{"id":975683,"url":"https://alion.io/job/job-mail-wash-field-engineer","title":"WASH Field Engineer","company":{"id":701519,"name":"Job Mail","domain":"jobmail.co.za","url":"https://alion.io/company/job-mail","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":true,"employer_type":"agency","is_intermediary":true,"listed_via":"jobmail.co.za","ats_vendor":"Schema","truth_index":{"grade":"C","score":64,"open_postings":6738,"ghost_share":0.497,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0.723,"time_to_fill_p50_days":7,"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Field & Service","role_family":"Field & Service","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Durban, South Africa"],"countries":["ZA"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":11500,"max_usd":25000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":30},"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-16T19:41:37Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-18T11:06:59Z","board_verified":false,"closed_at":null,"days_open":33,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":2,"flags":["repost"],"days_open":33},"description":"Purpose of the Position: The WASH Field Engineer is part of the programme's technical delivery role - the qualified engineer responsible for quarterly full-system inspections, preventive and reactive maintenance, water quality field monitoring, and first-line technical problem-solving across an assigned cluster of sites. The position sits between trained community pump operators performing daily checks and specialist contractors performing manufacturer-level servicing, and is accountable for keeping systems operational, compliant, and well-documented.\nThe Field Engineer plays a central role in the technical condition assessment of all sites in the assigned cluster.\nKey Responsibilities\nTechnical condition assessmentConduct the site-by-site technical condition assessment across the assigned cluster within the first three months: pump, controller, panels, batteries, tank and tower, distribution network, valves and fittings, and civil structure.\nParticipate in joint site visits with Water supply system contractor including asset register verification, documentation review, and monitoring dashboard familiarisation.\nSupport country team activities: tiered water quality field testing, sanitary surveys at risk-flagged sites, GPS verification, and yield measurement at sites with missing yield records.\nContribute technical findings which need to be confirmed by Month 3, and identify end-of-life components for replacement under the Year 1 Replacement Capex Reserve.\nExecute Tier C remediation works at named priority sites under the 48-hour remediation initiation protocol and support the portfolio-wide water quality baseline assessment within 90 days of operational kickoff.\nPreventive and reactive maintenance\nPerform quarterly full-system inspections at all assigned sites: borehole yield testing, pump efficiency assessment, solar panel output measurement, battery and charge controller checks, chlorination system verification, structural inspection of concrete towers, and water committee performance review.\nDeliver reactive repairs in line with the tiered service-impact protocol: critical failures; reduced-service issues within five working days; minor issues at the next quarterly inspection.\nDiagnose faults using Water supply system contractor remote monitoring telemetry and support the shift from schedule-driven to condition-based, predictive maintenance at monitored sites.\nEscalate manufacturer-level pump servicing, borehole rehabilitation, and solar system overhauls to DWS-listed certified solar technical partners and supervise their work on site against service-level agreements.\nPrioritise Parent-site maintenance within the cluster maintenance model, recognising that Parent borehole failures cascade to hydraulically dependent Child sites\nManage cluster-level spare parts inventories at Hub anchor locations, forecast consumables and coordinate replenishment with the Finance and Logistics Officer.\n Water quality monitoring and complianceConduct monthly water quality field testing at all assigned sites using portable field kits and maintain calibration of field instruments.\nCollect and dispatch quarterly bacteriological samples (E. coli, total coliforms) to SANAS-accredited laboratories and apply elevated (monthly) sampling frequency at sites until restored.\nVerify automated inline chlorination performance (0.2-0.5 mg/L free chlorine residual at the most distant standpipe) and adjust dosing as required.\nMaintain water quality records in the programme database, flag non-compliance against SANS 241:2015 immediately, and initiate corrective action plans in coordination with the WASH Programme Manager.\n Community technical capacity buildingTrain and mentor community pump operators in daily system checks, monthly pump performance logging, and water quality field testing, cross-referencing operator logs with remote monitoring telemetry.\nDeliver pump-attendant training cohorts and support the certification pathway from community operator toward established standard for community-hired technicians.\nSupport Water Management Committees with technical inputs to O&M planning, tariff-setting consultations and Capital Sinking Fund calibration against component lifecycles (5/7/10/20 years).\nContribute technical content to site-level O&M manuals any other documentation.\nDocumentation, reporting and coordinationComplete site inspection reports, maintenance job cards, and asset register updates in the field management system after every visit.\nContribute technical data to monthly cluster reports, the MEAL dashboard, and quarterly donor reports, in coordination with the DMEAL team.\nCoordinate site visit scheduling with Community Mobilisation Officers so that maintenance activities are communicated to and coordinated with communities.\nSupport the pump overhaul cycle for 2018-vintage systems and solar system overhauls for remaining vintage systems\nQualifications and Experience:Essential\nBachelor's degree or national diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, or Water Engineering, or a closely related engineering field.\nRegistration with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as a Candidate Engineer or Candidate Engineering Technologist (or eligibility to register); DWS registration/recognition as applicable.\nMinimum three (3) years of hands-on experience in the operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems, with demonstrable experience on solar-powered pumping systems (solar-direct submersible pumps, PV arrays, MPPT controllers, battery systems).\nWorking knowledge of water quality monitoring and SANS 241:2015 requirements, including use of portable field test kits and bacteriological sampling protocols.\nPractical fault-diagnosis and repair skills across electromechanical, hydraulic, and basic civil components of borehole-based water systems.\nValid driver's license (Code B minimum; Code C1 an advantage) and willingness to travel extensively (up to 75%) to remote rural sites, including overnight stays\n DesirableGrundfos certification or documented experience servicing Grundfos SQFlex or equivalent solar submersible pump fleets.\nExperience with remote monitoring/telemetry platforms and condition-based (predictive) maintenance approaches.\nExperience training community-based operators or artisans.\nFamiliarity with borehole yield testing, sanitary survey methodology, and inline chlorination systems.\nPrior experience on donor-funded WASH programmes in the NGO/development sector.\nProficiency in the dominant language of the assigned cluster (IsiZulu, Sepedi, or Siswati) in addition to English.\nCompetenciesStrong practical problem-solving under field conditions with limited supervision.\nDisciplined documentation and data-recording habits - inspection reports, job cards, water quality logs.\nSafety-conscious working practices around electrical, confined-space, and working-at-height hazards.\nRespectful, patient engagement with rural communities and community operators, consistent with the companies community-ownership ethos.\nPlanning and route-management skills for multi-site inspection circuits across a dispersed portfolio.\nKey Working Relationships\nInternal: WASH Programme Manager (SA), WASH Specialist, Civil Engineer, fellow Field Engineers (including the floating engineer), Community Mobilisation Officers, DMEAL team, Finance and Logistics Officer, Global WASH Technical Advisor (GSO).\nExternal: community pump operators and Water Management Committees, DWS-listed certified solar technical partners Mvula Borehole Drilling (Pty) Ltd, SANAS-accredited laboratories, Water Services Authorities, and Water supply system technical counterparts.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7656,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"Zulu","level":"All levels","optional":true}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["CAD, PLM & BIM Software","IT Resellers & 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