Information Comm. Technology Assistant (T4D Developer), GS5, Brasilia, Brazil

Contract

This is a G-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 2,416 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 fulfill 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.

According to the school census, 1,4 million children did not attend school in 2021 (majority in the 5 years and 15 -17 years bracket). In 2021, about 5.6 million children and adolescents in primary and secondary education were two or more years behind in their classes, one of the leading causes of dropout. Other elements include discrimination, child labor and pregnancy, inadequate curricula, including in relation to racial and inclusive relations, and undervalued teachers. It is important to add that, in 2021, 690.000 students in basic education, approximately, dropped out of school.

Poor infrastructure also limits opportunities: for example, only 32% of all schools in Brazil have sports facilities and only 24% have facilities suitable for people with disabilities. Access to primary education is well-balanced between boys and girls. Still, for secondary education, especially in rural areas, girls are more likely to lack access and drop out of school than boys. Access to basic water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) at the school level remains a challenge in areas of intervention.

In 2019, only 62.2% of all municipalities reached the minimum established quality goal for primary education institutions and only 22.9% for upper primary education institutions. In 2013, only 56.9% of municipal schools reached or exceeded the established learning goal (based on IDEB). The Amazon region presents a more challenging situation. Only 42.4% of municipal schools in the Amazon reached their learning goals, 57.1% in the Semi-Arid region, and 52% in large urban centers. The analysis reflects a historical series, in which the numbers remain negative and there was an involution. It is necessary to rethink the educational system, as well as the educational paradigms for the different regions of the country.

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 by using innovative technology-enabled solutions.

The UNICEF Brazil Office (BRZ) is in the process of expanding its innovation activities, as well as consolidating and optimizing existing digital solutions. For this it has implemented a Technology for Development (T4D) core team, coordinated by the local ICT Unit, and composed of T4D Consultants specialized in software development, to provide technical support program teams in designing and implementing their respective flagship Innovation initiatives.

This team has been responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of several digital tools, among them we can highlight the development of the School Active Search strategy, a free platform to help municipalities and States face school exclusion, in partnership with the National Union of Municipal Managers of Education (Undime), and the support of National Council of Municipal Social Assistance Managers (Congemas) and the National Council of Municipal Health Secretariats (Conasems). .

The intention of this initiative is to support governments in the identification, registration, control, and monitoring of children and adolescents who are out of school or at risk of dropping out. Through School Active Search, municipalities and states have concrete data that will allow them to plan, develop and implement public policies that contribute to school inclusion.

School Active Search brings together representatives from different areas - Education, Health, Social Welfare, and Planning - in a single platform. Each person or group has a specific role, ranging from identifying a child or adolescent out of school to planning for their enrollment and stay in school. The entire process is done over the internet and the tool can be accessed on any device, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, cell phones (SMS) or smartphones. There are also printed forms for community agents and technical verifiers who do not have access to mobile devices.

The software development process is by nature an evolutionary process, which requires permanent improvements, identification, and correction of bugs, and implementation of new modules. The current tool is very advanced, but new modules and improvement needs emerge every week from different stakeholders (municipalities, States, governments, UNDIME, and UNICEF).

Due to these challenges, the UNICEF office in Brazil has decided to open a temporary job post, category GS-5, to strengthen further and internalize T4D knowledge and activities in Brazil.

The job post seeks to meet our current needs for software development and implementation of technological innovations in the education area, in line with Components 1 and 2 of the 2017-2022 and looking forward to the 2023-2027 Brazil Country Program Document.

It is expected to assist the UNICEF Brazil Office in integrating ICT into UNICEF's programming, contributing technical inputs to related T4D/innovation project plans; identifying, solving problems and facing system challenges; support in defining software architecture and implementing software development; conducting routine user testing of any new features and provide quality assurance and end-user experience documentation for review; strengthen the office's capacity to undertake T4D-related projects and maximize the potential for expansion and deployment of T4D, and provide coding expertise to create innovative solutions.

The T4D Developer will be directly supervised by the ICT Officer regarding any technical aspects of its job (Innovation Focal Point).

How can you make a difference?

To support the UNICEF T4D team in Brazil to develop the required continued enhancements of the School Active School Search (SAS) initiative and other solutions prioritized by the Programme Section. The position is expected to focus on facilitating SAS-related knowledge and technical expertise to the UNICEFs T4D team, with a specific focus on the code and SAS functionalities.

Key responsibilities:

Support the SAS development team to undertake software development and testing activities, assist with writing test scripts / bug fixes, and add or improve code organization and documentation.

• Document or update the relevant tasks in the proper tools, based on code review to tackle possible misalignment between business needs and code.

• Support in all levels of testing and leverage user acceptance testing to ensure functional and non-functional requirements are met and aligned with specifications.

• Systematically review the SAS code and flag anomalies and potential bottlenecks.

• Contribute to writing code under the guidance of the ICTD Technical Lead.

• Familiarize themself with SAS code structure and integration point and support the SAS in any level 3 support needs.

• Ensure that the code abides by UNICEF coding standards and uses the latest libraries that are used by other enterprise systems within the organization.

• Ensure security standards and processes are in place.

• Participate in technical internal and interagency discussions on SAS collaboration modalities to inform any changes in the UNICEF SAS requirements and documents.

• Develop and maintain the automated test cases using relevant software.

• Develop automated test scripts during the Sprints when applicable.

• Participate regularly in development Sprint meetings.

• Identify defects and put in the proper tools whenever it is applicable.

• Validate any defects that were identified during the various Sprints.

• Work with the SAS Project Team, Third-party vendors (where applicable) and the business users to ensure system readiness.

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

• Completion of secondary education is required, preferably supplemented by technical or university courses related to Information Technology, Business process management or relevant field. Completion of University Degree will be considered an asset, and a differential.
• Fluency in Portuguese and knowledge in English is required.
• A full stack developer with a minimum of 5 years of professional work experience on a national or international level as a key contributor to SW development projects, including with multiple stakeholders is required, including demonstrated knowledge and experience in:
  • Web architecture.
  • Agile methodologies.
  • Testing frameworks and methodologies.
  • Must be able to collaborate with the rest of the team to design and release new features.
  • Experience in converting designs into visual elements.
  • Understanding and implementing security and data protection.
  • Desirable experience with the following framework / programming languages: Laravel / PHP.
  • Proficient experience in using one or more advanced JavaScript libraries and frameworks such as AngularJS, Vue JS, ReactJS, etc.
  • Experience with cloud messaging APIs and use of push notifications.
  • Proficient knowledge of Git.
  • Solid knowledge of front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS3.
  • Solid understanding of MVC and RESTful concepts.
  • Ability to write clean, readable code.
  • Ability to integrate multiple data sources and databases into one system.
  • Experience with PostgreSQL and/or MySQL databases.
  • Understanding the fundamental principles of SW design and architecture behind a scalable application.
  • Able to create database schemas that represent and support business processes.
  • Able to implement automated test platforms and unit tests.
  • Familiarity with development aid tools such as Bower, Bundler, Rake, etc.
  • Familiarity with continuous integration and ability to work to tight deadlines.
  • Knowledge in the use of digital media tools and social networks.

The following qualifications will be considered an asset:

• • Experience in developing Mobile Applications using Frameworks such as Ionic or developing native applications (Android and iOS).
  • Good problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
  • Good written and verbal communication skills to clearly communicate with management, users, and IT staff.
  • Good knowledge and appreciation of IT technologies and solutions in general.
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict timeframes.
  • Experience in the UN System is desirable. Good problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
  • Worked in a multi-national organization preferably humanitarian focused

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

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.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

This Vacancy Announcement is open for competition to Brazilian nationals only.

All candidates who wish to apply to this Vacancy Announcement are requested to prepare and submit their application in English.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.