Senior Project Engineer — Client’s Representative
Terms of Reference
Client: Pharo Foundation, Somaliland
Consultancy required: Construction of a School Project
Organisation Overview
Pharo Foundation is a mission-driven, impact-oriented organisation that designs, funds, and operates economic development programmes to achieve its vision of a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa.
The Foundation drives its impact through two key approaches:
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Pharo Ventures is a for-profit, patient-capital investment vehicle focused on making high-impact investments in critical value chains to drive sustainable economic growth.
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Pharo Development is our non-profit arm, investing in public goods and development projects with the aim of making an impact on our three mission areas: Education, Water and Economic Productivity.
With over 700 employees across Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Somaliland, we are a diverse, multicultural, and passionate organization. Our headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, with a liaison office in London, UK.
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 andContractor |
| Project Stage at Hire | Foundational works |
| Client-Supplied Items | Approx. UsD 1 million (tiles, ceramics, electrical fittings, etc.), to be procureddirectly 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 NotificationPeriod |
| Engagement Type | Fixed-term consultancy or full-time employment (open to candidate-proposedstructure) |
| Duty Station | Hargeisa, Somaliland, with significant time on site and international travel forprocurement |
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Key Deliverables
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Procurement plan and execution dossier for Client-supplied items, including factory inspection reports and pre-shipment inspection signoffs.
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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.
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Monthly project report to the Client (progress, quality, cost, risk, procurement, HSE).
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Live Client-side trackers: contract / variations register; NCR log; risk register; procurement tracker; cost-atcompletion forecast.
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Weekly written status update or call.
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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).
6. Qualifications, Experience and Attributes
6.1 Essential
• Bachelor’s degree in civil, Structural or Construction Engineering from a recognised institution; master’s degree desirable.
• Professional registration with a recognised engineering body (e.g., ICE Chartered Engineer, PE, ECSA, ERB Kenya, ERB Tanzania or equivalent).
• Minimum 10 years’ post-qualification experience in building construction, of which at least 5 years in a Client’s Representative / Owner’s Engineer / Project Engineer capacity on the Client side.
• Demonstrable experience administering, or operating under, FIDIC contracts (Red Book preferred). Confident with Engineer’s Instructions, variations, EOT and claims processes.
• Proven track record of safeguarding quality outcomes on projects executed by local contractors in developing market or post-conflict contexts, without escalating disputes unnecessarily.
Experience coordinating international procurement of building finishes and fittings, including supplier factory inspection and logistics into landlocked or constrained destinations.
• Strong financial discipline — able to track budget, certify payments, evaluate variations and forecast cost at completion.
Strong written and spoken English.
• Prior project experience in Somaliland and knowledge of Somali language desirable.
7. Duration, Location and Working Arrangements
Duration: Approximately 18 months from mobilisation, covering remaining construction works through Taking-Over, plus the Defects Notification Period. Extension subject to project needs and performance.
Duty station: Hargeisa, Somaliland, with a high proportion of time on site at the project location. Minimum site presence to be agreed at appointment (indicatively ≥70% during active construction).
• Travel: International travel as required for procurement missions — principally to China, with Dubai and other markets as needed — plus domestic travel within Somaliland.
Engagement: Open to either (i) a full-time employment contract with Pharo Foundation, or (ii) a fixed-term consultancy contract. Candidates are invited to propose their preferred structure with their application.
• Remuneration: Commensurate with experience and engagement type; details to be discussed with shortlisted candidates.
8. Application Procedure
During the selection process, we reserve the right to make an appointment before the closing date. We therefore encourage interested candidates to submit their applications as early as possible. Due to the high volume of applications expected, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. You are required to attach a detailed CV and cover letter.
Applicants are required to submit the following:
• A detailed CV and cover letter
• Professional qualifications and certifications
• A 1–2 page project portfolio highlighting 2–4 relevant projects
• A technical statement (maximum 2 pages) outlining your approach to Client-side project management under FIDIC contracts, with a focus on quality, cost, risk, and programme control
• Details of 2–3 referees, including at least one recent Client-side reference
• To apply, please click this link https://a.peoplehum.com/q8ufg
The application deadline is June 12th, 2026