Pakistan: Information Comm. Technology Specialist (P-3), # 52317, Islamabad - Pakistan

Job no: 496373
Work type: Fixed Term Staff
Location: Pakistan
Categories: Information Communication Technology, P-3

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you.

For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Purpose of the Position

Based on the established policies, guidelines and service level agreements (SLAs), the incumbent of this post will manage, lead and support the ICT functional accountability and internally manage ICT function and externally enhance collaboration and capacity building; improve the delivery of results and knowledge management; build business relationships and foster innovation.

Key Expected Results

-Manage ICT function and provide technical and operational support
-Manage ICT and supervise Staff to enable the implementation of corporate ICT priorities, solutions and services;
Prepare ICT related plans, budget, set priorities and performance indicators as well as year end assessment, reviews and reporting;
-Safeguard the physical and logical security and safety of ICT environment and infrastructure;
-Provide quality assurance of projects and activities in accordance with ICT functional accountabilities
-Monitor risks and threats to ICT environment or infrastructure and take appropriate action;
-Manage compliance and escalate exceptions (proactive) and deviations (reactive);
-Manage ICT-related communication materials internally, from NYHQ, GSSC or regional office;
-Support the office business continuity plans development and ensure the inclusion of ICT inputs and perspective;
-Act as UNICEF focal point for inter-agency activities;
-Liaise with regional office, GSSC and ITSS to keep abreast of new initiatives and opportunities to innovate and modernize office operations and to contribute to the collective ICT evolution.
-Validate the compliance with the host government regulatory requirements vis-à-vis the Basic Cooperation Agreement (BCA), i.e., data collection of sensitive information or personally identifiable information (PII), telecommunications licenses, use of specialized equipment, such as HF/VHF radios, high-gain antennae, satellite phones, VSATs, VOIP, drones, etc…
-Ensure that the office maintains the required level of emergency preparedness and disaster recovery capability with respect to ICT infrastructure, services and communications.

Enhance governance, collaboration, build relationships and capacity

-Participate in office management –CMT, operations and programme meetings to exercise the functional accountabilities of the ICT function;
-Represent UNICEF ICT in inter-agency functions;
-Support counterparts and implementing partners to build capacity and nurture independence;
-Engage with programme sections, counterparts and implementing partners to form :technical and business reference groups” to identify, analyze, research and promote innovative and viable solutions;
-Assist in oversight, assessment and audit of vendors, counterparts and implementing partners
-Assist in the promotion of creativity and innovative thinking to re-engineer work processes and make the best use of technology within and outside UNICEF;
Support Supply and programme staff to establish local LTAs for ICT-related programme contracts for services and products;
Conduct oversight of providers and third-parties of ICT-related services and products to programme;
Study and understand the business requirements, i.e., PPP, RBM, HACT, etc… to improve the delivery of results;
Stay abreast of ICT trends, developments and best practices through professional development –journals, training, certification, etc.

Improve the delivery of results

-Build and strengthen relationships with counterparts, i.e., government, sister United Nations agencies, international nonprofit organizations (INGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs);
-Promote the use of collaboration tools for knowledge management, capacity building and preserving institutional memory;
-Lead the implementation of eTools and facilitate training workshops or clinics;
-Work closely to facilitate HACT implementation with partnership managers, programme and operations staff;
-Collaborate with the Risk Focal Point the risks and opportunities inclusion in the risk register and support stakeholders to address them;
-Liaise with HQs, RO and other CO to share knowledge, experience; discuss opportunities and risks for the improved delivery of results;
-Represent UNICEF ICT in One UN, Delivering as One and other UN reform initiatives.
-Collaborate with C4D and use their advocacy, outreach and dissemination tools for better utilization of technology to advance the delivery of results;
-Facilitate project management methodologies trainings and support the application by staff, counterparts and implementing partners;
-Participate in person or remotely in UNICEF global, regional or country offices events and discussions to contribute results based management/programming.

Foster innovation

-Promote creativity and innovative thinking to re-engineer work processes and make the best use of technology within and outside UNICEF;
-Evaluate innovation initiatives potential opportunities and possible risks to improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness and share with senior management, regional office, ITSS and Innovation Division;
-Establish a local governance board for the formal review and assessment of local innovation initiatives;
-Ensure exist strategies are incorporated in all innovation initiatives prior to approval;
-Implement approved innovative projects such as eTools, RapidPro, Ureport, etc…
-Support counterparts and implementing partners to implement approved innovation initiatives;
-Facilitate TED-like events inviting local and international scholars, CEOs and technology gurus;
-Connect academia to innovation opportunities, i.e., vocational schools, colleges and universities;
-Work closely with Communication to promote to local philanthropists the benefits and rewards of innovation for their active participation, support and funding;
-Engage the private sector to maximize the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) resources for no-cost innovation initiatives, e.g., bulk telecommunications services at low cost or free during periods of under-utilized resources.
Qualifications of Successful Candidate
-An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Computer Sciences, Software Engineering, Information Technology Management, Business Administration, or a directly related field(s) is required.
-A relevant first-level university degree (Bachelor’s), in combination with 2 years of additional relevant work experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree (Master’s).
-A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience, at the national and/or international levels in Information -Technology Management and/or another directly-related technical field(s) is required.
-Prior experience in ICT Project Management, Business Analytics, Information Security, ICT Audit and Risk -Management, Telecommunications, Networks Information Security and Software Engineering and Programming will be an asset.
-Previous hands on experience in a supervisory/managerial capacity is required.
-Previous work experience in an emergency duty station is considered an asset.
-Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

-Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
-Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering projects on-time and on-budget.
-Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment
-Analyzes and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources.
-Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.
-Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.
-Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.
-Sets clearly defined objectives and plans activities for self, own team or department.

Remark:

Pakistan is a non-family duty station.

Link to view our competency framework: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf