About the Job
1 Background
Solidaridad is a frontrunner in the area of sustainable economic development. Solidaridad is a global civil society organization with 50+ years of experience that provides market driven solutions for sustainable production practices across different supply chains. We envision a world in which all we produce, and all we consume, can sustain us while respecting the planet, each other and the next generations.
Our mission is to bring together supply chain players and engage them with innovative solutions to improve production, ensuring the transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy that maximizes the benefit for all stakeholders. Solidaridad established its country office in Ethiopia in November 2015 under registration number 3531 and was re-registered on 11 July 2019 in accordance with CSO Proclamation No. 1113/2019. Since its establishment, Solidaridad Ethiopia has been implementing programmes in key commodity sectors, including cotton, dairy, textiles, leather, and coffee, in close collaboration with the Ethiopian government, development partners, private sector partners, and other stakeholders.
Solidaridad Ethiopia is implementing the Climate Resilience and Opportunities for Sustainable Livelihoods (CROS) Project, a BASF | Nunhems–funded initiative running from June 2025 to July 2028. The project aims to enhance agricultural productivity, household incomes, and climate resilience of smallholder farmers particularly widows, youth, and other marginalized groups through the promotion of improved and climate-smart agricultural technologies.
As part of these efforts, the CROS Project intends to install surface solar water pump systems to support small-scale irrigation at targeted Farmer Training Centres (FTCs), improve water-use efficiency, and promote sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural production. To ensure high technical quality, compliance with approved designs, and long-term system functionality, Solidaridad Ethiopia seeks to recruit a Part-Time Consulting Engineer to provide technical oversight and advisory support during installation and commissioning.
2. Objective
The primary objective of this assignment is to provide technical expertise, supervision, and quality assurance for the design verification, installation, testing, and optimization of surface solar water pump systems at four (4) Farmer Training Centres (FTCs) located in Minjar Shonkora Woreda, North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region, in line with approved technical designs, specifications, and recognized industry best practices.
3. Scope of Work
The Consulting Engineer shall be responsible for the following tasks:
Technical Review and Planning: Review approved technical designs, specifications, and Bills of Quantities for the solar water pump systems, verify site conditions at the FTCs, including water sources, head requirements, layout, and solar exposure and provide technical recommendations, where necessary, to optimize system design without altering approved specifications.
Installation Supervision and Quality Assurance: Provide part-time on-site supervision during installation of the solar pump systems, ensure installation works comply with approved designs, technical specifications, and safety standards, verify correct installation of pumps, solar panels, controllers, electrical connections, and piping systems and ensure compliance with environmental, health, and safety (EHS) requirements.
Testing, Commissioning, and Performance Verification: Supervise system testing and commissioning at each FTC, verify system performance, including discharge rate, head, operational stability, and overall efficiency, and identify and document any defects, gaps, or non-compliance issues and recommend corrective actions.
Capacity Building and Documentation; Provide on-site technical guidance to project staff, extension agents, and relevant FTC personnel, review and validate operation and maintenance manuals provided by the supplier, and contribute to simple user guidance materials where necessary.
Reporting and Technical Advisory: Prepare brief technical supervision reports highlighting progress, issues, and recommendations, certify completion of installation and commissioning works and provide technical advice to Solidaridad Ethiopia on system sustainability, maintenance, and risk mitigation
4. Deliverables:
• Inception note outlining supervision approach and schedule
• Site visit and installation supervision reports (as required)
• Commissioning and performance verification report for each FTC
• Final technical completion and acceptance report
5. Duration and Level of Effort
• The assignment is expected to last one month, with an estimated time commitment of two days per week
• Level of effort will be based on key installation milestones and site visits
• Exact schedule will be agreed upon with Solidaridad Ethiopia
6. Location
• The consulting Engineer must make on-site visits to four FTCs at Minjar Shenkora, North Shoa, Amhara Region update and related reports to Solidaridad.
About You
The Consulting Engineer should meet the following requirements:
• Minimum of BSc/MSc in water and irrigation engineering, Hydraulic engineering, Agricultural Engineering, or related field
• At least 5–7 years of professional experience in solar energy systems and/or irrigation infrastructure/drip irrigation
• Proven experience in solar-powered water pumping systems, preferably in rural or agricultural settings
• Strong knowledge of system sizing, installation, testing, and commissioning
• Familiarity with climate-smart agriculture and sustainable irrigation systems is an advantage
• Experience working with donor-funded projects is desirable
8. Reporting and Coordination
The Consulting Engineer will report to the CROS Project Lead or a designated technical focal person at Solidaridad Ethiopia and will coordinate closely with suppliers, contractors, and local stakeholders.
9. Eligibility and Qualifications
Interested suppliers must demonstrate:
Legal registration including valid business licenses, tax registration, and any other statutory requirements and eligibility to operate in Ethiopia or the region
Demonstrated and verifiable experience in the technical support, installation, and commissioning of solar-powered water pumping systems, preferably in agricultural or rural development contexts.
Requirement Skill
Analytical skills
Decision-making skills
Communication
Attention to detail
Problem solving
How To Apply
Application Procedure
Interested candidates are invited to submit:
Updated CV/Resume
Cover letter detailing relevant experience
References from previous projects/programs
Proposed daily/hourly rate
Applications should be submitted to procurement.et@solidaridadnetwork.org within 10 days after the release of this TOR.
11. Confidentially
The consulting Engineer shall maintain the confidentiality of all information related to the project and shall not disclose any information without prior authorization.
N.B: Only successful applicant shall be contacted. If you don’t hear from us in two weeks after the deadline consider yourself unsuccessful. Any form of canvasing will lead to disqualification.
To apply for this job email your details to procurement.et@solidaridadnetwork.org
