An exciting full time vacancy for a Senior Project Engineer — Client’s Representative is now available at Pharo Foundation, Hargeisa. Professionals with a background in Engineering and at least 9 - 10 years of experience are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should submit their applications before Jun, 12.
Senior Project Engineer — Client’s Representative
Pharo Primary School Project — Hargeisa, Somaliland
Project Pharo Primary School, Hargeisa, Somaliland (Phase 1)
Client / Employer Pharo Foundation (“the Client”)
Architect, MEP, Structural &
QS Consultant
Urko Sanchez Architects (“the Consultant”)
Contractor Almis Construction (“the Contractor”)
Contract Framework FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction (Red Book) between Client and
Contractor
Project Stage at Hire Foundational works
Client-Supplied Items Approx. USD 1 million (tiles, ceramics, electrical fittings, etc.), to be procured
directly from suppliers outside the country
Reports To Head of Education SL and COO
Direct Reports Site Engineer (resident on site, Pharo Foundation)
Duration Approximately 18 months from mobilisation, plus the Defects Notification
Period
Engagement Type Fixed-term consultancy or full-time employment (open to candidate-proposed
structure)
Duty Station
Hargeisa, Somaliland, with significant time on site and international travel for
procurement
Pharo Foundation, Hargeisa, Somaliland www. pharofoundation.org
Project Context
The Pharo Foundation is delivering its flagship Pharo Primary School in Hargeisa, Somaliland — a new campus housing
Kindergarten, Lower Primary and Upper Primary, with a future Secondary School phase reserved on the same plot.
The project is in the early stages of Stage 5 Construction (foundational works) and is expected to run for approximately
18 months.
Purpose of the Role
The Consultant (Senior Project Engineer) is Pharo Foundation’s principal technical representative on the project. The
role exists to ensure that the Client’s interests in quality, time, cost, risk and reputation are robustly and proactively
protected throughout the remainder of construction, commissioning, handover and the Defects Notification Period —
without duplicating or undermining the contractual authority of the Consultant (Urko Sanchez Architects) under the
FIDIC framework.
The role is the single accountable focal point connecting:
- Pharo Foundation’s leadership, finance and procurement functions;
- The Pharo Foundation Site Engineer (resident on site as an additional set of eyes for quality assurance);
- The Consultant, particularly during the periods between USA’s site visits and through their resident
architect/engineer if and when appointed;
- The Contractor, and
- Suppliers of Client-supplied items in China, Dubai and elsewhere, together with logistics partners.
Governance, Authority and Reporting Lines
Under the FIDIC Red Book contract, the Consultant is the “Engineer”, with the contractual authority to issue Engineer’s
Instructions, certify payments, evaluate variations and adjudicate claims. The Consultant is the Client’s in-house expert
and representative, not a substitute for the Consultant. Specifically:
- Instructions to the Contractor that affect cost, time, scope or quality continue to flow through the Consultant
in accordance with the contract.
- The Consultant advises and informs the Client, reviews the Consultant’s and Contractor’s outputs on the
Client’s behalf, and ensures the Client is in a position to issue clear, timely and well-informed decisions through
the proper contractual channels.
- Where the Client has designated a “Client’s Representative” under Clause 3.1 of the USA consultancy
agreement, this role is the natural candidate for that designation. To be confirmed by the Client at
appointment.
Scope of Responsibilities
4.1 Client Representation and FIDIC Contract Administration Support
- Act as the principal day-to-day interface between the Client, the Consultant and the Contractor on all technical
and contractual matters.
- Review and advise the Client on all formal communications under the contract, including Engineer’s
Instructions, Variation Orders, Notices of Claim, Extensions of Time, Interim Payment Certificates, Taking-Over
and Performance Certificates.
- Maintain a Client-side contract register tracking variations, claims, notices, RFIs, NCRs and outstanding
decisions, with status, financial exposure and recommended action.
- Verify that the Contractor’s performance security, insurances and bonds remain valid and adequate throughout
the works.
- Support the Client in monthly progress meetings, technical reviews and any dispute-avoidance processes.
- Ensure that variations and claims under FIDIC are processed in accordance with the contract and challenged
or supported on technical merit.
4.2 Quality Assurance and Independent Technical Oversight
In collaboration with the Consultant and Pharo Foundation’s site engineer:
- Provide continuous, on-the-ground technical oversight of the works on behalf of the Client, complementing
the Consultant’s periodic site presence.
- Conduct independent, risk-based reviews of workmanship, materials, method statements and Inspection and
Test Plans (ITPs), particularly for high-risk early works (foundations, structural concrete, terracing, MEP firstfix).
- Commission or witness independent material testing (concrete cube tests, rebar, soils/compaction, finishes) at
appropriate intervals; verify the integrity of the Contractor’s and Consultant’s QA/QC regime.
- Provide technical direction to the Pharo Foundation Site Engineer; review daily and weekly site reports,
photographic logs and NCR observations; escalate issues promptly.
4.3 Programme, Cost and Risk Management
- Independently review the Contractor’s baseline programme and critical-path risks.
- Independently verify physical progress against valuations submitted in Interim Payment Applications before
the Client authorises payment.
- Maintain and update a live project risk register covering execution, technical, financial, supply-chain, security
and reputational risks; track mitigations to closure.
- Monitor the project budget against committed and forecast cost; produce a monthly cost report showing
variations, claims exposure and forecast cost at completion.
- Provide early warning of any matter likely to result in cost overrun, programme delay or quality compromise.
4.4 Procurement and Logistics — Client-Supplied Items (approx. USD 1 million)
The Client has elected, in agreement with the Consultant and the Contractor, to directly supply certain items to the
project to achieve cost savings — principally finishes (tiles, ceramics), electrical fittings and similar items. Procurement
is now expected to be principally sourced from China, with Turkey, Dubai and other markets considered as appropriate.
The Senior Project Engineer will be the technical and coordination lead for this scope, working in close partnership
with Pharo Foundation’s procurement and logistics functions and with the consultant for technical specifications.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Consolidating and validating the technical specifications and quantities for all Client-supplied items, in
coordination with the Consultant and aligned to the BoQ.
- Preparing the procurement schedule and aligning it with the Contractor’s construction programme to avoid
double handling, demurrage or delay claims arising from Client-supply timing.
- Supporting supplier identification, prequalification, RFQ issuance, technical evaluation and recommendation
for award.
- Leading or accompanying inspection and sourcing missions to relevant supply, including factory visits, sample
approvals and pre-shipment inspections.
- Coordinating logistics with the Foundation’s logistics partners and inhouse team.
- Managing the contractual interface between Client-supplied items and the Contractor’s scope.
- Maintaining a complete procurement tracker covering specification → order → shipment → delivery →
inspection → acceptance → installation → warranty.
4.5 HSE and Safeguarding
- Independently monitor the Contractor’s HSE performance and compliance with the contract HSE plan; escalate
unsafe acts or conditions.
- Verify root cause analyses and corrective actions for any incident; track corrective actions to closure.
- Uphold Pharo Foundation’s safeguarding standards on site, with particular attention given the facility’s end use
as a school for children.
4.6 Reporting and Stakeholder Communication
- Represent the client in monthly construction meetings.
- Consolidate and coordinate key decision points and facilitate decision making meetings
4.7 Handover, Commissioning and Defects Notification Period
- Coordinate the Client’s participation in Taking-Over inspections, snagging, testing, commissioning and
handover of completed works.
- Monitor the Contractor’s performance during the Defects Notification Period and ensure defects are closed
prior to issuance of the Performance Certificate and release of retention.
Key Deliverables
- Procurement plan and execution dossier for Client-supplied items, including factory inspection reports and
pre-shipment inspection signoffs.
- Inception report (within 30 days of mobilisation): situation assessment, gap analysis on quality, risk and
procurement, and proposed working arrangements with the Consultant and the Site Engineer.
- Monthly project report to the Client (progress, quality, cost, risk, procurement, HSE).
- Live Client-side trackers: contract / variations register; NCR log; risk register; procurement tracker; cost-atcompletion forecast.
- Weekly written status update or call.
- Project close-out report at the end of the Defects Notification Period, including lessons learned and
recommendations for any future Pharo construction projects, including Phase 2 (Secondary School).
About Hargeisa
Hargeisa is the capital and largest city of Somaliland, serving as the region's main economic and administrative hub. The city is home to a growing number of international organizations, NGOs, and private sector companies, making it a key employment center in the Horn of Africa. Professionals relocating to Hargeisa will find a dynamic and rapidly developing urban environment.
Ereyada Soomaaliga (Somali Keywords): Shaqo Hargeysa • Shaqo Cusub • Shaqo Buuxda • Injineernimo