Result of Service

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a systems architecture and requirements specifications for UNEP GEF central database project.

Work Location

Kenya

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Organization Setting: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP’s Policy and Programme Division consolidates the policy, programme, monitoring, gender and social safeguards functions of UNEP as well as its engagement with the United Nations system and key global processes.The GEF Coordination Office within has the overall accountability for UNEP GEF corporate activities. It coordinates, monitors, and tracks the GEF portfolio, and serves as a key adviser to the Senior Management Team on policy and operational related matters. It acts as a facilitator to assist Divisions in programming and delivery of GEF Portfolio, ensuing coherence and consistency. In its role as a GEF implementing agency, UNEP manages project-related information and documents owned by its projects, along with data generated throughout the project lifecycle and corporate activities. This includes details from the concept stage through project progress, spanning various phases, and continuing through appraisal, midterm reviews, final evaluations, and closure. Each GEF project has its own set of information, initially outlined in the approved project document, and further developed during implementation. Project personnel track, manage, and record this data across various tools for different purposes, including Umoja Modules (ERP, IP, IPMR) and other internal platforms such as PIR. These personnel have varying responsibilities based on their roles, with additional requirements for portfolio-specific reporting using tools such as Microsoft Excel workbooks. To streamline and standardize the management of data for both corporate and project lifecycle activities, the GEF Coordination Office is seeking to engage a consultant to develop a System Requirements Specification (SRS) for a centralized database project. The goal is to define the requirements and parameters for a comprehensive data warehouse that will house all information on GEF operations. This will enhance transparency, accountability, accessibility, and consistency across operations, enabling the mining of information for improved knowledge management and engagement at local, regional, and global levels. It will support UNEP’s agendas for collaboration with country teams and the broader GEF partnership, while also serving the dual purpose of strengthening results-based management and facilitating integrated data handling across different systems, including capturing the result frameworks of the GEF and UNEP’s Programme of Work. In developing the SRS, the consultant will collaborate closely with both technical and operations teams across the three technical divisions—Industry and Economy, Ecosystems, and Climate Change—as well as with GEF Coordination Office and corporate functions including, Reporting, Enterprise Solutions, Safeguards and Gender, Evaluation, Digital Transformation, Business Intelligence, Appraisals, and Communications. Duties and Responsibilities: The consultant will be responsible for: 1. Workplan – Develop a detailed work plan for the overall consultancy assignment, identifying the various milestones with clear timelines. 2. Baseline/Needs Assessment and Stakeholder Consultation: – Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to understand the data requirements of various stakeholders. – Engage with GEF Coordination and corporate functions (Reporting, Enterprise Solutions, Safeguards and Gender, Evaluation, Digital Transformation, Business Intelligence, Appraisals, Communications) to familiarize with existing requirements, policies, and databases/systems. – Engage with technical and operations teams across UNEP’s divisions (Industry and Economy, Ecosystems, Climate Change) to gather detailed input on data needs and system functionalities. – Identify and document all types of data collected by user, need, and use. – Perform a review of existing systems by other agencies as applicable (e.g., OCHA, UNDP) to identify best practices and potential integration points. 3. Data Collection and Analysis: – Analyse existing data management practices and tools used within UNEP and GEF projects. – Identify commonalities, gaps, and areas for improvement in current data management processes. – Define potential areas for automation, mainly where existing databases collect information, and can substitute manual data entry. – Review and recommend what data and information is worth collecting with some prioritization (by reviewing ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have’), by whom and at what stage. 4. System Requirements Specification Development: – Define the functional (e.g., integration, storage, retrieval, reporting, user management) and non-functional requirements (e.g., performance, scalability, security, usability, reliability, compliance) for the centralized database project. – Functionality to capture UNEP’s Programme of Work and the GEF results framework. – Define entry points with the UNEP Enterprise Data Warehouse, including for data flow from/to other systems such as Umoja modules, OpenData, PIR, etc. – Establish mechanisms for ensuring data integrity and archiving needs and requirements. – Develop detailed system schemas, data dictionaries, and functional specifications. 5. Validation and Review: – Present the draft SRS to key stakeholders for feedback. – Incorporate feedback and finalize the SRS document. 6. Documentation and Reporting: – Prepare comprehensive documentation of the SRS, including user requirements, system architecture, data flow diagrams, and technical specifications. – Provide regular progress reports to the GEF Coordination Office. – Produce all the required supporting documentation of the systems Reporting Lines: The consultant will report to the GEF Coordinator Ersin Esen but work closely with business owners across the different functions mentioned.

Qualifications/special skills

A university degree in Computer Science or engineering, Data Science, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, or any related field is required. An advanced degree in any of the disciplines will be an added advantage. A minimum of 5 years working as a computer programmer or software engineer is required. Demonstrable work experience in management information systems and data management in the UN system is required. Deep understanding of database development, data modeling, data engineering, etc. Demonstrated proficiency in at least two relational database platforms (Teradata, oracle, SQL server, snowflake, etc) is required. Exposure to cloud-based data platforms such as GCP, AWS, Microsoft Azure SQL, Power Apps is required. Proficiency in web framework development. At least two of the following: React, Angular, NodeJS, JavaScript for front-end development, and at least one of programming languages in Python, Java, PHP are desired. Solid data review and data architecture design experience along with expertise in IT systems, infrastructure and applications is desired. Discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information is desired. Good knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws is required. Strong skills in developing System Requirement Specifications, including functional and non-functional requirements, are required. The ability to prepare detailed documentation and progress reports, incorporating technical details, system architecture, and feedback, is required. Proven experience working with diverse stakeholders, including technical and operational teams, to gather requirements and align on system functionalities, is required. Familiarity with UN Systems and Databases is required, including prior experience working with or within UNEP, GEF, or other UN agencies, as well as knowledge of data management practices, policies, and tools.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the consultancy post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Working knowledge of another UN Language is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.