Global Data Domain Lead – Architecture

Reports to (role)

Global Head of Data & Analytics

What we do

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works worldwide to provide protection and humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict and armed violence. We take action in response to emergencies and, at the same time, promote respect for international humanitarian law. We are an independent and neutral organization, and our mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. We work closely with National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and with their International Federation in order to ensure a concerted, rational and rapid humanitarian response to the needs of the victims of armed conflict or any other situation of internal violence. We direct and coordinate the international activities conducted in these situations.

Context

At the end of 2023, the ICRC has deployed its Institutional Strategy for 2024 – 2027 that provides a contemporary view of its mandate. Digital is an essential component of this strategy with a dedicated specific objective that aims at “enhancing operational capacities, support a leaner, more agile and cost-efficient organizational model and increase accountability and transparency.” As ICRC is embarking on a transformational journey to overhaul current processes, use technology to maximize operational efficiency and lead the Institution towards a digitally enabled model, data is a key enabler of these upcoming efforts.

Purpose

The Data Domain Lead – Architecture is part of the Global Data & Analytics Office, and is responsible to orchestrate solutions, technologies to support related data processes to manage data as an institutional asset.

Through the identification of critical data assets, their interdependency and logical structure designs the Enterprise Data Model and supports the formulation of the Institutional data strategy towards scalability, optimisation and efficiency.

(S)he ensures data is F.A.I.R. (Findable – Accessible – Interoperable – Reusable) at institutional level and beyond by closely collaborating and co-owning with Data Domain and Analytics Leads – doing so with outmost care for protection of confidentiality.

Relationships

• Internally, interacts with solution architects, technical product owners in the Technology & Infrastructure Department (T&I) and in métiers, and the other members of the Global Data & Analytics Office:
  • Collaborates with métiers data Owners/Stewards to finalise the institutional data governance roles & responsibilities, and ensures communal responsibility towards the upkeep of institutional data architecture;
  • Fosters a culture of continuous learning and sharing among data community – in close collaboration with Global Data Literacy Lead;
  • Works with T&I to understand target architecture delivery dependencies and align delivery timeframes;
  • Works with T&I to ensure requirements for data governance, metadata management, mastering and security are delivered;
  • Contributes to the digital transformation of the Institution with related teams;
• Externally, interacts with consultants, vendors as needed, experts in the field of data and digital transformation.

General Duties

• Understands and adheres to the seven Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
• Understands and adheres to the ICRC Code of Conduct;
• Understands the roles of the components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
• Always respects and observes staff regulations and security rules;
• Always represents the ICRC in a professional manner;
• Develops and maintains a pleasant and conducive working environment with colleagues and line managers;
• Performs all duties with the highest level of confidentiality in the interest of the employees and the ICRC;
• May be asked to perform tasks not covered in this job description and to provide support to other departments when necessary.

Accountabilities & Functional responsibilities

1) Data strategy development and implementation:

• Contributes to development and formulation of institutional data strategy by defining how data will be collected, managed, used, and protected, supporting the organization’s overarching strategic objectives:
  • Defines the high-level data capabilities required to deliver the digital strategy and enables the adoption of the operational practices by the data community;
  • Defines the priority and sequence of implementation for the main features of the key platforms ensuring the standardization of data assets across the institution;
• Contributes to the adoption of strategy within the institution, and its ratification by data community, supporting the definition and monitoring of relevant KPIs and proposes solutions to solve any impediments, that may occur.

2) Data architecture

• Champions, refines and implements the data architecture strategy and contributes actively to the technology strategy to ensure that the data architecture strategy aligns with institutional & data strategy;
• Modernizing and Scaling current Data Ecosystem architecture for Future-Ready Enterprise Data Management:
  • Facilitates the harmonisation, modernisation, expansion and integration of the current complex and diverse ecosystem around data management and analytics, to allow for effective interoperability and communication among systems on premise, on cloud or hybrid;
  • Defines the data management framework and processes, in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders through the whole data lifecycle, from planning and acquisition to archiving and deletion;
  • Oversees the definition, implementation and arbitration of issues on data quality standards, in collaboration with the Global Data & Analytics Office team, and the Métier Data Stewards;
  • Collaborates with Métier data stewards and application managers, to understand their key requirements and translate them into data architecture solutions, ensuring alignment and adoption of institutional data governance and management framework;
  • Ensures data architecture proper scale-up with growing and changing data volumes while providing high-speed and high-availability data solutions, and adaptability to evolving trends and technologies (AI);
  • Designs and socializes conceptual data model of critical data domains and entities – including cardinality and relationship, as a starting point of institutional logical and physical data models (driven by data solution architect of T&I);
  • Develops and upkeeps essential architecture artefacts (Entity Relationship Models, Data dictionaries) for traceability while establishing Non-Functional Requirements (NFR) to drive completeness, accuracy, and consistency of metadata, data mappings, data lineage required by the Data Governance policy.
• Compliance and security:
• Oversees the Institutional Data Classification process for all the applications deployed. In collaboration with T&I (solution architect and application team), CISO Office and Data Protection Office:
  • Advocates for data security and protection of institutionally critical data assets;
  • Oversees, audits access guidelines and SOPs to ensure data integrity and security (involved/responsible for overseeing implemented rules to respect the regulations);
  • Collaborates with domain data leads and technical platform owners to oversee that business requirements are translated with enhanced data security at the backend level (masking, anonymization, encryption).

People management responsibilities

Functional line management of Data Classification Analyst

Certifications, Education and Professional Experience

• Proven track record of leading large data architecture initiatives from blueprint;
• Demonstrated experience in complex, matrix organization with a start-up mindset;
• Thorough understanding of data governance and data management scope and frameworks;
• Related certification is an asset;
• Typically, 12-15 years professional experience with several of those spent in related fields, preferably in humanitarian sector.

Required Skills/Competencies

• Metadata Management: Experience with data cataloguing tools and platforms, ability in capturing and maintaining metadata, including data lineage, data dictionaries and data glossary;
• Data Classification: ability to classify and categorize data based on its sensitivity, importance, and relevance to the organization;
• Master Data Management: strong knowledge in Master Data Management and data integration principles;
• Structured query language (SQL) to discover data;
• Data modelling tools, like Visio, to visualize metadata and database schema;
• sound knowledge of relational database management systems (RDBMS);
• Familiarity with cloud platform and service (Azure..);
• Understanding of systems development, including system development life cycle, project management approaches and requirements, design, and testing techniques.

Desired Skills/Competencies

• Communication, coupled with public speaking and presentation skills: they must sell enterprise architecture across the organization — developing compelling and memorable value propositions and advertising them effectively;
• Rapport building and networking: to break down silos and to find common solution across the organization;
• Innovation and creativity: no interest to reinvent the wheel hence will seek standardized solution if it is fit-for-purpose. Otherwise, quickly, and efficiently comes up with simple solution, often navigating budget, time, or operational constraints;
• Influencing and leadership skills: planning, supervision, coaching and delegation skills – even with members with no direct reporting lines;
• Decision making – negotiating skills;
• Researching skills;
• Managing time and pressures – assertiveness.

Additional information

• Type of role: Required Rotation
• Working rate: 100%
• Starting date: 01.08.2024
• Location: Geneva (GVA)
• Hardship : H0 : family posting and full amenities
• Job level: C2 (C2)
• Length of assignment: 6 years
• Type of position: Headquarters
• Application deadline: 16/06/2024

Our Values

At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviours based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this