The Water and Power Development Authority has invited applications for 141 regular posts in grade 17. Advertised on Sunday, November 8, the posts cover assistant executive engineers in civil, electrical, mechanical and electronics disciplines, along with geologists, seismologists, a research officer and assistant directors in human resources and public relations. All posts are permanent, and selected candidates can be posted anywhere in Pakistan.
WAPDA is in the middle of what it calls its Decade of Dams: Diamer-Basha will store 8.1 million acre feet of water and generate 4,500 megawatts, Dasu will produce 4,320 megawatts in two stages, and Mohmand is also under construction. On November 4, the Economic Coordination Committee approved 275 billion rupees for six water projects, including these three dams. Schemes of this size need engineers, geologists and managers.
Available Positions
Nine categories have been advertised, and civil engineers take the largest share: 67 assistant executive engineers in civil engineering, followed by 25 in electrical, 16 in mechanical and six in electronics. The science posts are smaller: nine junior geologists, four junior seismologists or geophysicists, and a single research officer in hydraulics. The two management posts are assistant director for human resources and administration, with nine vacancies, and assistant director for public relations, with four.
Seats are divided between open merit and provincial and regional quotas covering Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and the former tribal areas, with reserved places for women and minority candidates in several categories. Applicants should check the quota column for their own post, since the seats in their province or category decide how strong the competition will be.
Eligibility Criteria
Engineering applicants need a B.E. or B.Sc. in the relevant discipline from a Higher Education Commission-recognised university, with a minimum CGPA of 2.0 out of 4.0, and valid Pakistan Engineering Council registration. The research officer in hydraulics needs the same civil engineering degree and council registration. Degrees from institutions not recognised by the commission will not be accepted.
The science posts need postgraduate or honours qualifications. A junior seismologist or geophysicist needs an M.Sc. in geophysics or seismology, or a four-year honours degree in the same subject, with a second division or a CGPA of 2.0 out of 4.0. Junior geologists need the same, in geology. Human resources accepts an MBA, MPA, master’s in human resource management or MS in project management, or a four-year honours degree in management, with the same minimum. Public relations needs an M.A. in Journalism with a second division and three years as a journalist, or an honours degree in public relations with the same experience.
The age limit is 21 to 33 years, and the range already includes the general relaxation. Candidates from minority communities, the recognised tribes of the tribal areas, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir can claim three further years, while government and WAPDA employees with two years of continuous regular service by the closing date can claim ten. Age is calculated on the last date for applications. Shortlisting rests on academics and the written test, with extra marks for higher qualifications.
How to Apply
Applications go through the Central Testing Services website within 15 days of the advertisement’s publication, putting the closing date around November 23. Applying online is only half the process. Candidates must also send a copy of the submitted form, attested educational documents, domicile certificate and identity card, experience certificates, two passport-size photographs and the original fee challan by courier or Pakistan Post to Central Testing Services, 414, F2, Jeff Heights, Main Boulevard, Gulberg-III, Lahore.
The test fee is 200 rupees, payable at any branch of Bank Alfalah, United Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank or Bank Islami on a challan from the testing service’s website, or deposited directly into its bank account. Every applicant must name the post they are applying for. Hand-delivered or late applications will not be entertained, and incomplete or incorrect ones will be rejected. The testing service will run the written test and WAPDA will hold the interviews, with no travelling or daily allowance. Roll number slips will arrive by text message; applicants should watch the testing service’s website for the schedule and results.
Questions about the application, test, roll number slip or result go to Central Testing Services on WhatsApp at 0300-0532200 or by email at query@ctspak.com. WAPDA’s Director for Recruitment can be reached at dgrectt@wapda.gov.pk or on 042-99200483. Serving WAPDA staff must apply through its human resources division with a no-objection certificate, and government employees through the proper channel. Original documents must be shown at the interview, and bogus information at any stage means termination. WAPDA has also reserved the right to change the number of posts or cancel the recruitment.
It is one of WAPDA’s larger intakes, and the 67 civil engineering seats are likely to draw thousands of applications. The short window matters most: fifteen days passes quickly when attested documents, a domicile certificate and a bank challan must be arranged, so anyone interested should apply now. The posts are permanent, the work is tied to dams that will shape the country’s water and power supply for decades, and the entry grade is a foothold in an organisation that seldom hires.
