Operations and Maintenance Lead – Technology

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems division (WSE) is responsible for building a system of collaborative intelligence enabling better decisions to avert and manage public health threats and risks. Its goal is to enable, strengthen and support countries, regional and global actors in averting and managing public health threats and risks through collaborative problem solving and decision-making for short-term action and long-term policies, informed by better data and analytics.The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is a new office of WHO, located in Berlin. It works with partners to enable the generation of public health relevant information to provide timely actionable insights and improve decision making to prepare for, avert and respond to public health threats. It also aims to reduce fragmentation and inefficiency by creating an ecosystem that promotes collaboration across multiple professional disciplines, sectors, and initiatives; and empower decision makers, public health professionals, and civil society to make informed public health decisions.

Description Of Duties

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to the needs of the unit and department:

• Define, document and implement the strategy for operating and maintaining technology solutions and their environments, including required capabilities. This includes identifying and working with department staff and industry experts as required to:
• Define required outcomes and related service properties
• Define required technology infrastructure in alignment with strategic objectives and helps the department focus on a set of core technologies.
• Define metrics and mechanisms for routine monitoring of system health and troubleshooting approaches
• Define performance optimization, redundancy and failover mechanisms
• Outline the implementation approach oCoordinate, establish and manage contracts with vendors / third parties as required to implement the strategy.
• Review, approve and coordinate the execution of service design documents.
• Ensure service operation, maintenance, performance and continuity, including the development and implementation of related documentation, guidance and standard operating procedures.
• Liaise as needed with the WHO cybersecurity and platform team and others to ensure appropriate security measures against vulnerabilities and cyber threats. This may include implementing encryption, access controls, and authentication mechanisms.
• Maintain logs and metrics stemming from routine monitoring of service infrastructure and usage, produce related reports and issue and implement recommendations for quality and delivery improvement.
• Implement mechanisms for reporting, logging and management of incidents by stakeholders and ensure timely troubleshooting, resolution and related communication (includes establishing clear and effective communication mechanisms with stakeholders).
• Manage changes to technology solutions, including updates, patches and enhancements, ensuing changes are properly tested, document and deployed without affecting continuity of services.
• Analyse resource usage trends and plans for capacity expansion and optimization to accommodate growth and demand.
• Collaborate across the department to align O&M activities with strategic goals and objectives, providing technical advice, guidance and input on technology roadmaps and future enhancements.
• Keep up-to-date with new technologies and trends and recommend improvements for optimizing service delivery and ensuring performant continuity and scalability.
• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others as required.

Required Qualifications

Education

Essential: Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in Information Technology, Computer Science or related field.

Desirable: Masters of Business Administration with a focus on IT management, IT Infrastructure or other related field. Certifications in IT Service Management (ITILv4). Certifications in software architecture and cloud technologies (e.g. AWS Certified Solution Architect, Google Professional Cloud Architect, Red Hat Certified Architect, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert). Certifications in project management (e.g. PMP, PgMP, PfMP, ACP, PRINCE2, Certified ScrumMaster).

Experience

Essential: A minimum of 7 years of recent (within the last 10 years) relevant and hands-on professional experience working with cross-functional teams to oversee and manage the optimization, maintenance and continuity of large, complex technology solutions. Demonstrated experience in deploying, managing and maintaining applications and cloud technologies, including security measures and disaster and business continuity plans. Demonstrated experience in incident response and problem resolution, including the ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues efficiently while overseeing and managing changes, updates, patches and system enhancements without causing disruption to service. Experience in managing relationships with technology vendors, including negotiating contracts, ensuring service-level agreements are met, and evaluating vendor performance. Demonstrated experience in complex international contexts involving technical, cultural and political elements.

Desirable: Demonstrated experience in the public health domain.

Skills

• Deep understanding of and proficiency in implementing, evaluating and managing IT Service Management processes and best practices, including the establishment and coordination of the activities of managed service providers.
• Strong skills with cloud platforms, such as Azure, AWS or Google Cloud, including resource management and cost optimization.
• Deep understanding of DevOps principles to streamline development and deployment.
• Strong knowledge of operating systems, server configuration, and network infrastructure, including virtualization technologies.
• Knowledgeable in database administration, tuning, backup, and recovery.
• Proficiency in implementing and managing monitoring tools, automated alerting, and scripting for efficiency (e.g., ARM templates, PowerShell, bash), timely response to and mitigation and resolution of issues, and capacity scaling.
• Strong understanding of security principles and best practices, including access controls, encryption, authentication, and vulnerability management.
• Strong skills in and awareness of regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA), change management processes, version control, and capacity planning.
• Strong documentation skills for maintaining records of configurations, procedures, and incident reports, ensuring that knowledge is shared across the department.
• Project management skills to plan and execute O&M projects, including management, forecasting and optimization of operational and maintenance budgets for tech solutions.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders and communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.

WHO Competencies

Teamwork

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Communication

Producing results

Knowing and managing yourself

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French. Intermediate knowledge of another WHO Language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 77,326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2893 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

Additional Information

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.
• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (

https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion

) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to

[email protected]

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.
• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65 years. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].
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Grade

P4

Contractual Arrangement

Fixed-term appointment

Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days)

2 years

Job Posting

Dec 6, 2023, 8:41:37 AM

Closing Date

Jan 14, 2024, 11:59:00 PM

Primary Location

Germany-Berlin

Organization

HQ/WSE Health Emergency Intelligence & Surveillance Systems

Schedule

Full-time

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that the deadline for receipt of applications indicated above reflects your personal device’s system settings.