treatment plants, storage reservoirs, pumping stations will also be surveyed and mapped. After field verification and surveying, information will be inputted into a GIS, overlaid on satellite imagery. The latest available technologies for cloud-based information transfer to the GIS should be used. The GIS will include all pertinent information on the piping network and other water system assets. A coding system will need to be developed to have a unique identifier for each component of the system. Once the GIS is setup, custom tools will be developed to aid the water utility with ongoing operation and maintenance activities. Data from the GIS will need to be exportable to other programs for use in O&M activities and water network modelling. Training of utility staff in the field investigation and surveying techniques and the use of the GIS will be carried out to enable ongoing use of the systems developed under the project. Ongoing intermittent technical support on the use of the GIS system will be provided after delivery of the completed GIS to the Client.
Job Description: Duties and Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
• Coordinate all activities of the project team comprising field investigation teams, surveyors, GIS experts, civil engineering and network modelling personnel.
• Review all existing available project documentation and reports to develop a thorough understanding of the extent of the existing distribution network and water supply system assets, and with input from others on the team, develop a detailed strategy and implementation plan
for the project, with weekly targets for all team members and including quality control measures for field work and data input.
• Assess capacities of utility staff that are to receive training and develop capacity building and training plans for these staff including the preparation of training materials.
• Take the leading role in preparing all reports, documents, and project deliverables including monthly progress reports to the Client and weekly reporting as requested by company management.
• Take the leading role in coordinating, preparing, and delivering presentations at stakeholder workshops and Client meetings.
• Directly supervise all project team members including project administrative and support personnel to ensure that all work of the project team is performed to a high degree of quality, according to the project implementation plan and budget.
• Serve as the key day-to-day contact with the Client, and forge a close working relationship with the Client, keeping the Client informed of all project team activities and constraints.
• Follow up with the Client to obtain any necessary project information and/or decisions.
• Keep company management informed of project progress, constraints, issues requiring resolution, and project financial aspects on a weekly basis through written reports and phone/video conferences as requested by management.
• Prepare project team work plans and financial budgets based on the work plan (monthly, quarterly and yearly) for approval by company management.
• Monitor progress against work plans and update regularly.
• Approve project team expenditures and monitor actual expenditures against budget.
Base of Operations and Travel: The project team including the Team Leader will be based full-time on site in Nigeria. Daily travel within the city will be required to monitor field operations. Travel outside of the project location is not anticipated.
Qualifications and Experience: This is a senior position requiring a person with several years of demonstrable experience in on-site leadership of technical project teams and proven technical skills related to mapping of water supply system assets, particularly distribution system, in a developing country environment, to the standards of an international development agency. Minimum qualifications and experience are as follows:
• Qualified Engineer (civil or other relevant discipline) preferably with a Masters’ Degree in related technical or management field.
• 15 years experience on water projects with experience in design, construction, mapping and/or modelling of water distribution networks for urban water supply schemes of populations of 100,000 and above. Must demonstrate prior experience in network mapping, or mapping of water and/or sewer lines or other buried infrastructure.
• Minimum 3 years experience on GIS or managing projects having a GIS component related to mapping of infrastructure
• 10 years consulting experience
• 8 years experience in developing countries, preferably Sub-Saharan Africa
• 5 years experience in team leader/project manager roles
• Prior experience working on projects funded by international development agencies such as World Bank, DFID, EU, GIZ/KfW, AfDB etc.
• High level of proficiency in computer applications including Word, Excel, and preferably GIS
• Demonstrated experience and high-level of proficiency in preparing reports and documents to international consulting industry standard
• Completely fluent in English language, both written and oral
• Self-starter with demonstrated ability to work effectively and achieve project and corporate goals with minimal direct supervision
Compensation: Competitive remuneration commensurate with experience. Full expatriate benefit package including salary, local allowance, housing, home leave return airfares, use of project vehicles, medical insurance, paid vacation, etc.