INFORMATION SYSTEMS OFFICER

Contract

This is a P-4 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 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 138,547 USD and 178,628 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.

Org. Setting and Reporting The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for 'sustainable development'. One of the key agreements adopted at Rio was the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention establishes three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) is located in Montreal and is administered by UNEP. This post is located in the SCBD Implementation Support Division (ISD). The Information Systems Officer works under the overall guidance of the Head of the Implementation Support Division (ISD) and Head of the Capacity -Building and Knowledge Management Unit (CBKM) and under direct supervision of the Information Management Officer (Knowledge Management and the Clearing-House Mechanism), and in close collaboration with relevant Secretariat staff. Within delegated authority, the incumbent performs the following duties:

Responsibilities A. Leads, coordinates, plans and provides expert advice to senior management on the use of Information Technologies (IT) to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Secretariat’s operations and programmes of work: a) Develops the Secretariat’s long-term IT vision and strategies. b) oversees the development of quality of IT products, tools and services offered to internal and external clients. b) Develops technical analysis of the user needs, recommendation reports and feasibility studies and coordinates the design, implementation and deployment of appropriate IT solutions. c) Aligns the organization’s IT infrastructure and product architecture with its strategic priorities within UN rules and regulations in particular by identifying the need for new systems or by bringing modification to existing systems. d) Enhances SCBD’s business processes with technology by making them more efficient, convenient, effective and reliable. e) Leads on the preparation and monitoring of the organization’s IT budget. f) Contributes to the IT procurement processes, including assisting administration in identifying vendors and contractors that supply infrastructure solutions and services, developing cost estimates for contractual services, overseeing technical evaluations of proposals received and managing the contract services. g) Leads and manages the provision of the IT infrastructure and service during CBD conferences including on-line registration, logistics, WiFi access, security aspects, network infrastructure, side-events registration, videoconferences, paperless and virtual meetings services. h) Contributes to the managerial functions of the Organization by preparing briefs, reports, studies and work plan proposals to achieve organizational successes related to IT functions. B. Coordinates the development, implementation and maintenance of the IT architecture and infrastructure to support the CBD website, the clearing-houses and other platforms hosted by the Secretariat to allow Parties to fulfill their obligations under the Convention and its Protocols: a) Coordinates the technical aspects of the central CHM platform including its open Application Programming Interface (API) capable of interlinking various internal and partner data sets. b) Contributes to the development of common formats for reporting under the different Protocols. c) Assists Parties and Partners in the online reporting and technical implementation of data interoperability. d) Organizes support in the planning and technical execution of the web and communication strategies. e) Participates and supports the development of a CBD knowledge management and information exchange strategy. C. Plans, coordinates, and manages the work of the IT team and consultants to deliver, in a timely manner, valuable IT products and services aligned to the Organization’s programmes of work: a) Develops and proposes results-based IT work plans to senior management for further prioritization of projects in line with the overall Secretariat's long-term IT vision and strategy. (b) allocates work assignments to the IT team and oversees the execution of various aspects of the approved IT projects (including systems analysis, development, programming, testing and deployment); c) Tracks and monitors the projects’ progress against agreed work plans, schedules, timelines, requirements, cost estimates, metrics and other performance measures and reports to management. d) Serves as the main liaison and represents the IT Team in various internal and external committees and review bodies as required. e) Provides leadership, guidance and mentoring for IT staff, and creates a positive work environment that fosters teamwork and ongoing communications within the team. D. Collaborates with relevant external organizations and partners to facilitate the open sharing of information, data and IT services: a) Maintains active liaison with relevant IT focal points of other Biodiversity related Conventions to identify and collaborate on synergies in data collection, reporting and analysis. b) Ensures effective coordination with relevant IT focal points in various UN agencies in order to maximize possibilities of Inter-agency collaboration in the field of IT. E. Performs any other duties assigned by the Head of the Capacity-Building and Knowledge Management Unit and the Head of the Implementation Support Division.

Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Demonstrates good understanding of information systems design, development management, implementation and maintenance. Demonstrates ability to oversee large complex information systems. Is knowledgeable of international IT policies, standards and practices. Shows pride in work and in achievements. Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology. Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office. Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks. Shows willingness to learn new technology.

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. Solicits inputs by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others. Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decisions, even when such decisions many not entirely reflect own position. Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or related field is required. A first level university degree combined with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of computer information systems or related area, of which three (3) years should have been in the public/private sector, functioning at the management level, with sound knowledge of international IT practices and regulations, is required. Experience within the United Nations System in carrying out administrative functions of a Unit/Section is desirable. Experience with preparation of budget/cost estimates and reporting on budget/programme performance for Information Technology projects is desirable. Experience with procurement of goods and services along with contract management is desirable. Experience with the recruitment and management of staff is desirable. Experience in overseeing large complex information systems is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a substantive assessment which will be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice Appointment against this post is for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. On-line applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided.

If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link.

The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening.

Internal Applicants – when completing the PHP, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up to date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you.

Individual contractors and consultants who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered.

United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.