I.C.T. Security & Infrastructure Specialist

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the “Apply now” button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit “submit application” tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
3. Three writing samples.

Travel:  

1. UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services.
2. The Specialist will cover the cost of visa and work permit that UNDP will facilitate

Office/Unit/Project Description

The UN Electoral Support Project (UNESP) is the international community’s programming vehicle to support the 2018 to 2021 elections in Afghanistan. The Project has two overall objectives: 1) to build the capacity of the Afghan electoral institutions (the Independent Elections Commission [IEC] and the Electoral Complaints Commission [ECC]) to implement elections in line with the national electoral legal framework and Afghanistan’s international commitments; and 2) to allow a programming mechanism for the international community to partially finance the elections as per the request of the Government of Afghanistan.

Established in 2006, Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) is constitutionally mandated to administer and supervise all types of elections and referenda (Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Article 156).

The IEC completed the Wolesi Jirga elections in 2018 and the Presidential election in 2019. These elections were followed by lessons learned exercises that identified various weaknesses and proposed changes in the Electoral Operations of the IEC for future elections. The Electoral Law was amended early in 2019 to include a provision for the IEC to utilize election technology/systems/databases in all aspects of electoral operations.  Consequently, data and information at the IEC is increasingly becoming a critical asset and thus how this data/information is collected, stored, managed, controlled and protected has a significant impact not only on the quality and timeliness of the delivery of electoral operations but also in the legality of the said electoral operations.

In 2021, the IEC has started preparations for the conduct of Provincial Council, District Council, Ghazni Wolesi Jirga, and Municipality Elections. The IEC is expected to address the shortcomings identified in previous electoral cycles especially in the areas of election technology. Through this assignment, UNESP seeks to provide technical and advisory support to the IEC through the provisioning of an I.C.T. Security and Infrastructure Specialist who will assist the IEC in ensuring that the ICT department meets its obligations related to Implementation and enforcement of the ICT Policy and Procedures; Providing Network Support and Cyber Security assurance; Support of critical services and servers; Conduct professional Asset Management and Resources Forecasting of ICT resources. He/She will be expected to build the capacity of the ICT department in the above areas through handholding and carrying out of targeted training.

Institutional Arrangement:

The I.C.T. Security & Infrastructure Specialist will work under the overall guidance of Deputy CEA/Project Manager, and the supervision of the Senior Electoral Operations Specialist, and will be directly supervised by UNESP’s Election Information and Management Systems Specialist in the carrying out of his/her tasks. He/She will be embedded at the IEC’ ICT department and will work closely with the ICT director/IT Manager or their delegate(s) towards fulfilment of his/her duties. The I.C.T. Security and Infrastructure Specialist will be required to provide daily oral reporting and participate regularly in project meetings. The I.C.T. Security and Infrastructure Specialist will be expected to send written weekly reports on the progress and status of work under his/her purview. Administrative/Logistics support provided will be provided by UNESP to facilitate his/her work.

The I.C.T. Security & Infrastructure Specialist’s primary task will be to provide technical assistance and support to the IEC in the setup of computational infrastructure utilized within their offices. S/He will be embedded within the IEC and will work with director of IT and ICT Teams through executing following tasks:  

ICT Policy and Procedures Implementation

• Inspect and provide a status report on the security posture at HQ and provincial offices. On completion of report, act on its findings and assist the IEC in any upgrades and technical improvements that must be made to ensure that the deployed equipment are operating optimally;
• Work with the ICT team in conducting recurring risk assessments and assist in implementing a risk management process

• Work with the ICT Department in the implementation of the ICT Policy especially in the Security Policies and Procedures
• Assist in the review on existing of computer security procedures and assist in the implementation of approved procedures
• Work with the ICT department to institute Cyber Security Hygiene practices
• Assist in the implementation of the ICT department’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan/strategy

Network Support and Security Implementation

• Work with the IEC in the implementation of Identity and Access Management, Network Border Protection, Internal Network Visibility and Protection Solutions within the HQ and Provincial Offices
• Assist the IEC connect their network infrastructure to external systems through E1
• Assist the IEC implement a DMZ
• Assist the IEC on configuring and using the CISCO Unified communication appliance and suggest improvements with best case scenarios;
• Assist the IEC on implementing unified wireless networks. Enable possibility to extend and to introduce separate wireless service infrastructure.
• Advise the IEC on the best technical implementation of Virtual Private Networks with the provincial Offices to facilitate secure communication and enhanced network security.
• Work with the ICT team to setup systems to monitor hardware and software for any suspicious behaviour or traffic by implementing network management and monitoring tools to prepare problem-analysis reports, resources utilization data, suggests measures for network efficiency maximization and provides recommendations and reports for management review;
• Work with the IEC to Implement a centralized patch management process
• Work with the ICT team in implementing a framework to assist in identifying and addressing vulnerabilities
• Work closely with ICT team to review the network data flow within the IEC’ infrastructure, identify the bottlenecks and suggest optimization measure.
• Analyze, plan, design and implement network and hardware projects in accordance with IEC requirements.

Server/System Support

• Review and assist the IEC configure the equipment including SOPHOS firewalls, Exchange Anti-spam, Antivirus servers and assist the team in implementation of security domain policies
• Assist the IEC upgrade their Servers to the latest version of the Server Operating System as well as Exchange 2019 and where practical migrating to cloud based services.
• Assist the ICT team in optimization deployed Exchange servers 2019 as well as provide load balancing.

ICT Asset Management and Resource Forecasting

• Work with IEC to identify and where possible upgrade of end of life servers and network devices and Project future cost-effective upgrades to keep up with changing technology, growth of the IEC to ensure maximum efficiency;
• Conduct an inventorying process to identify all IT infrastructure assets, their valuation and future use.
• Work with team to identify the places that needs physical and logical upgrade.
• Work with IEC to initiate the Procurement process of critical Spare Parts for IT Server room and Data Center.
• Review all software licenses owned and newly purchased by the IEC and determine their future worth to the present I.C.T. infrastructure and network security settings and report any out-of-date and anomalies relating to such licenses; advice on purchase of future licenses and software required.

Capacity Building

• Assist in creating documentation on upgrades; provide technical guidance for other members of the Information Technology Unit;
• Work proactively to pass on knowledge and information to the counterparts at the IEC in the areas of his/her responsibility
• Performs other tasks, duties and responsibilities required for the successful professionalization of the ICT department.

UN CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Professionalism: Shows pride in work and achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of 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 women and men 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; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients ” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.