Technical Supervisor (Engineering/Architecture) - Housing Improvements
Organizational Context
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) promotes sustainable urban development and adequate housing for all. Its Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This role supports the "Vida Nova no Morro" project in Niterói, focused on improving housing and urban conditions in informal settlements.
Job Purpose
This role supports the "Vida Nova no Morro" project in Niterói, Brazil, by providing technical supervision and quality assurance for housing improvement initiatives. The incumbent will collaborate with project teams to ensure the successful achievement of project objectives, contributing to sustainable urban development in informal settlements. The position involves validating housing assessments, reviewing improvement proposals, and ensuring technical quality and consistency in line with UN-Habitat's mandate and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Responsibilities
Provide technical supervision and guidance to field agents, ensuring adherence to project methodologies, protocols, and quality standards. Review and validate technical information and housing assessments, including measurements, photographs, and deficiency identification. Conduct quality control of field data, identifying and rectifying inconsistencies. Validate proposed housing improvement interventions, ensuring alignment between identified deficiencies and proposed solutions. Offer technical guidance for complex cases and participate in field visits. Collaborate in defining and applying technical criteria for intervention prioritization. Review preliminary housing improvement designs for technical feasibility and compliance. Adjust technical drawings, specifications, and material proposals. Provide technical approval for assessments, interventions, and designs within architectural or civil engineering expertise. Coordinate with other technical disciplines for integrated project quality. Prepare technical reviews and reports. Contribute to developing and improving technical guidelines and quality control procedures. Monitor technical quality of field work and provide input for training.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressive professional experience in residential construction, building rehabilitation, housing improvement, or technical assistance for housing is required. Experience in building inspection, technical assessment of residential buildings in Brazil, and technical review/supervision of housing designs is essential. Experience with social housing or projects in informal settlements is desirable.
Skills
Proficiency in Windows, Word, Excel, Outlook. Expertise in inspection, assessment, and technical diagnosis of residential buildings. Knowledge of construction systems, building components, defects, and improvement solutions. Understanding of housing conditions, habitability standards, building codes, and safety requirements. Knowledge of CAD, BIM, or GIS is desirable.