Org. Setting and Reporting
The Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) is leading the digital transformation of the Organization to enable a better, safer, more sustainable future through secure, reliable, and innovative technology solutions. OICT is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. OICT supports the principles of work-life balance and flexible work arrangements. This position is located centrally in the Enterprise Application Center Americas, Enterprise Solutions Service/Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT). The incumbent reports to an Information Systems Officer in the Specialized Applications Unit Team.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Information Systems Assistant will be responsible for the following duties: • Participates in the development, programming, testing, debugging and implementation of new enterprise application systems releases, modules, and functionalities. • Develops, tests and implements enterprise applications and programs using UN established standards for IT technologies, programming languages and tools. • Serves as team member in the planning, specification, design, development, and support of computer application systems; independently liaises with stakeholders and users to define and specify requirements. • Prepares technical and user documentation for deployed applications as well as training materials and conducts technical presentations. • Maintains functional specifications for application, programs and procedures developed and/or modified. • Provides support for deployed applications including version management and data recovery; performs ongoing reviews with users and developers and responds to user requests. • Serves as focal point for coordination, monitoring, and expedition of application development projects, and resolves issues related to project implementation, e.g. organization of and participation in training, documentation of development issues and resolutions. • Keeps abreast of developments in the field; performs bench-marking and proposes new technical solutions. • Performs other duties as assigned.
Competencies
• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of Drupal 10, its architecture, features, and best practices, and ability to leverage Drupal’s capabilities to create custom themes, templates, and modules tailored to project requirements and ability to develop Drupal 10 applications and public information websites. Knowledge of system development workflow processes, ability to conduct research and gather information from a wide variety of standard and non-standard sources. Strong command of front-end technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery, and familiar with Drupal theming and module development, including the use of Twig templating engine. Expertise in responsive web design principles, ensuring that web applications are accessible and optimized for various devices and screen sizes Ability to respond to changing requirements and assignments, ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given. 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. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work. • TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input 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 decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. • ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
Education
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Job – Specific Qualification
Not available.
Work Experience
• A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in information systems analysis and programming, maintenance, software development, technical writing or related areas is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five years for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher. • Four years’ experience in front-end technologies such as HTML5, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS3), JavaScript (ES6+), and jQuery and mobile-first / responsive design principles is required. • Experience using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) preprocessors such as Sass or Less is required. • Three years’ experience with Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is required. • Two years’ experience with Drupal 9/10 theming and module development is required. • Experience with software version control systems such as Git is required. • Experience with front-end frameworks/libraries such as Bootstrap or Foundation is required. • Two years’ experience working in Agile software development team environments with practices such as sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives and related agile development tools is desirable. • Experience with continuous integration, automated testing and experience with full stack development is desirable • Experience in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Special Notice
• Appointment or assignment against this position is for an initial period of one year. • The appointment or assignment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. • This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment. • At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. • Applicants, who successfully go through a competitive recruitment process and are recommended for selection and/or inclusion in the roster of pre-approved candidates for subsequent job openings at the same level and with similar functions, may have their application information and roster status shared with other UN Organizations. Such applicants may be contacted by other UN Organizations for similar job openings, subject to the confirmation of their interest. Placement on the roster is no guarantee of a future selection.
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. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile 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.