Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Infrastructure Specialist

Contract

This is a IICA-2 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's an external contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education. More about IICA-2 contracts.

Background information - ITG

The UNOPS Information Technology Group (ITG) unit is focused on innovation and harnessing cutting-edge technology to deliver solutions to UNOPS that truly address business needs.

Working with UNOPS IT Group is a unique opportunity to deliver systems to users around the world - making an impact on development and solving practical problems for the UNOPS workforce and thereby help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

ITG’s goal is to provide greater effectiveness, efficiency, and differentiation to UNOPS products and services. UNOPS IT Group is responsible for architecting, designing, delivering, and managing all UNOPS IT infrastructure and business applications. The unit includes Enterprise Architects, Business Analysts, Solutions Designers, Developers and QA Testers from all around the world who are based primarily in Denmark and Thailand.

Background Information - Job-specific

Reporting to the ITG Infrastructure Team Lead, the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Infrastructure Specialist is responsible for designing, implementing and supporting the UNOPS cloud infrastructure in GCP. In addition, the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Infrastructure Specialist will be part of transitioning existing UNOPS on-premises application workloads to GCP.

Functional Responsibilities

The GCP Infrastructure Specialist will perform the following functions:

Implement, manage and support UNOPS GCP Infrastructure

• Assist and advise on the design of UNOPS GCP infrastructure components based on information regarding the business context and standards stipulated by the ITG Architects, with the guidance of the ITG Infrastructure Team Lead.
• Implement and maintain all GCP infrastructure components, ensuring adherence to best-practice IT/Cyber security principles and approaches as well as guidelines and principles set forth by the ITG Architects.
• Implement automation through code to enable as much of a self-service environment as possible for the provisioning and management of infrastructure components required for development, test, and UAT environments of various kinds.
• Advise and implement the security for a multi-zone hosting infrastructure as a core part of the design and implementation.
• Provide support, troubleshooting assistance, implementation guidance and technical advice to ICT Focal Point colleagues in UNOPS offices globally as well as ITG technical teams.

Implement infrastructure components within ITG Infrastructure Projects

• Participate in global UNOPS ITG projects under the coordination and guidance of the ITG Infrastructure Team Lead and/or project manager.
• Provision infrastructure using DevOps practices as required for the implementation of the project.

CI/CD

• Assist UNOPS in shaping and designing upcoming CI/CD pipelines using Infrastructure-As-Code.
• Implement and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines for applications with bespoke interfaces in high availability production environments to ensure that code is built, tested, and deployed consistently and reliably.
• Contribute to design and maintain automations for test environments as Infrastructure-As-Code systems with high availability, scalability and reliability requirements.
• Integrate security scanning tools into the CI/CD pipeline to identify vulnerabilities in both the code and the infrastructure.

Manage and monitor UNOPS ITG Infrastructure (GCP and other)

• Setup and maintain software systems; proactively identify areas of system concerns which may impact system stability.
• Monitor UNOPS ITG infrastructure and systems to improve up-time, provide proactive resolution of potential issues, and timely response to any security and operational incidents.
• Utilize containerization technologies and orchestration platforms to optimize application deployment and scaling.
• Orchestrate and manage containerized applications efficiently in production environments.
• Implement API integrations among various applications with operational efficiency and automate tedious processes.
• Implement the provisioning of cloud resources and infrastructure components using Infrastructure-As-Code.
• Ensure rapid and consistent infrastructure deployment across multiple environments.
• Provide updates to management on problems that are severe in nature or that are exceeding thresholds.
• Monitor infrastructure to ensure systems functionality, security and availability.
• Perform regular software updates and patches to supported applications and various operating systems.
• Ensure optimal quality services by maintaining ownership of all reported problems until appropriate resolution is reached and communicated to the person reporting the problem.

• Manage, improve, document, test and implement systems and tools such as Single sign-on / oAuth / OpenID /SAML v2.0 federation

• Ensure full compliance with information, management and technology standards, guidelines and procedures of UNOPS.

Knowledge management

• Ensure full documentation of systems, configuration and procedures to enhance knowledge-sharing/transfer within the team and throughout the ITG practice using established documentation repositories.
• Follow and evaluate emerging technologies, staying up-to-date with trends and the cyber security threat landscape, attend courses and seminars, share knowledge and experience with other ITG specialists. Evaluate systems and platforms, research best practices and contribute to ITG Service Team design solutions with a special focus on Google Cloud Platform
• Participate in meetings and exchange information and expertise on applications and tools with IT staff from other UN agencies.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above) Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

• Master’s Degree, preferably in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Technology Management, Mathematics or other relevant discipline is required.
• A Bachelor’s degree in combination with additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of a master's degree.
• Secondary education in combination with additional six years of experience may be accepted in lieu of a master's degree.

Relevant IT certifications like Cloud Architect or Cloud DevOps Engineer is a plus.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience working with enterprise IT systems, preferably cloud native in nature.

• Minimum of 4 years of working experience with:

  • Cloud Native infrastructure with a deep understanding of containerization on Kubernetes orchestration.

  • Managing Infrastructure using

  • Terraform

  • Kubernetes
  • Ansible
  • GIT
  • Cloud Run
  • Cloud Functions
  • Cloud Pub/sub
  • App Engine

• Knowledge of the following is highly desired:

  • DevSecOps
  • Google Cloud databases
  • Google Cloud Build
  • Google Kubernetes Engine
  • Google Container Registry
  • Orchestration and Infrastructure-As-Code tools (Chef, Puppet, Bamboo, Jenkins)
  • Linux operating environments
  • Scripting (Go, Node.js, Python)

• Knowledge of open source technologies such as Istio, Prometheus, Knative, Helm, Pulumi would be a distinct advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Full working knowledge of English is essential.
• Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: ICA Contract level: I-ICA 2 Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.