Senior Water Engineer
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Engineer - Civil, Resources & Environment, Capacity development
- Schedule:Full-time
- Salary: Based on Experience
Intervention: Young Water Engineers Internship
Location: Based in Phnom Penh with regular travel to provinces.
Report to: CWA Executive Director
Key Relationship: CWA Executive Director / designated focal point, with technical coordination from CAPRED
Contract Duration: 12 months
Funded by: Australia through the Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development (CAPRED)
Objectives of the Assignment
The Senior Water Engineer will lead the technical delivery of the internship program by guiding interns, supporting host PWOs/consulting firms, developing and implementing the capacity enhancement plan, and ensuring that internship activities contribute to improved technical performance, professional learning, and safe placement conditions.
Duration and Level of Effort
- Up to 12 months, subject to agreement period and satisfactory performance.
- Full-time position dedicated to the Young Water Engineers Internship Program.
- Expected to include office-based work, remote mentoring, and field visits to host PWOs/consulting firms.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Technical leadership and program planning
- Lead preparation of the internship technical workplan, including sequencing of orientation, placement, mentoring, site visits, training, and monitoring activities.
- Support CWA to prepare the capacity enhancement plan for interns and revise it as needed in consultation with CAPRED.
- Ensure intern learning activities are aligned with the practical needs of host PWOs/consulting firms and the agreed internship objectives.
- Contribute to the development of the project management system to track intern progress, host performance, technical tasks, mentoring activities, and risks.
- Support recruitment and placement
- Provide technical input into selection criteria for host PWOs/consulting firms and interns.
- Participate in recruitment/interview processes for interns, as required.
- Support the intern self-introduction / matching workshop by advising on technical suitability between interns and host organisations.
- Assist CWA and CAPRED in matching interns to appropriate host PWOs/consulting firms based on technical learning needs, host capacity, safety considerations, and placement objectives.
- Orientation and capacity enhancement
- Lead or contribute to orientation and technical training sessions for interns.
- Develop technical training modules relevant to clean water supply operations.
- Support site visits and ensure they are structured as a learning exercise.
- Mentoring and technical supervision
- Provide ongoing mentoring to interns throughout the placement period, both remotely and through field visits.
- Facilitate group-based technical discussions with interns to encourage peer learning and collective problem-solving.
- Provide practical advice to interns on assigned workplans, technical tasks, workplace communication, and reporting.
- Ensure interns are supported to carry out tasks safely and within the scope agreed with host PWOs/consulting firms.
- Support host PWOs/consulting firms to understand the role of interns and provide meaningful technical exposure.
- Field monitoring and quality assurance
- Conduct field visits to monitor intern progress, host engagement, workplace conditions, and implementation of agreed workplans.
- Identify technical or operational issues affecting intern learning and recommend corrective actions.
- Contribute to mid-term review, probation evaluation, internship evaluation, and SEAH/WHS monitoring reports.
- Reporting and knowledge sharing
- Review monthly updates from the project management system and provide technical analysis of intern progress.
- Prepare or contribute to technical briefs, monitoring notes, field visit reports, and capacity enhancement reports.
- Support interns to prepare progress presentations and final learning outputs.
- Contribute to the final internship evaluation and completion report.
- Support communication activities that promote young engineer employment in the clean water sector.
Benefits:
- Salary and Benefits: A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered based on qualifications and relevant experience.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- English - Good is preferred
- Khmer - Fluent is required
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in water engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering, or a related field as a minimum
Work History:
- Water supply, utility operations, water engineering, infrastructure planning, or related technical fields for 7 years as a minimum
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Strong practical understanding of Cambodia’s clean water supply sector, particularly rural water supply systems and private water operators.
- Demonstrated technical experience in one or more of the following areas: water treatment operations; distribution network assessment; non-revenue water assessment; pumping systems; utility operation and planning.
- Experience providing technical guidance, supervision, mentoring, or coaching to junior engineers, interns, or technical staff.
- Ability to translate technical issues into practical recommendations for PWOs and interns.
- Good understanding of workplace safety, risk management, and safe working practices in operational water supply environments.
- Strong communication, facilitation, and report-writing skills in Khmer.
- Working knowledge of English for coordination, reporting, and communication with CAPRED is desirable.
- Commitment to gender equality, inclusion, safeguarding, workplace safety, and professional ethics.
- Experience working directly with private water operators, public utilities, or water supply service providers in Cambodia.
- Experience designing or delivering technical training, mentoring programs, internships, or capacity-building activities for young engineers.
- Practical experience in climate-resilient water supply planning, water source assessment, energy efficiency, or infrastructure improvement planning.
- Experience working with associations, development programs, NGOs, or donor-funded projects.
- Experience integrating GEDSI considerations into technical training, mentoring, or workforce development activities.
- Experience preparing technical reports, field monitoring notes, training materials, or practical guidance for non-specialist audiences.
