Information Technology Support Assistant

Volunteering IT & Telecom

Overview

Assist with IT support to improve agricultural project outcomes.

You have:

• Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable.
• Extent and relevance of experience in system administration for PCs, servers, and other ICT equipment.
• Extent of experience with current versions of Microsoft Windows Server and Exchange, and communications equipment e.g. Cisco IOS.
• Extent and relevance of experience in user support (desktop hardware configuration, diagnosis and repair, and with software configuration), with service-oriented and good problem-solving skills related to IT issues.
• Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of internal and external partners.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The UNV assignment is part of the Resilience Agriculture Livelihood Project (RALP), a Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) seeks to “Strengthen capacity of farmers and their organizations and improve agricultural production in project areas’’ by a). Increasing membership and build capacity of farmers, Farmers Organizations (groups and cooperatives) in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and improving farming knowledge and skills and b) provide Investment support for increased agricultural production in South Sudan.

RALP aim at providing the much needed knowledge and skills, quality inputs and access to technology for farmers and their groups or cooperatives to increase productivity and production through use of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and nutrition sensitive-agriculture, improved post-harvest handlings and aggregation capacities, agro-processing and value additions and market opportunities while also enhancing adaptive capacity to climate risks.

While humanitarian response saves lives and livelihoods, extreme food insecurity persists and hence a new way of thinking is critical. Government, donors and development community recognize that South Sudan must be self-reliant and need to urgently start the transition from humanitarian aid to financing agricultural recovery and resilience building, integrated with peacebuilding and conflict resolution effort. Under this common understanding RALP strives to increased production and climate resilience at the core of agricultural growth in South Sudan and focuses on shifting support from humanitarian assistance to self-reliance.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the FAO Representative in South Sudan or his designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer Information and Technology Support Assistant will:

Assists in the operational delivery of IT services and the IT service levels across the FAO Country Office. Support the delivery of IT services, including service desk, server administration, network infrastructure and services, LAN-based Internet access and local operations of video conferencing. Provides end-user support to corporate and specialized information systems at the local level. Support IT maintenance and windows desktop deployment activities in line with IT Division guidelines and standards. Provide support to the review of IT-related user needs and recommend plans to meet identified needs together with related operational procedures. Provides technical inputs to project proposals involving network and telecommunication technologies; Conduct any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs: As an active FAO team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to FAO and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions. IT needs of the Country Office and Field Offices properly analyzed and identified; IT related information, including policies and standards disseminated to users in the Country Office and Field Offices; Timely IT services provided to the Country Office and Field Offices; IT networking infrastructure, internet access and other facilities such as video conferencing are monitored on day to day basis; Technical support to maintenance of IT and telecommunication equipment provided.

 Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to FAO; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to FAO procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;  Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and FAO in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;  Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;  Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.  Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;  Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;  Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary;  Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards FAO’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

the field of information and communications technology Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions is desirable Extent and relevance of experience in system administration for PCs, servers, and other ICT equipment; extent of experience with current versions of Microsoft Windows Server and Exchange, and communications equipment e.g. Cisco IOS Extent and relevance of experience in user support (desktop hardware configuration, diagnosis and repair, and with software configuration, Microsoft Windows Operating Systems and Office software) with service oriented and good problem solving skills related to IT-issues Extent and relevance of experience in vendor relations, e.g. with hardware service providers, telecommunications providers Extent and relevance of experience in supporting information technologies and communications network within large-scale LAN and WAN environments, including extensive familiarity with basic telecommunication technologies such as telephony, IP networking and Wide Area Networks Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of internal and external partners Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; Sound security awareness

Recent reports from IGAD and parties to the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan show good progress and goodwill towards implementation of the peace agreement,. The improving security situation across the country that was once engulfed in fighting has built positively to national security and stability. Security in Juba (Duty Station) is calm with curfew which currently runs from 19.00hrs to 06.00hrs. There are thousands of multinationals in the country supporting various humanitarian, development and peacekeeping activities. However, South Sudan remains a unique country and is in a unique (humanitarian) operation. It provides for an interesting and enriching environment, but also requires a mature level of cultural awareness, as well as more stamina and commitment than elsewhere to make life comfortable and affordable. Therefore, flexibility and the ability and willingness to live and work in harsh and potentially hazardous conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort, are essential.

Initial contract is issued upon arrival for the period indicated above. The contract can be extended depending on continuation of mandate, availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectancy of renewal of the assignment.

A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA), which is composed of a Monthly Living Allowance (MLA) and a Family Allowance (FA) for those with dependents (maximum three).

The Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be calculated using by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of US$ 1,602. The VLA base rate is a global rate across the world, while the PAM is duty station/country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website - http://icsc.un.org.

In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided a settling-in-grant (SIG) at the start of the assignment (if the volunteer did not reside in the duty station for at least 6 months prior to taking up the assignment) and in the event of a permanent reassignment to another duty station.

UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements).

UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels, flight tickets for periodic home visit and for the final repatriation travel (if applicable). Resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment.

UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.

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Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org