ICT Specialist – Web Services

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 - Job-specific

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed a service-based agreement with the UN to provide ICT scope of services agreed in the financial agreements.

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of Senior Programme Manager and in direct supervision of Information Systems Officer – Web Services, the ICT Specialist – Webs Services will be performing the following functions:

Application Servers and Infrastructure Management - System design and implementation, including virtual network segmentation, routing, access control lists, security groups, load balancing, network and web application firewalls, and caching. - Administrate Linux, Windows, and containerized hosting environments - Configure and maintain various Websites and applications, including Apache, IIS, PHP, Python, Scripting, Nodejs, .NET, Drupal, and Custom PHP applications - Maintain and support MySQL/MariaDB, MS SQL Server, and MongoDB - Configure and support DevOps pipelines and other system automations - Maintain and support enterprise Gitlab, SFTP, Jira, Confluence, Crowd, and Bamboo - Configure and integrate automated testing tools - Ensure systems and services are up-to-date and promptly patched - Standard Operating Procedures drafting, review & enhancement - Research & Development

Proactive Administration

• Daily system heath-check
• Scheduled applications backups
• Capacity planning
• Applications services inventory management, including users inventory and resource utilization inventory e.g. I/O, storage, etc.
• Web applications and services security auditing.
• Web applications and services recovery & business continuity planning, including routine failover tests

Reactive Administration

• Incident management, including the resolution of hardware & software faults, application process failures, end-user issues & inquiries, etc, as well as security incident response.
• Problem management, including performance analysis, contention analysis, etc
• Request management, including creation of new users, new applications, application updates, password management, backups & restores, web site support and issues resolution, end-users requests, developers’ requests, system administrators’ requests, etc
• Disaster recovery management, including web services system failovers
• Change management, Release and deployment management and configuration management for Enterprise applications

Availability & Performance Monitoring

• System logs and Web logs collection and analysis
• Performance monitoring and reviews against established baselines
• Performance report data generation and interpretation
• Identification of potential and actual performance bottlenecks caused by inappropriate system configuration and/or application design issues
• Root cause analysis and resolution of application-related performance issues in collaboration with application owners and infrastructure teams.
• Evaluation of web hosting requests, including performance impact analysis & security analysis, therefore confirm appropriateness of hosting in the central farm vs. isolation on a dedicated server.
• Troubleshooting web application performance issues.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The ICT Specialist – Web Services manages and engages in all operational aspects of content management, web applications and web services systems, ensuring those systems meet established service level agreements; manages and actively participates in projects of significant importance to the Organization; works with minimal supervision and in accordance with team’s goals; keeps abreast of available technology and shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

*******FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY******

*****CANDIDATES WITH NO UNITED NATIONS OR UNOPS EXPERIENCE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY****

Education: - Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in computer science, engineering or business administration or related field is required; - A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in combination with two years of additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience / Language: Required experience:

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in software and system architecture design, maintenance, and support in an Enterprise Environment
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience managing and troubleshooting Apache, PHP based web applications in a Linux environment
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience managing and troubleshooting .NET web applications in Windows environment
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience in the administration of highly-available, mission-critical systems with established High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) services.

**Desired **experience: The following experience is optional. Candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply.**** - Extensive experience in MySQL, HTML, Javascript, CSS is highly desirable; - Experience in performance monitoring, performance tuning, and managing web services; - Experience managing MySQL, MS SQL Server, and/or MongoDB in an Enterprise Environment - Knowledge and experience in IP networking, routing, VPN, load balancing, firewalls, DNS, and connectivity troubleshooting; - Knowledge and experience in Bash scripting, PowerShell scripting, Nodejs, and/or Python; - Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code, using CloudFormation, Terraform, Ansible, or other tools; - Experience developing cloud native CI/CD workflows and tools, such as Jenkins, Bamboo, and Git; - Familiarity with Storage Area Network systems and NFS storage systems; - Knowledge of virtualization technologies, such as KVM and VMware; - Experience with microservices and distributed application architecture, such as containers, Kubernetes, and/or serverless technology; - Knowledge of various cloud (AWS and Azure) technologies, such as EKS/AKS, CDN, and WAF is a plus; - Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills; - Knowledge of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL); - Knowledge of project management methodologies such as PRINCE2.

Language:

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required.
• Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an asset.

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.

Contract type, level and duration

• Contract type: Individual Contract Agreement
• Contract level: I-ICA 2 ( ICS10)
• 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.

• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types.

• 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.