Head of Information & Systems Management Unit at Food and Agriculture Organization

The main aim of FAO Somalia is to assist government towards strengthened institutional capacity and decision support for Somalia’s agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors and natural resource management. In addition, FAO Somalia aims to support government in developing resilient agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry sectors, leaving no one behind, malnourished or hungry.

Reporting Lines

The Project Specialist will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in Somalia a.i., the direct supervision of the Head of Strategic and Resource Mobilization and guidance from CIO Division.

Technical Focus

The Head of Information & Systems Management Unit will be will be responsible for leading and managing the team in

developing, designing and maintaining the main FAO Somalia software systems. She/he will work in close coordination with all Heads of Unit in Programme and Operations as well as with Compliance, IT, Communications, FSNAU, SWALIM and other relevant units.

Tasks And Responsibilities

• Guide the FAO Somalia Management Information System development and maintenance;
• Lead the development of the Beneficiary Information Management System’ (BIMS) front end;
• Contribute to defining the implementation workflow of cash-based interventions to ensure a timely and tailored development of the beneficiary ecosystem in all its components, in close consultation with FAO Somalia Head of Programme and Head of Emergency;
• Work with the Information Management Analyst to regularly collect and share implementation data to maximize the exchange of information within FAO Somalia and contribute to programme planning, implementation and reporting;
• Compile, analyse and disseminate FAO information products for internal and external audiences (e.g. IM dashboard, reports, briefs, charts, infographics, response highlights, advocacy materials), in collaboration with the communication officer and wider Strategy and Resource Mobilization Unit;
• Work with the IM Analyst and the Data Visualization Expert to transform key data into user-friendly tables to share with all units;
• Monitor and ensure corporate FAO (FAO main webpage and FAO emergencies page) and Inter-Agency platforms (i.e. Reliefweb) reflect accurate information, and contribute dynamic content in close collaboration with the Communication Officer;
• Oversee the compilation and production of monthly 3Ws reports for the Food Security Cluster;
• Represent FAO at the Information Management Working Group (co-hosted by OCHA and REACH), and collaborate with counterparts in other partner agencies to improve the consistency and timeliness of information disseminated;
• Keep abreast of best practices in IM area at internal and inter-agency level;
• Respond to various inquiries and information and data requests internally and externally.
• Coordinate and lead the design, development and maintenance of the main FAO Somalia software systems:

• beneficiaries MIS ecosystem: main application and database (FMT), beneficiaries verification and entitlement distribution mobile application (BiMo), beneficiaries registration mobile application (ODK-Biometrics), beneficiaries registration and verification laptop based system (BITS NGO)
• fleet management system
• bulk SMS sender and data collection portal (FRISC)
• weather information monitoring (DIGNIN)
• FAO Somalia contacts system.

• Continue the design and development of the systems and innovations already defined, mainly: Beneficiaries Information Management System (BIMS), AAP application – including two way SMS feedback mechanism and Interactive voice response (IVR), facial recognition integration in the database, BiMo and ODK, 10 fingerprints scanner integration, implementation dashboards, API integration with the corporate systems GRMS and/or IMIS, pilot of WFP Scope;
• Coordinate the setup and remote management of implementing partners devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones and fingerprint scanners) for beneficiary registration and verification;
• Research & Development of software and hardware innovative solutions, such as iris scan and facial recognition;
• Ensure the participation of IM staff in training implementing partners on the use of beneficiaries MIS ecosystem (i.e. during beneficiary registration and verification);
• Ensure that all software development is in alignment with FAO Software Development standards as well as industry best practices;
• Advocate for and facilitate the use of data standards and common platforms by Programme, Operations and Finance Unit staff;
• Conduct continuous knowledge gap analysis in IM ensuring lessons learned in the use of the systems are incorporated into guidance and eventual training material;
• Perform other related duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced University degree in Political Science, Economics, Statistics, Information Management or Journalism, Business Management, Social Sciences or related subject.
• At least five (5) years of postgraduate professional experience in a relevant field of work, with a background and interest in international humanitarian development.
• Working knowledge of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Basic knowledge of FAO organizational policy and procedures related to programme, IM and emergency procedures;
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian architecture;
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyse and interpret information and draw out the key messages;
• Project management experience related to development and/or maintenance of Management Information Systems;
• Relevant professional experience preferably in programme, analysis, reporting in humanitarian work;
• Certified in Data Protection (CDP) or equivalent;
• Demonstrated leadership and managerial experience with multi-cultural teams.