National Expert Roster – Technical Assistance for Integrated Water Resources Management in Dien Bien Province

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National Expert Roster — Technical Assistance for Integrated Water Resources Management in Tuan Giao, Dien Bien Province

Organisation	Mekong Economics (MKE)
Assignment	Technical Assistance Consulting — Integrated Water Resources Management in Tuan Giao, Dien Bien Province Project
Client	Department of Agriculture and Environment, Dien Bien Province
Financing	European Union ODA, implemented under AFD procedures
Duration	48 months (three phases)
Duty stations	Dien Bien Phu and project communes, with coordination in Hanoi
Positions	19 national expert positions, plus professional assistants and translators/interpreters
Application deadline	7 October 2026 — roster applications accepted on a rolling basis

About the assignment

Mekong Economics (MKE) is a Hanoi-based development economics consultancy working across research, evaluation, survey and advisory assignments for multilateral and bilateral clients including UNICEF, the World Bank, DFAT, Global Affairs Canada, UNOPS and UNESCO.

Together with international lead partners, MKE is preparing a proposal for Package: Technical Assistance Consulting under the Integrated Water Resources Management in Tuan Giao, Dien Bien Province Project. The project is financed by the European Union and implemented under the procedures of Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The Client is the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dien Bien Province.

The technical assistance package runs for 48 months and supports the Provincial Project Management Unit, the Irrigation Management Company and the Department of Agriculture and Environment across three outputs: support to project implementation; preparation for operation and maintenance of the new irrigation system; and climate-smart agricultural development in the beneficiary communes.

MKE is building a roster of Vietnamese experts for this assignment and for comparable ODA-funded water, irrigation and rural development work. We invite experienced national experts to submit expressions of interest.

Positions sought — national experts (Some experts will be based in Dien Bien, while others will work in Dien Bien on an intermittent basis.)

#	Position	Indicative requirements	Place	Input
1	Deputy Team Leader — IWRM/Hydraulics/Hydrology / Dam Safety	Master’s or higher in water resources, hydraulic engineering, IWRM or hydrology; 15+ years; Team Leader or Deputy Team Leader on at least 2 projects; experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams.	Based in Dien Bien	26
2	Water Resources Technical Expert — Dam & Reservoir Safety / Hydraulic Engineering / Pressure Pipeline	Master’s or higher in hydraulics, water resources management, irrigation or hydraulic construction; 15+ years; construction supervision professional certificate required; at least 2 similar projects in Viet Nam.		12
3	Hydrology Expert	Master’s or higher in hydrology, water resources management or irrigation engineering; 15+ years in reservoir operation, water resource assessment and irrigation system management; at least 2 similar projects in Viet Nam.		8
4	SCADA Expert	15+ years in automated control and monitoring systems; experience integrating SCADA with irrigation control centres; able to develop operating and maintenance procedures and deliver training.		8
5	Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Expert	Master’s or higher in irrigation, hydrology or water resources management; 15+ years in management, design, operation and maintenance of irrigation works; at least 2 similar projects in Viet Nam, PIM experience preferred.		8
6	GIS / MIS Expert	Master’s or higher in GIS, surveying and mapping or computer science; 15+ years; proficiency in ArcGIS and QGIS, Python an advantage; at least 2 similar projects in Viet Nam.		16
7	On-farm Irrigation / Water-saving Irrigation / PIM Expert	15+ years in on-farm and water-saving irrigation design (drip, sprinkler) on sloping terrain; experience establishing and strengthening water user organisations.		12
8	Institutional Development Expert — WUAs / WUOs	Master’s or higher in law, public administration, rural development or economics; 15+ years; at least 2 similar projects in Viet Nam establishing SOPs, RACI and KPIs for water management organisations.		10
9	Irrigation Economics Expert	Master’s or higher in irrigation economics, agricultural economics or finance; 15+ years; irrigation service pricing, O&M cost norms and post-handover financial planning.		12
10	Climate-Smart Agriculture Expert	Master’s or higher in agriculture, crop science, agronomy or rural development; 15+ years; pilot model design for macadamia, coffee and citrus; Farmer Field School delivery.		24
11	Fertiliser / Soil Improvement Expert	Master’s or higher in soil science, agricultural chemistry or agriculture; 15+ years in soil analysis, plant nutrition and fertiliser management; at least 2 similar projects, ODA preferred.		16
12	Agricultural Economics / Value Chain Expert	Master’s or higher in agricultural economics, agribusiness or rural development; 15+ years in value chain development and market linkage; at least 2 ODA projects in Viet Nam.	Based in Dien Bien	12
13	Environment / Soil Erosion Expert	Master’s or higher in environmental science or engineering or natural resource management; 15+ years; ESIA and ESMP preparation; at least 2 ODA projects; erosion control in mountainous areas an advantage.		18
14	Gender / Social Safeguards Expert	Master’s or higher in sociology, gender and development, community development or law; 15+ years; EMDP, GAP and GRM design; at least 2 ODA projects; ethnic minority contexts in the northern uplands an advantage.		16
15	Land Management, Compensation, Land Clearance & Resettlement Expert	Master’s or higher in a relevant discipline; 15+ years; at least 2 ODA projects as resettlement expert; experience with complex resettlement in ethnic minority areas a strong advantage.		12
16	Procurement & Contract Management Expert	Master’s or higher in law, economics, business administration or construction engineering, plus a Ministry of Finance procurement training certificate; 15+ years; at least 3 ODA projects as procurement expert.	Based in Dien Bien	12
17	Financial Management Expert	Master’s or higher in finance, accounting or auditing; 15+ years in financial management for construction investment projects; at least 3 ODA projects as financial expert or project accountant; Chief Accountant certificate or ACCA/CPA a significant advantage.		8
18	Monitoring & Evaluation Expert	Master’s or higher in statistics, economics, project management or rural development; 15+ years; logframe design and donor reporting standards; at least 2 ODA projects as M&E expert.		16
19	Training & Communications Expert	Master’s or higher in communication, rural development, education or sociology; 15+ years in development communication and community capacity building; at least 2 ODA projects; PRA experience an advantage.		8

Support positions

Professional assistants (Based in Dien Bien)— Bachelor’s degree in agronomy, agricultural extension, irrigation management or a related field, with more than 5 years of relevant experience. Practical experience with intercropping, fodder crops, composting and drip or sprinkler irrigation is an advantage (36 working months)
Translators / interpreters — Bachelor’s degree or higher in English language or translation and interpretation, or a professional translation qualification; at least 10 years of experience including 5 years on ODA projects in Viet Nam; strong consecutive and simultaneous interpreting skills. (8 working months).

Requirements applying to all expert positions

Master’s degree or higher in the relevant discipline.
Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience (support positions excepted).
Practical experience on at least two comparable ODA projects in Viet Nam. Experience on projects financed by AFD, the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank is strongly preferred; several positions require at least three.
Working knowledge of Government of Viet Nam ODA project management regulations and of international donor practice, particularly AFD procedures.
Strong written and spoken English. All deliverables are produced in both English and Vietnamese. Working knowledge of French is an advantage.
Demonstrated ability to work in rural and mountainous environments, with willingness to travel regularly to project communes in Dien Bien Province.
Commitment to capacity building through on-site training, mentoring and practical demonstration, and strong proficiency in standard office and sector-specific software.

How to apply

Please send the following to [email protected], with the subject line “EOI – Dien Bien IWRM – [position number and title]”:

Curriculum vitae in English, listing relevant projects with client, financing agency, dates, and your role
Your indicative MONTHLY rate in VND.

Because a consultant may not participate in more than one proposal for this package, experts shortlisted by MKE will be asked to sign an exclusivity and availability declaration for the assignment before the proposal is submitted.

Applications for the roster are accepted on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Vietnamese nationals are encouraged to apply -we can share detail ToR upon request. MKE is committed to a balanced team and particularly welcomes applications from qualified women experts and from experts with experience working in ethnic minority communities in the northern mountainous region.