ICT Manager (User Applications), P-4, Fixed-term, Post no. 18693, ICTD Digital Core, Valencia, Spain

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

For every child, a connected world.

The overarching strategic goal of UNICEF’s Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD) is to transform and build partnerships with our stakeholders to successfully implement UNICEF programmes globally through innovative technology-enabled solutions.

UNICEF is going through an exciting digital transformation that will influence the work of the entire organization. UNICEF is looking for dynamic, innovative professionals to drive the transformation and play a key role in shaping the way forward.

The goal of the Digital Tools and Platforms team is to provide efficient, innovative, user-friendly, cost effective, and modern business solutions to UNICEF’s internal and external stakeholders. The team must enable the business by providing guidance, governance, and procedures for all development and maintenance activities. Effective and innovative collaboration and facilitation across the organization and the broader UN system will be critical. The goals are aligned with the organizational strategy, enterprise architecture, and information management policies.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general direction of the Chief Digital Tools and Platforms, the incumbent designs, implements and supports User Applications in an effective, timely, cost effective, innovative and excellent way.

The ICT Manager works with headquarters, regional and field staff to advise, bring thought leadership and industry best practice to solve UNICEF’s internal and external stakeholders’ digital needs. Collaboration with external parties as well as with the broader UN system will be needed to find and take advantage of synergies. Deep technical expertise and a technology agnostic mindset will be required in addition to technical specialization in rapid solution provisioning.

The ICT Manager leads the full life cycle of user applications. This position is responsible to drive a microservices architecture and continuously improve an agile implementation approach, including effective DevOps practices and technical governance controls.

The incumbent will support collaborative delivery modalities in the organization while maintaining the integrity of UNICEF’s data, architecture and security landscapes. This role provides support for user applications and will be responsible for maintaining an effective follow-the-sun support model. Furthermore, the incumbent researches, tests, and recommends new technologies that will benefit UNICEF’s user base.

The ICT Manager reports to the Chief Digital Tools and Platforms at the P-5 level and supervises 2 ICT Specialists at the P-3 level in addition to consultants. This role will lead a team of technical specialists, providing leadership as well as ensuring the effective administrative running of the team.

Key responsibilities

Organisational collaboration
• Engage with stakeholders, including Business, Relationship Managers, Platform and Service Delivery, Solutions Center and Support, and field colleagues to effectively advise and implement best in class solutions to meet stakeholder needs.
• Create collaborative technical communities with external parties as well as with the broader UN system to find and implement solutions.
• Establish internal technical communities to enable responsible and controlled, yet effective democratized technical solutioning.
• Inform and uplift the general technical awareness and knowledge in UNICEF.

Solution delivery and continuous improvement
• Define and implement solution delivery standards and guidelines. Monitor and measure the effectiveness of standards and guidelines. Implement a continuous improvement feedback loop.
• Control and monitor multiple development streams on platforms.
• Recommend, implement and manage a well-organized, measurable and consistent DevOps lifecycle.
• Manage and provide hands-on contributions to the application delivery process
• Select and implement the best delivery method and ensure continuous user engagement and effective governance throughout the delivery process
• Deliver in adherence to UNICEF policies, such as the Security and Data Privacy standards and testing standards.

Solution support and continuous improvement
• Select and implement the best support modality and ensure continuous effectiveness of the support to end users and other stakeholders.
• Maintain and enhance existing user applications to reflect changing guidelines and policies as well as evolving user needs.
• Maintain an evergreen platform (e.g. platform and software versioning, programming features, patches and security protocols)
• Maintain reliable, available, performant and secure applications at all times.
• Establish metrics on all key functional areas and demonstrate continuous improvement.
• Enforce strong housekeeping disciplines during implementation as well as during ongoing maintenance of applications.

Enable the future
• Research new tools and techniques, third party software or other innovations, and ensure that UNICEF keeps up to date

Leadership and people management
• Strategically lead, supervise, develop, and empower staff under supervision. Manage the User Applications team and ensure the effective administrative running of the team and software agreements.
• Lead the team of technical specialists, provide hands-on technical leadership and uplift the skills and performance of the team
• Promote culture of performance management, providing timely guidance, feedback and support to team. Promote a team environment of staff well-being, accessibility and inclusion.
• Advise and inform the Chief Digital Tools and Platforms on workplans based on strategic division and organizational priorities.
• Perform timely and effectively any other ad hoc duties requested by supervisor.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Academic Degrees:
• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or higher) in a relevant field is required. A first university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a relevant field plus 2 additional years of relevant work experience will be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Training in relevant disciplines, major or substantial course work in information management, database administration, application security or application system development lifecycles is desirable.

Required Professional Experience:
A minimum of 8 years of practical professional work experience at the national or international level in enterprise level application development, software security, application monitoring, maintenance, and support in support of organizational requirements is required, including experience in the below areas:

• On premise applications, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS
• O365, Sharepoint, SQL, PowerAutomate
• Framework for container-orchestration for automating computer application deployment, scaling, and management.
• Azure Services,
• Microsoft based software frameworks operating on any operating system (.Net, .Net Core)
• Microsoft Data Management,
• Data Warehousing, Data Analytics
• Application Security
• Web and Mobile application development

Desirable Experience:
• Elastic Framework, Docker, Kubernetes
• Azure services such as DevOps, Analytics, Content Delivery Networks, Management and Governance, Storage, Identity Management, Integration Services, API Management
• Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, AI enablement
• HP Fortify, Qualys, Web Application Protection

Language requirements:
• Fluency in English is required with advanced written and oral proficiency. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and the core competencies as follows:

• Nurtures, leads and manages people
• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drives to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others

View our competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

International mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

UNICEF 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 at http://www.whed.net/

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.