Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Global Technical Team (GTT) in the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), Vienna. The incumbent reports to the Senior Computational Linguist.

Responsibilities

Within limits of delegated authority, the Information Systems Officer is responsible for the following duties:

• Manages projects involving feasibility studies, systems analysis, design, development and implementation of new, moderately complex systems, and/or, participates as a lead of a development team with responsibility for major components of the more complex systems.
• Participate in the management of services required to enable the operation of gProject systems and GTT
• Develops detailed system and other functional specifications and user documentation for major systems including cost and security analysis.
• Provides specialized advice to users, analyzing users’ requirements and translating these into new applications; determines application systems integration and linkage issues.
• Maintains, upgrades or enhances existing user systems; troubleshoots and provides 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, etc.
• Develops and maintains computer programs that require integration of many interrelated systems and program elements; ensures appropriate data security and access controls considering both local and wide area issues.
• Organizes and performs unit and integrated testing, designing and utilizing test bases; assists users in acceptance testing.
• Develops training materials, operating and user manuals; trains staff in assigned systems.
• Develops disaster recovery plans and ensures appropriate planning and training of those responsible.
• Researches, analyzes and evaluates new technologies and makes recommendations for their deployment.
• Participates in writing reports and papers on systems-related topics, system requirements, information strategy, etc.
• Performs administrative functions, such as capacity planning, recruitment tasks and budgeting.
• Performs code reviews for accuracy, security, and functionality.
• Is available for assignments on call after hours, depending on the needs of service.
• Supervises, guides, and trains team members, consultants, external experts, etc.
• Facilitates delivery of applications to ensure efficient DGACM business processes.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of information technology/information management, particularly in systems analysis, database design and programming. Knowledge of several high level programming languages and significant exposure to and demonstrated proficiency in all aspects of programming and analysis, including structured/object-oriented design, relational systems, scripting and query languages, document design and management, hardware and software requirements, systems facilities and execution protocols. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, to include proficiency in the development and implementation of systems large scale and high complexity. Knowledge of interactive systems; good knowledge of organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s); independently maintains assigned systems and develops innovative approaches to resolve a wide range of issues/problems. Knowledge of Agile Software Development methodologies. Demonstrates great skill in creativity and innovation and can thrive in a high-pressure environment; Knowledge of Domain Driven Design and Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS) and other distributed system design patterns. Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and DevOps principles. Adept at constructing and/or debugging complex data queries that access large database schemas. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and proficiency in subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of genders in all areas of work.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; adjusts language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; Makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; Accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; Monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; Regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; Encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; Actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; Appraises performance fairly

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, information systems, mathematics, statistics or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of computer information systems or related areas is required.

A minimum of five years of experience leading software development teams is required.

A minimum of five years of experience in designing and developing advanced solutions based on the Microsoft technologies (C#, ASP.net, MSSQL, etc.) is required.

A minimum of three years of experience in managing and utilizing Azure Cloud Services in a multi-layered application environment is required.

A minimum of two years of experience in designing data integration and pipeline architectures, which must include ingesting data through different methods such as message queues, database connections, flat files, REST, or specific API’s, is required.

Experience in third level production support of multi-layered systems is required.

A minimum of one year of experience in tools managing CI/CD pipelines such as Azure DevOps pipelines or similar is required.

Experience managing projects using Kanban methodology using Azure DevOps Services or Team Foundation Services (TFS) or GIT is desirable.

Experience leading software development teams in multiple regions and time zones is desirable.

Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with ARM templates or bicep DSL is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in one of the working languages of the UN Secretariat, English or French, (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment or assignment and renewal therefore subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised.

Pursuant to section 7.11 of ST/AI/2012/2/Rev.1, candidates recruited through the young professionals programme who have not served for a minimum of two years in the position of their initial assignment are not eligible to apply to this position.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

United Nations Considerations

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.