Maintenance Officer

Job Purposes:

The Trail Bridge Maintenance Officer leads the development, institutionalization, and implementation of a sustainable, government-aligned trail bridge maintenance system for TRAIL Phase III. This role ensures high-quality inspections, maintenance planning, data management, and technical capacity development across all TRAIL regions, enabling the adoption of a standardized and long‑term maintenance framework within existing government structures.

S/He provides technical leadership for routine, major, and rehabilitation maintenance, guiding regional and woreda teams and supporting community structures to ensure safe, durable, and climate-resilient bridge functionality. Working closely with the Senior Infrastructure Officer and Senior Capacity Building Officer, S/He contributes to the development and refinement of maintenance standards, manuals, and digital asset management systems.

The officer collaborates with the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, Ethiopian Roads Administration, Regional Road Bureaus, universities, TVETs, and community partners to strengthen technical competencies, integrate maintenance into institutional systems, and embed trail bridge maintenance within national policies and training curricula. This position supports TRAIL Phase III across all targeted regions, with a central role in piloting and evaluating maintenance models, supporting government ownership, and strengthening maintenance capacity at all levels.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership: Systematic Inspection, Planning and Quality Assurance

• Support government, community structures, and private sector actors to conduct routine, major, and rehabilitation inspections in accordance with national maintenance standards and the Maintenance Manual.
• Build the capacity of regional and woreda teams to analyze inspection results, classify condition ratings, and identify required interventions.
• Guide government partners in preparing annual and multi‑year maintenance plans based on condition, safety risks, and user demand, ensuring alignment with regional planning cycles.
• Strengthen government capabilities to supervise contractors during major maintenance works by providing technical coaching on quality, safety, compliance, and contract administration.
• Provide technical advice, not direct implementation, on riverbank protection, foundation strengthening, cable tensioning, and related structural maintenance tasks.

Maintenance System Development and Institutionalization

• Contribute to piloting, evaluating, and refining maintenance models to determine viable community, government, and private‑sector maintenance arrangements for TRAIL regions.
• Support regional and national partners to develop and adopt maintenance agreements, clauses, SOPs, and contractual templates that embed maintenance responsibilities in government systems.
• Ensure lessons from pilots generate evidence to inform a national maintenance framework and support its adoption by national and regional authorities.
• Promote institutionalization by helping embed maintenance roles and workflows into government organizational structures, job descriptions, and performance systems.

Data Management and Digital Systems (Fika Map/Asset Management System)

• Strengthen the capacity of government and community actors to collect, verify, and digitally submit inspection data using Fika Collect, BCI forms, and geo‑referenced tools.
• Support partner institutions to enter, validate, and use data within the national asset management system, ensuring it supports planning, budgeting, and reporting.
• Ensure data processes align with ERA/MUI requirements and facilitate smooth integration with national digital systems.

Stakeholder Coordination and Capacity Building

• Deliver targeted training and technical coaching for government technicians, Bridge Wardens, community committees, and private contractors on inspection procedures, maintenance standards, and reporting protocols.
• Promote community participation in routine maintenance by building local ownership, clarifying responsibilities, and strengthening coordination with woreda structures.
• Support regional governments to integrate maintenance roles and budget lines into their annual plans, strengthening sustainability and accountability.
• Maintain strong working relationships with ERA, MUI, Regional Road Bureaus, and Woreda/Zonal teams to advance maintenance system adoption and alignment.

Responsibilities in the Maintenance Working Group

• Serve as a core technical member and may act as Secretary of the Trail Bridge Maintenance Working Group.
• Lead technical reviews of existing maintenance practices, challenges, and opportunities across regions.
• Support model selection, pilot design, tool development, evaluation methodology, and reporting.
• Coordinate stakeholder consultations, research, and engagement processes.
• Prepare technical briefs, minutes, findings, and evidence-based recommendations for government and TRAIL partners.

Knowledge Management and Reporting

• Support partners to maintain organized digital and physical archives of inspection forms, photographs, and maintenance records.
• Compile and contribute to monthly, quarterly, and annual maintenance reports for TRAIL and government partners.
• Document lessons learned, case studies, and best practices to inform regional and national strategies and strengthen the maintenance framework.

Contribution to National Rural Transport Sector Strengthening

• Provide maintenance insights into national rural transport planning
• Contribute technical input to curricula development for TVETs, universities, and ERA training centers on maintenance standards and practices.
• Provide expertise to inform cost estimation, maintenance budgeting, repurposed‑cable evaluation, and policy dialogue on long-term maintenance financing.
• Support advocacy efforts to influence government budgeting and resource allocation for routine and major maintenance.

Education

• BSc. in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Construction Technology, or related field. An MSc. is an added advantage

Relevant Experience

• Minimum 6 years of experience in rural infrastructure, bridge maintenance, civil works supervision, or related fields.
• Experience in field inspections, structural assessment, or rural access programs is strongly preferred.
• Experience with government systems, community-based infrastructure, and contractor supervision.
• Experience with NGO, multi-region programs, or donor-funded projects preferred.

Skills and competencies required

• Strong technical understanding of trail bridge components, inspection methods, and maintenance standards.
• Ability to train and mentor government staff, community groups, and private contractors to independently conduct inspections and maintenance.
• Skills in integrating maintenance roles, workflows, and budgeting into government systems.
• Proficiency in digital data tools, including GIS, mobile data collection, and asset management systems.
• Effective communication and coordination skills to engage multi‑level stakeholders and support collaborative problem‑solving.