Hydrology Advisor

About the Organization

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations that provides project management, procurement, and infrastructure services to help build a better world. The Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. The Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office (HAMCO), based in Addis Ababa, delivers project management, procurement, and infrastructure services across Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan, with a primary focus on health, agriculture, and economic development.

Job Summary

The Hydrology Advisor acts as a senior technical and strategic expert, independently driving the hydrological, climate adaptation, and disaster mitigation technical outputs of the office’s water-related portfolio. Reporting directly to the Senior Portfolio Manager who leads the team, the candidate provides authoritative technical advice, elaborates complex environmental data, and delivers high-quality specialized outputs. The role involves solving complex, data-scarce hydrological challenges, ensuring the climate-proofing of specialized infrastructure designs, and informing regional water security strategies.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide specialist technical advice and strategic design support in the hydrological sectors across the hydrological, water resources, and climate change adaptation sectors.
• Assist, guide, and verify climate-resilient methodologies are implemented ensuring infrastructures are designed to withstand extreme weather events, long-term climate shifts, and altered hydrological regimes.
• Support decision-support systems for optimal, conflict-sensitive water allocation, balancing ecosystem needs with agricultural, domestic, and energy demands.
• Ensure all technical designs and assessments align with international quality standards and UNOPS technical infrastructure guidelines.
• Actively engage with the broader team and all relevant stakeholders on data collection, field verification, and hydro-meteorological modeling.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting of implementation plan progress.
• Prepare and submit technical reports, risk logs, and issue briefs summarizing the progress of hydrological tasks to the Senior Portfolio Manager.
• Work closely with the Senior Portfolio Project Manager to provide rapid technical responses and adapt methodologies to emerging project and regional environmental needs.
• Support team multi-disciplinary collaboration and share advanced knowledge on:
  • Macro and micro-level hydrological assessments and multi-scenario baseline modeling.
  • Downscaling global climate models (GCMs) and regional climate models (RCMs) to evaluate long-term impacts on catchments and infrastructure lifespans.
  • Distributed hydrological modeling for simulating complex processes in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
  • Hydro-meteorological forecasting, impact-based early warning systems (EWS), and real-time flash flood/drought monitoring.
  • Incorporating Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) alongside traditional infrastructure.
  • Quantifying uncertainty, sensitivity analysis, and managing data-scarce environments common in fragile contexts.
• Support the Senior Portfolio Project Manager from a technical viewpoint to review, pitch, and deliver multifaceted projects with heavy hydrological or climate-adaptation components.
• Support the Senior Portfolio Project Manager in coordinating the technical work of the team; technically supervise and coach the team during the implementation phase.
• Ensure principles of human rights, gender equity, peace, voice, accountability, ‘doing no harm,’ and aid effectiveness in all activities.
• Create, foster, and role model a culture of respect and zero tolerance for discrimination, abuse of authority, harassment, sexual harassment, and sexual exploitation and abuse. Ensure accountability for actions and perform duties in accordance with protection mechanisms and action plans, as expected by UNOPS policies, standards, and commitments.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Hydrology, Water Resources Engineering, Hydro-climatology, Environmental Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience on the subject.
• A minimum of 7 years of combined relevant experience in:
  • Hydrological modeling development in the engineering sector.
  • Climate change impact evaluations on large hydraulic infrastructures and/or catchments.
  • Real-time drought and flood forecasting.
• Fluency in English.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Capacity Building
• Climate Change
• Geographic Information Systems
• Hydrology
• Water Resource Management

How to Apply

Click on the application link to apply.