VAC-11796 Hydrology Expert

Project background:

• Water resources management is a pressing issue in Yemen due to its arid climate & limited water availability. Yemen faces significant challenges in this regard, including limited agricultural productivity, high levels of malnutrition & vulnerability to natural disasters. With BMZ funding through the German Development Bank (KFW), our client in Yemen & KfW have established a partnership focused on enhancing water resources management & food security in the country. These collaboration aims to address the critical challenges faced by Yemen in these areas & contribute to sustainable development. In addition, KFW & our client in Yemen acknowledge the importance of addressing food security concerns in the country. To tackle these issues, the KFW- & our clients partnership focuses on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, supporting small scale farmers & strengthening local food systems. By enhancing agricultural productivity & ensuring access to nutritious food, these initiatives contribute to reducing hunger & poverty in Yemen. Recognizing the urgent need to address these challenges, KfW & our client have joined forces to implement an integrated water resources management project that aims to enhance the resilience of agriculture & food security in Yemen. The project (Integrated Water Resources Management to Enhance Resilience of Agriculture (ERA) & Food Security) includes the construction & rehabilitation of water infrastructure to increase agricultural production, promoting access to markets & empowering women in agriculture value chain in Yemen. The overall objective of the project is for poor Yemenis whose livelihoods depend on primary water sources for productive uses to be able to enhance their livelihood resilience through the development a& rehabilitation of water infrastructure enhancing water availability in support of sustainable agriculture, implemented at key priority areas within a catchment. The project will trigger community mobilization by engaging in participatory activities such as ‘know your catchment’ exercises which allow for combining remote sensed base maps of the catchment on which community members can identify local landmarks for better familiarization of the overall catchment. The project will include hydrological assessments for water resources of tuban primary catchment at a reconnaissance level & detailed assessments for the four sub catchments identified for the target districts. Four sub catchment level 3D models can be built in a participatory manner based on the water balance analyses. A series of workshops can function as awareness raising & levelling the knowledge playing fields by clearly demonstrating how managing surface water resources can have positive impacts on groundwater levels. Based on this, four water allocation plans will be developed in the selected sub catchments also in a participatory manner & implemented clearly indicating the number of small farmers benefiting from the new & rehabilitated infrastructure for storage & hence from the increase in water accessibility. Our client in Yemen now seeks to contract a Hydrology Expert to oversee the implementation of the project activities described above.

Objectives:

• Our client in Yemen seeks to engage the services of highly skilled & experienced Hydrology Expert to supervise & facilitate data collection, community mobilization & stakeholders’ consultation as well as the quality control for the hydrological & water allocation studies under the project. The Hydrology Expert is expected to ensure that works are carried out in accordance with the project expectations & to the satisfaction of the project results matrix. In this context, the Hydrology Expert is required to carry out the hereunder described duties, in accordance with the responsibilities that might be delegated by Project Team Leader.

• Participate in stakeholders’ meetings & workshops with key ministries, governorates, districts & local communities & prepare reports summarizing the findings.

• Collaborate with other experts or consultants (national & international) whenever necessary to enhance the accuracy & interpretation of hydrological data.

• Facilitate community mobilization activities for (know your catchment) exercise to raise awareness about catchment hydrological process.

• Identify relevant data sources, both primary & secondary that can provide accurate & comprehensive hydrological data, in addition to remote sensing techniques to supplement traditional data sources.

• Evaluate the methodologies & techniques used in conducting these assessments to ensure their reliability & accuracy.

• Provide recommendations for improving the methodology & data quality of future hydrological assessments.

• Explore potential data sources that can be collected or acquired through collaboration with other agencies, government authorities & academic / research institutes.

• Ensure the quality of data collection by following established protocols & standards.

• Analyze & interpret hydrological data to identify trends & patterns, including seasonal variations & extreme weather events & to provide recommendations for the hydrological studies.

• Review & assess the quality & comprehensiveness of hydrological assessments to identify & assess water resources, water demands & water availability at the national level.

• Evaluate the hydrological models developed to predict future water availability & guide water allocation decisions.

• Participate in technical discussions & provide guidance on hydrological studies & assessments.

• Collaborate with other team members to develop technical documents, reports & presentations.

• Provide general technical support to the project support monitoring & evaluation activities & participate in the preparation of the progress reports as requested by the Project Team Leader.

• The Hydrology Expert will work under the direct supervision of the Project’s staff.

• The Hydrology Expert will be required to carry out field visits to collect data & participate in workshops & this will be subject to the approval of the Project Team Leader.

• Must have a minimum of master’s degree in hydrology, water resources management, irrigation engineering or any related field with a minimum of 10 years of experience in conducting hydrological assessments, modeling & data analysis.

• Proven experience working in projects related to integrated water resources management & irrigation.

• Experience in collecting & analyzing hydrological using data statistical analysis & data manipulation techniques.

• Experience in community mobilization & engagement with stakeholders.

• Strong knowledge of hydrological modeling software & tools, such as ArcGIS, MIKE, or HEC – HMS, SME etc.

• Knowledge of local hydrology conditions, land use & soil conditions.

• Excellent verbal & written communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical information in a clear & concise manner.

• Proven ability to work with multi disciplinary teams & liaison with local authorities.

• Experience in complex / protracted emergencies would be an asset.

• Knowledge & working experience with our client, the United Nations system & INGOs particularly with emergency & recovery programs.

• Proficiency in English & Arabic both oral & writing.

This role has no team management responsibility.

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.