Civil and Structural Engineering Intern – Field Operations at Synnefa

Job Description

The role

Post-harvest losses cost African farmers a share of everything they grow. That is an engineering problem, and it is the problem this role exists to work on.

We are looking for a recent civil engineering graduate to join our hardware team on a six-month internship. Every Smart Solar Dryer, greenhouse and drying bed we install sits on civil works we design — foundations, drainage, anchorage and access. You will help standardise that: the drawings, the bills of quantities, the site quality control and the as-built records that every deployment depends on.

We are a small, fast paced, innovative team. What we design is fabricated, installed and judged in the field within weeks, not years. You will spend real time on site in places like Kericho, Nyandarua, Makueni and Kisumu, and your work will directly determine whether what we install stands up and performs for the farmer.

If you want your engineering to be used rather than filed, this is that role.

What you will do

• Prepare and maintain engineering drawings for our standard product range, under proper version control
• Prepare civil site-preparation packages: foundation slabs, drainage, anchor bolt layouts, access roads and loading aprons
• Detail frames, drying beds, racks and tensile structures
• Produce reinforcement detailing and bar bending schedules
• Carry out site setting-out, levels and foundation inspection
• Assess ground conditions and coordinate geotechnical inputs where required
• Produce accurate quantity take-offs and bills of quantities from approved designs
• Prepare clear, buildable technical packages for our fabrication and construction partners
• Inspect sites against written quality control checklists, and record and close out defects
• Verify materials on delivery against specification
• Prepare as-built documentation and closeout packages for every deployment
• Submit a written weekly report on your sites, on the agreed day, without being asked

How you will be supported

• You will not carry unsupervised design responsibility. Structural member sizing, load and wind assumptions, foundation design, and any change to an approved design are reviewed and signed off before anything goes to fabrication, site or client.
• We are explicit about this because it is how you learn properly, and because it is how our customers stay safe.

What we are looking for

• A recent graduate — BSc in Civil Engineering, completed within the last two years. Candidates awaiting conferment may apply with a transcript
• Competent in AutoCAD. Civil 3D, Revit or structural analysis software such as Robot, ETABS or Prokon is a plus
• Comfortable in Excel for take-offs, schedules and data
• Willing to travel to rural field sites at short notice
• Clear written English — a large part of this job is documentation other people rely on
• Someone who shows their working. When you give us a number, you can tell us where it came from
• Someone who says “I don’t know yet” and then goes and finds out
• Genuinely interested in agriculture and in farmers doing better

What we offer

• A monthly stipend of KES 20,000 gross (statutory deductions apply; we will confirm the net figure in your offer)
• Six months of real engineering work on structures that go into the field, with honest feedback and clear goals
• Field travel and related costs on company business covered
• A certificate of internship and a reference on successful completion