ICT Specialist – Solution Design (Platform Lead)

Background Information – Job-specific

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of …

Functional Responsibilities

Reporting to the GDAI Strategy Lead, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

1. Platform development
2. Implementation guidance
3. Reliability Engineering
4. Collaboration

Platform development

• Create and maintain the roadmap for the development of the GDAI data access and processing platform in collaboration with the Technology Lead and in coordination with the GDAI team
• Balance the need for quick delivery on a tight timeline to support the development of use cases with the need for a flexible, yet robust and scalable infrastructure as use cases are scaled to new users and geographies and new use cases are added
• Consider needs for and (future) transitions to hybrid or multi-cloud solutions, seek to minimize dependencies on a single cloud provider offering
• Discover and translate the needs for privacy protection and other relevant considerations into technical specifications (platform, use cases), research and take advantage of privacy-by-design approaches and privacy-preserving computation where appropriate
• Set up and maintain identity and access management (IAM) to ensure appropriate access to data and technology resources
• Set up and maintain cloud storage and data warehouses and manage environments (for containerized applications) and virtual machines as required for the implementation of use cases
• Set up monitoring, logging, and general technical performance management for applications and systems
• Integrate and manage multiple different data streams from ingestion to serving front-end applications
• Design and maintain change and release management including CI/CD as appropriate

Implementation guidance

• Onboard technical contributors onto the GDAI platform, some of whom on short-term rotations from GDAI partners, and provide ad hoc support in service of their work and the development of use cases
• Proactively seek to address developer needs in platform design choices
• Track and control costs of running applications and services
• Seek to identify and utilize expertise from technical contributors, in particular, from those on rotation from GDAI partners, for platform improvements

Reliability Engineering

• Assume accountability for the reliability of the data access and processing platform and proactively seek to reduce inefficiencies and downtime
• Seek to increase observability of the system to diagnose inefficiencies and other factors that may decrease platform reliability
• Design incident management processes

Collaboration

• Proactively seek to identify and overcome pain points, keep lines of communication with the Technology Lead and Delivery Lead (Strategy Lead as relevant) very open
• Contribute to a positive, can-do team culture and attitude even in light of delays and setbacks

Impact of Results

The effective and successful achievement of key results by the Platform Lead is key to the success of Global Pulse’s Global Data Access Initiative (GDAI) which, in turn, positions the UNOPS Global Pulse project as a leading player in safeguarding the access and use of data for sustainable development and humanitarian actions and key contributor of digital public goods (DPGs) in service of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This promotes the image of UNOPS as an effective service provider and leader in innovation and enhances UNOPS’ competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services at the global, regional, and local level.

Competencies

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)

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• A master’s degree in computer science or a related field;
• A first-level university degree in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5)years of experience in platform engineering configuring, deploying, and operating critical data-driven applications on public cloud services (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP) including IAM or related fields is required;
• A minimum of 1 (one) years of experience as a technology team lead supervising the work and delivery of (small) technical teams is required;
• Experience with translating user needs and product requirements into engineering design documents is required;
• Demonstrated ability to create environments for rapid prototyping and piloting with a mindset towards enablement of data/machine learning engineers and data scientists is required;
• Proven track record in DevOps and MLOps for reliable and efficient deployment to production is an asset;
• Experience in orchestrating workloads in contains and container as a service technologies is an asset;
• Experience with monitoring and logging (observability), site reliability, and incident management is required;
• Expertise in infrastructure as code (e.g., cloud formation, Terraform, Chef, Puppet) is an asset;
• Exposure to hybrid and/or multi-cloud solutions is an asset;
• Experience and knowledge around deployment of ML pipelines, models, and workflows or ML workloads is an asset;
• Exposure to machine learning, data science, computer vision, etc. and a track record of successful collaboration with machine learning engineers and/or data scientists is preferred;
• Experience with privacy-by-design and privacy-preserving computation is an asset;
• Proven track record of successfully working as a part of large, collaborative, agile(ish) teams including distributed international teams is required;
• Excellent communication skills are required with the ability to explain complex analytical concepts to people from other backgrounds and disciplines;
• Prior experience with people management is an asset;
• Experience working with the UN system is an asset;

Language Requirements:

• Full working knowledge of English is required;
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Temporary Appointment

Contract level: P3 Contract duration: 12 months

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

The position is based in a family duty station.

Disclaimer: If the selected candidate is a national of the duty station, a national officer contract will be issued.

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.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
• 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.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• 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.

Background Information – UNOPS

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

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

Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.

Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.

Work life harmonization

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