Senior Engineering Officer

OBJECTIVE

To provide technical support to Solid waste management activities as part of an integrated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and operational maintenance program. The Senior Engineering officer will provide critical technical leadership and oversight for our engineering activities across all project locations, including Za’atari and Azraq Syrian Refugee Camps and Host Community facilities in Mafraq Governorate. This role is central to ensuring the effective management of maintenance operations, and infrastructure projects. The Senior Engineering Officer will lead the engineering team, oversee all procurement and tendering processes, and ensure the highest standards of infrastructure maintenance. A key focus will be leading the technical planning and implementation of the winter response in close coordination with UNHCR and other partners.Top of Form

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE WORKING GROUP

The Senior Engineering Officer holds a pivotal role in the delivery and quality assurance of Oxfam's engineering projects within the refugee camps and host communities. This position requires a unique blend of strong technical engineering expertise, project management acumen, and leadership skills. The role encompasses full oversight of procurement and tenders for materials and services and leadership of all maintenance and fabrication activities. The Senior Engineering Officer will act as Oxfam's primary engineering focal point with camp stakeholders, particularly UNHCR for the winter response, and will be responsible for building a capable engineering team through direct involvement in the recruitment of Incentive-based volunteers (IBVs) and staff.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the engineering team's activities across all locations: Za’atari Camp, Azraq Camp, and Host Community facilities.
• Manage and oversee all fabrication and maintenance activities for waste bins, including work in the technical workshop and on-site installation, ensuring high visibility and professional standards.

• Oversee all engineering-related procurements, including the tendering and purchasing of materials, tools, spare parts, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for IBVs and the team.

• Lead the technical evaluation for all project-related engineering procurements (construction, maintenance, etc.).

• Develop and manage detailed engineering work plans, procurement plans, and spending plans, ensuring activities are delivered on time and within budget.
• Ensure all engineering activities adhere to Oxfam’s safety, security, and program quality standards, as well as donor requirements.
• Prepare and submit timely and accurate engineering reports and updates as required.
• Lead the recruitment of Engineering incentive-based volunteers (IBVs) in all locations, including raising staff requisitions (SRs), conducting interviews, and administering technical tests.
• Provide effective leadership, management, and technical supervision to the engineering team, fostering a cohesive and high-performing team environment.

• Coordinate closely with the IBV team to align engineering activities with broader program goals.
• Coordinate with other project teams, including the solid waste management team and the community engagement team, as well as support functions, to ensure efficient and effective delivery.

• Serve as Oxfam's primary engineering focal point, coordinating with all camp stakeholders, including UNHCR, other NGOs, and community representatives.
• Lead on the technical planning and implementation of the winter response in close coordination with UNHCR, ensuring preparedness and timely execution.
• Represent Oxfam in technical coordination meetings, advocating for program priorities and maintaining strong, collaborative partnerships.
• Adhere to and promote Oxfam’s principles and values, including the commitment to gender justice, women's rights, equity, diversity, and staff well-being.
• Uphold Oxfam’s policies on safeguarding, equity, diversity, and health and safety, ensuring a safe and inclusive work environment for all.

STAKEHOLDERS

Key Stakeholders Impacted by the Role:

• Oxfam’s Engineering Team
• Za’atari and Azraq Camp management and community representatives
• Local authorities in host communities and community representatives
• IBV team and supervisors.
• Contractors and suppliers involved in project execution.
• Oxfam’s project teams including Community Engagement Team and Solid Waste Management Team.
• Oxfam's support functions including procurement and logistics teams.

Qualifications

Essentials

• A degree in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Excellent experience in Engineering Project Management within an NGO or humanitarian context.
• Proven experience in overseeing procurement and tender processes for engineering materials and services.
• Strong leadership skills with experience in recruiting, managing, and mentoring a diverse team, including incentive-based volunteers.
• Previous experience in Communal steel bins fabrication and maintenance.
• A minimum of 3 years of Experience working in Zaatri & Azraq Syrian refugee camp.
• Proven ability to create comprehensive engineering assessments, reports, and workplans.
• Experience in leading technical evaluations for construction and maintenance tenders.
• Strong written and spoken communication skills in both English and Arabic, with the ability to represent the organization professionally.
• Excellent coordination and stakeholder management skills, with experience working with UN agencies and local authorities.
• Experience working with IBV/CFW team.
• Ability to manage multiple demands, perform well under pressure, and adapt to dynamic situations.

Nonessentials

• Knowledge of grey water systems and their management in a camp context.
• Experience in leading winterization preparedness and response activities.
• Understanding of and commitment to gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups in engineering programs.
• Familiarity with the specific context of Za’atari and Azraq camps and host communities.

HOW WE INCORPORATE OUR VALUES, FEMINIST PRINCIPLES AND DECOLONIZATION 

For all our Transforming Business Support Human Resources Working Groups and Core Group. 

While this is our current stance, we are committed to continuous learning and improvement. We are dedicated to enhancing our understanding of integrating feminist principles and decolonization into our daily work. As we actively learn, we will update sections in this document to reflect our progress. 

All Oxfam Values, Equality, Solidarity, Courage, Inclusiveness, Empowerment, and Accountability are not just words but the very fabric of how we work. People & HR TBS are key in reflecting changes required in the harmonized procedures. All TBS HR WGs will verify that any update is consistent with our values, feminist principles, and the Oxfam Code of Conduct. When considering decolonial feminist principles in practice, Gender Justice Feminist Futures Strategy might also inspire us in this exercise. 

Equality: “We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and

We believe in treating everyone fairly with equal rights and opportunities. Equity goes further by recognizing diverse circumstances and providing tailored resources to achieve equal outcomes. The principle of equity helps us achieve equality.

Decolonial Feminist Leadership:

We aim to practice leadership that is aware of power dynamics and strives for collective decision-making. This approach empowers others by sharing power and enabling individuals to make decisions.

Accountability: The working groups will enable transparency by clearly documenting all processes, including Terms of Reference (ToRs), work plans, stakeholder feedback, approval processes, and final implementation plans. This ensures that all documentation is accessible to all involved.

Inclusivity: We commit to the principle of "Nothing about Us without Us," ensuring active participation from CCRs and historically marginalized groups. While improving policies, we will balance inclusivity with efficiency to avoid overburdening CCRs. This includes ensuring diverse representation within working groups (e.g., gender, geography, ethnicity) and allowing time for translation and asynchronous participation when needed. All final outputs (e.g., policies, guides) will be made available in the four official languages, with relevant webinars conducted in those languages.

We offer:

We offer a competitive salary and a range of additional benefits to staff including flexible working options, generous pension scheme, annual leave, additional leave allowances, company sick pay, life assurance and a range of other benefits. 

From the day you join Oxfam we invite you to stretch and learn in your role. Our wide range of Learning & Development opportunities includes in-house courses, e-learning modules, on-the job learning opportunities, coaching and mentoring, and much more. 

You can read more about all Oxfam has to offer here.

Flexfam:

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you.

How to apply:

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.  

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.