Information Systems Officer at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

This post is located in UNEP’s Corporate Services Division, Enterprise Solutions Section at the Nairobi duty Station. The Enterprise Solutions Section is mandated to facilitate UNEP’s programme of work delivery through the use of IT and emerging digital technology solutions and overall business process automation. It undertakes a wide range of services, activities and projects. It works closely with internal clients throughout the project life cycle to tailor the services to their needs ensuring that the solution meets the required objectives from a specification, resource and time perspective.

One of the major activities that the Section is currently undertaking is the delivery of 6 digital readiness priorities contributing to the UNEP Digital Transformation Sub-Programme that was recently adopted by the UNEP Senior Management.
Under the guidance of the Chief of the Section, the incumbent will be actively taking part in delivering the digital readiness priorities with responsible for the following duties:

Functional Responsibilities

1. Manage projects involving feasibility studies, systems analysis, design, incremental development and implementation of new and innovative systems, and/or, participate as a member of an emerging digital technology team;
2. Develop detailed system and other functional specifications and user documentation for major systems;
3. Provide specialized advice to users, analysing users' requirements and translating these into new and innovative digital applications; determines application systems integration and linkage issues;
4. Maintain, upgrade or enhance existing systems; troubleshoots and provide continuing user support, to include resolving difficult problems, advising on the use of new techniques, monitoring transactions to measure performance and continued effectiveness of assigned systems; review applications for retirement/decommissioning due to changes in business usage.
5. Develop and maintain computer programmes that require integration of many interrelated systems and program elements; ensures appropriate data security and access controls considering both local and wide area issues;
6. Organize and perform unit and integrated testing, designing and utilizing test bases; assists users in acceptance testing;
7. Develop training materials, operating and user manuals; trains staff in assigned systems; Research, analyse and evaluate new and innovative digital technologies and makes recommendations for their deployment;
8. Participate in writing reports and papers on systems-related topics, system requirements, information strategy.
9. Facilitate communications between Enterprise Solutions Section and its clients for good client relations. Participates in the development of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between UN Environment and service providers, for either specific IT services or general technology support, including any charge back mechanisms.
10. Provide guidance to, and supervise new/junior staff, consultants;
11. Perform any other relevant duties assigned.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in computer scien...

Experience

1. A minimum of five (5) years of experience in project management, communications, applications, systems delivery, maintenance of computer information systems or related area is required.
2. A minimum of two (2) years of experience  in team management of software specialists is required.
3. A minimum of two (2) years of experience in project design/proposal writing and administering project implementation is required.
4. Experience using agile methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban and/or Test- Driven Development is highly desirable.
5. Experience implementing digital enterprise architecture is highly desirable, for example experience in Phalcon PHP Framework, Python, AngularJS, Entity Framework, SQL Server, TFS, Confluence, Jira, Bitbucket, Power BI, Power Apps, Azure cloud computing services.
6. Experience working with United Nations organizations or similar international organization is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in written and oral English is required.
Working knowledge of other UN official languages is desirable

Competencies

1. Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)
2. Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
3. Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.
4. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).
5. Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.
6. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.
7. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
8. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Additional Considerations

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

This position is based in a family duty station

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.
Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Staff
Contract level: P3 - Temporary Appointment  (TA)
Contract duration:' 11 months initially, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability'
For more details about United Nations staff contracts, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/UN-Staff-Contracts.aspx
Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

1. Kenya Multi-Country Office (KEMCO)
2. Located in Nairobi, Kenya, the Kenya Multi Country Office manages a growing portfolio of engagements, including associated strategic and operational risks. The KEMC sub-region currently consists of an established Operation Centre in Nairobi/Kenya which manages a portfolio of engagements in multiple countries in East and South Africa. This includes transactional projects in partnership with the Nairobi based UN Agencies, UN-Habitat and UNEP, and multiple ‘operational’ projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and island states.

DISCLAIMER

The screening of your application will be conducted based on the information in your profile. Before applying, we strongly suggest that you review your UNOPS Jobs profile to ensure completeness, especially the education and experience sections.

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