Construction Architect

Organization Background:

Village Health Works (VHW) is a 501(c)(3) global health organization operating in Burundi, East Africa, with offices in New York City. Founded in 2006, VHW’s mission is to build a healthier and more just, peaceful, and prosperous society by providing quality health care (a prerequisite to productive life) in a dignified environment. We seek to be a center of excellence in global health where we work. We believe quality health care must address the root causes and social determinants of disease. Accordingly, we offer additional programs in education, agriculture, and economic and community development, in response to community needs.

More information: Website: http://www.villagehealthworks.org Guardian article written by VHW Founder Deo Niyizonkiza (2014): http://bit.ly/1Q392Wh

Opportunity: Village Health Works is looking for a Construction Architect who shares our passion and dedication to working with purpose and designing for impact, to assist in design planning, pre-construction and architectural services of the Women’s Health Pavilion (WHP), a 75,000 square foot District Level Hospital in Kigutu, Burundi. This position offers a unique opportunity for an individual to leverage his or her expertise in architectural design to improve the lives of one of the most impoverished communities in the world and to provide a healthcare foundation for an entire region. The WHP concept designed by New York-based Bergen Street Studio in collaboration with Silman Associates (Structural), JB&B (MEP), and Level Infrastructure (Civil Engineering), will be a 120-bed hospital with four surgical suites primarily geared to provide operations associated with birth complications. The hospital has been designed using international hospital standards. The campus water, power, sanitation, and roads are currently being upgraded to support the demands of the future hospital. Now, as VHW approaches implementation of the WHP, it seeks to hire a full-time Construction Architect to collaborate with and to lend international level professionalism to pre-construction and architectural services. The assignment is in Kigutu, Burundi. Pre-construction services will span the next two months, with construction to commence May 1, 2016.

Job Description:

The Construction Architect will manage the design and the development of project implementation framework, leading to the implementation of a comprehensive strategy and cost-effective delivery outline for building the state-of-the-art teaching hospital project based in Kigutu, Burundi.

The position effectively manages the construction of the Women’s Health Pavilion (WHP), a state-of-the-art teaching hospital, and including all other construction infrastructures associated with the WHP and other VHW health programs.

The Construction Architect will report to the Chair of the WHP committee.

The Construction Architect will work closely with the Construction Project Manager and VHW hospital leadership teams in local and international levels to evaluate and prioritize project designs and activities, will evaluate and manage the performance of design and construction teams, will track project costs and schedules to achieve project budget and timelines, and will mitigate risk through assessment of quality, scope, safety and regulatory requirements. The Project Architect will coordinate system and facility resources to achieve system priorities and facility project goals.

The Construction Architect will lead in the technical design of the new state-of-the-art teaching hospital in Kigutu. Working closely with the Construction Project Manager, the Construction Architect will ensure that the new Women’s Health Pavilion project requirements are designed to meet the programmatic needs of the training hospital teams and built, cost effectively, in timely manner and in accordance to local and international standards.

Essential Functions:

To perform this job successfully, the Construction Architect must be able to perform the following duties and responsibilities:

He/She will –

• Coordinate with the Construction Project Manager, VHW local and international multidisciplinary teams to design, draw, layout and create construction documents for the new Women’s Health Pavilion project
• Prepare BOQ’s and project cost estimates
• Prepare technical specifications according to local and international building and architecture design codes, enquiry documents and tender bid documents
• Develop work plans defining tasks, work timeframe and construction safety standards
• Support refining the architectural design to meet budget targets and local constructability issues
• Develop construction progress monitoring tools
• Review WHP construction and architectural detail drawings
• Prepare detailed architectural drawings, as needed, read and interpret design documents, and review for completeness and quality, i.e. maintenance, construction, and function
• Oversee the implementation and monitoring of tasks and activities in accordance with approved work plans, design, and available budget
• Provide proactive of issues and gaps, including contextual concerns, propose feasible solutions, and implement recommendations
• Ensure effective communication throughout project life
• Evaluate and proactively identify potential project issues such as disruptions to operations, contract work, emergency repairs and potential damage situations
• Monitor and maintain project related documents including RFI’s, Proposal Requests, Change Orders, Site Inspection Reports and other construction related documents
• Prepare feasibility study reports
• Prepare periodic project accomplishment and/or progress reports

Minimum Qualifications

The candidate shall have experience in detailed Site/Civil/Architectural design work with strong AutoCAD abilities.

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture
• Minimum of 8-10 years of professional experience in complex site/civil/architectural design work, preferably in international hospital context
• Knowledge of international architectural design principles and applicable design guides and standards, preferably in hospital health care infrastructures
• Ability to review and understand international building codes and incorporate that knowledge into designs and drawings
• Knowledge of international building codes and architecture standards
• Working knowledge of communication software Microsoft Office Excel, Word and Powerpoint
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary, multicultural team
• Capacity to deliver results within tight schedules
• Advanced AutoCAD drafting skills
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French language, an advantage, but not required

DESIRED SKILLS

• Strong architecture design skills
• Excellent drawing and presentation skills
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral
• Skill in graphic rendering/presentation software, desirable
• Skill in Architectural Design software: Revit/ArchiCAD, an asset

Compensation: Commensurate with experience; competitive full benefit package provided.

HOW TO APPLY:

• Applicants should submit a resume and a two-page cover letter to jobs@villagehealthworks.org.
• Applications will be considered until the post is filled.
• Only selected applicants will be contacted for interviews. Those applicants will be informed whether or not their application will move forward after the interview. We will be unable to respond to candidates who are not called for interview. The job posting will be removed from the VHW website when the post has been filled.

VHW considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. VHW is an equal opportunity employer.