Chief (Internal Capability Systems), P5, Fixed-term, post no. 15578, ICTD Digital Core, Valencia, Spain

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 110,869 USD and 138,944 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 fulfil 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.

This position will report to the Deputy Director, Solutions Centre and Support in ICTD. One of the Center’s goals is to provide adequate, user-friendly, and modern business solutions to UNICEF’s different departments and stakeholders as well as guidance, governance, and procedures to enterprise processes such as data collection, program monitoring, digital tools and platforms, and business process optimization throughout the organization. These goals are aligned with the organizational strategy, enterprise architecture, and information management requirements of UNICEF’s different stakeholders.

The Chief, Internal Capability Systems reports to the Deputy Director at the D-1 level and supervises 6 International Professionals at the P-4 level and 1 International Professional at the P-3 level. This role may also supervise the work of consultants.

How can you make a difference?

The Chief (Internal Capability Systems) will lead, manage, guide and steer the development, delivery and support of applications solutions forming the systems that enable the internal capabilities of UNICEF across the organization’s landscape. The systems are key and integral components of the global ICT strategy and architecture charted out to deliver information technology solutions and services to the organization. This includes delivery of systems that support and adapt to UNICEF’s evolving business environment and that are disaster ready and audit ready. The systems underpin UNICEF’s operational capabilities, are optimal, available, and aligned to frameworks that engender business processes, efficiency and effectiveness, for optimization of resource management.

The Chief defines and manages the development and maintenance of UNICEF’s internal solutions across the stack of applications, to keep them in line with ICTD’s project methodology and principles of solution delivery and life cycle management. The incumbent designs and orchestrates solutions, assesses risks and vulnerabilities, manages human and financial resources, engages with Business Relationships Managers and other ICTD units to provision Centers of Excellence across the Internal Capabilities solutions stack and manages project change. This role manages strategic relationships with key ICT service providers delivering capabilities, and supplementary resources acquired to support applications development for UNICEF, ensuring that solution support services are provided in line with industry best practices and complement the in-house resources to structure a well-balanced mix of internal and external resourcing. This role will also lead, manage, grow and acquire talent required to deliver consistent results.

Key responsibilities:

Application solutions lifecycle management and delivery leadership • Lead the Internal Capability Solutions workstreams through the business and technology transformation, to design and deliver timely, cost-effective global application services that are fit-for-purpose to serve the functionality required at all levels of the organization. • Establish and maintain industry best practices in applications lifecycle management and delivery, while fostering and driving a culture of quality and innovation. Ensure resilience and sustainable ‘steady state’ of existing core applications, through continuous maintenance and enhancements in support of headquarters, field operations and service centers. • Coordinate the analysis of business requirements in partnership with Business Relationship Managers, propose system solutions, facilitate development of business cases and consequent implementation of system solutions to achieve business effectiveness and efficiency. • Formulate strategic inputs that direct enhancements to maintain the systems to support UNICEF's evolving business process rationalization and efficiency requirements. Identify and promote common system platforms and solutions that rationalize and optimize the footprint of solutions delivering diverse internal organizational needs, while also factoring in potential collaboration with other UN agencies in the development and enhancement of business capabilities that lend to greater application systems optimization, efficiency and cost saving. • Lead and coordinate the establishment of policies and standards for business application maintenance and software asset management. Maintain appropriate systems and procedures for the efficient and effective implementation of these policies. Provide support to other sections in developing corresponding mechanisms for adaptation and application of the policies and standards. • Coordinate the architecting of the applications solutions landscape, with the focus on alignment of technologies in use and future pathways that enable seamless integration, flexible extensions and availability of stable products that add value to the organization. Contribute to advancing the maturity of architecture practices via knowledge management and the delivery of repeatable best practices. • Design all solutions with security in mind, following the information security program and standards. Ensure all solution development have a robust quality management plan and focus on UX usability.

Internal Capability Solutions stack strategy and alignment to results • Work closely with the Deputy Director, Solution Centre and Support, to lead the Internal Capability Solutions (ICS) strategy and execution. Ensure alignment of the strategy and priorities with UNICEF solutions requirements and the global ICT strategy, as articulated through the achievement of the outcomes of the results areas in the management plan. Actively engage and advise in solution evaluations, selections, and integration approaches. Drive the standardization and rationalization of the solutioning to a clearly defined, optimized, and enhanced end-state application landscape. • Lead and coordinate the management of the systems supporting internal management information systems owned across management and logistics functions of UNICEF (namely, GSSC, Finance and Administration, Budget, Human Resources, Supply and Logistics). This includes the complete ERP ecosystem, all Human Capital Management solutions, Global Shared Service Centre enabling solutions, point solutions developed within Supply Division and Private Fundraising and Partnerships, and solutions supporting automation of work processes in headquarter and field offices. • Coordinate timely upgrades and enhancements to ensure all mission critical applications and updates are at the latest versions and kept current to leverage latest developments in software and corresponding hardware infrastructure. • Oversee new projects, maintenance and enhancements to existing applications and their respective ecosystems. • Maintain processes and procedures to ensure new developments and system changes are managed effectively while monitoring performance and taking preventative measures to ensure that all mission critical ICT systems are performing as per established agreed SLAs. • Research and explore market innovations and new technologies to determine best fit that will position UNICEF in delivering results and enable technologies that align with the three ICT pillars (operational effectiveness and efficiency, programme effectiveness and use of innovative technology solutions). • Promote new, technology-enabled business models for UNICEF programmes and serve as an agent of technology-enabled cultural change.

Resource management and people management • Strategically lead, supervise, develop, and empower staff under supervision. • Prepare and implement the annual unit work plan aligning with organization strategic priorities, available resources and office management plans to ensure achievement of work plan objectives, monitoring progress, reporting on results and providing input into section and divisional management plan. • Develop, direct and manage human capital talent engaged in the resource pools delivering the solution streams through matrix management and execution. Consistently raise the technical aptitude of new technologies through training, certifications, attending meetups, hackathons and other relevant approaches. • Apply prudent and effective management of ICT resources software infrastructure to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of these resources towards UNICEF mandate. This entails leveraging a combination of services that are delivered utilizing complimentary services provided by vendors and managing relationships with these service providers. • Guide, influence and partner with strategic vendors to standardize on ICT functionality that delivers high impact business value while being cost effective. • Promote a team environment of staff well-being, accessibility and inclusion. • Promote culture of performance management, providing timely guidance, feedback and support to the team.

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

Academic Degrees Required: • An advanced university degree (Master’s Degree or higher) in Computer Science, Information Technology Management, Business Administration, or a relevant technical field. A first University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Professional Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in an international development context as elaborated below: • Proven leadership experience within a solution oriented technical environment, preferably with a software development background. • Senior level experience managing and leading complex applications in a global geographically dispersed organization, with comprehensive applications solution pipeline and delivery. • Extensive experience leading large-scale, cross-functional complex teams of technical and non-technical professionals: extensive technology business solutions acumen. • Applied knowledge on leading and managing implementation of critical management information systems including SAP ERP, across the spectrum of Finance and Accounting, Treasury, Supply Chain Management, Funds and Grants, Human Capital Management, Travel and corresponding integration with external systems including SWIFT, ServiceNow, pension funds, freight forwarders and warehouse management systems. • Experience managing a technical team with team size of 10 or more.

Skills and Knowledge: • Ability to understand and mitigate all risks involved in deploying immature technologies. • Thorough understanding of applications systems lifecycle management and knowledge of process analysis and design. • Well-grounded understanding of IT Infrastructure lifecycle: Architecture, Design and Operations. Working knowledge of networking, IT security and systems design. • Grounded knowledge of business process automation with workflows including Robotic Process Automation. • Sound working knowledge of application of Cash Forecasting, Budget Formulation and planning, Talent Management Systems and Learning Management Systems. • Demonstrated capabilities of bi-Modal system development, and operational process methodologies (Waterfall and Agile). • Strategic Ability to translate business needs into technical requirements. • Ability to lead and implement technology transformation and organization change management for continuous improvement. • Ability to seize accountability, manage and prioritize multiple projects and resources concurrently, developing budgets and managing forecasts for IT investment. • Knowledge of the organization's technologies and architectures is an asset.

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 and the core competencies as follows:

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

View our competency framework here.

UNICEF is committed to achieving gender balance at the P5 level by end of 2021 and will prioritize eligible and suitable female candidates. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.

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.