Irrigation Engineer

Team
:
Programmes
Job Title: Irrigation Engineer
Organisation
:
Self Help Africa
Contract Type
:
One year, renewable depending on funding
Hours
:
Full time 37.5 hours per week Monday – Friday
Location
:
Dessie, with frequent travel to project woredas
Reports to
:
Area Project Coordinator
Salary
:
As Per SHA Scale

About Self Help Africa
:
Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change. We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.

In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise-focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.

Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.

• Impact:
  We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
• Innovation:
  We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing World.
• Community:
  We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.

The Irrigation Engineer will play an important role in the implementation of a project co-implemented with WFP under a project title – “Provide an integrated package of climate-adaptive livelihood support, anticipatory action and climate services for at‑risk communities, particularly small‑scale producers, other value chain actors, women and young people in Amhara region”. Working closely with Area Project Coordinator, Team Lead and country teams, the post-holder will support the overall activities related to design and construction of irrigation schemes.

The post-holder is responsible for assisting the project team in performing project management and supporting irrigation based activities to contribute to the realization of projects and organizational objectives. The Irrigation Engineer will be responsible for the planning, design, implementation, and optimization of irrigation systems for agricultural activities. The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise in hydraulics and agronomy with practical problem‑solving skills to create efficient, sustainable, and cost‑effective water delivery systems.

The Irrigation Engineer will play a key role in promoting water conservation and ensuring the long‑term health and productivity of project beneficiary smallholders’ farmlands. The Irrigation Engineer will also be responsible for providing technical oversight to all irrigation, agriculture and land use‑related activities. These activities should be, SHA strategic plan, and country agriculture strategies.

• Identify, research and advise on current and new funding opportunities related to irrigation development
• Contribute to project proposal development; write and edit proposal content; ensure timely submission of contribution during proposal development and follow up with donors for feedback related to irrigation development.
• Facilitate irrigation development consultation meetings, prepare summary presentations and develop meeting notes.
• Work closely with colleagues in the country office, who led project design, to contribute to the assessment, research and design of projects for specific donor funding opportunities.
• Work closely with country office colleagues to support and/or lead contract negotiation with institutional donors.

• Advise on the technical/socio-technical diagnosis of irrigated agriculture production technologies and systems, and the design of appropriate irrigation and agronomic interventions.
• Advise on technical and social aspects of agricultural production activities in the project to…