Chief Of Service, Information Systems

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Division of Administration (DoA) of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). The incumbent will report to the Director of Administration.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Chief of Service, Information Systems may be responsible for the following duties: • Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of ICTS under his/her supervision, ensuring the business model, budget and personnel are aligned with evolving mandates, changing operational environments and client requirements. Analyses needs and gaps, identifies risks, proposes solutions, and implements accordingly. • Leads, supervises and implements the work programme of the ICTS under his/her responsibility. Oversees the management of ICTS, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out on time, within budget, and in compliance with relevant rules and regulations. Coordinates work within the Division, across UNOG and with client entities, as well as with other organizations of the United Nations System, as appropriate. • Conceptualizes, develops strategy for and oversees the design and implementation of major systems initiatives; manages/oversees multiple, concurrent and often disparate tasks for projects that often involve innovative applications, dissimilar systems, as well as databases and highly complex system integration and linkages. • Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior managers on systems development in a changing business environment and the implications of various alternatives, on business applications and other related issues; identifies and plans for future needs; develops and disseminates best practices. • Leads and directs a team of programme management officers and information systems officers; may oversee activities for a discrete work section or equivalent; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors, and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment and selection of new staff and in the development of training programs. • Manages procurements, including conducting needs assessments and benchmarks, preparing bid documents and arranging contracts; supervises, coordinates and negotiates the services required to enable the management and operation of interdependent administrative, financial, human resources and other information systems. • Develops and monitors performance measures; ensures that projects meet established time and cost parameters and standards of technical quality. • Sets up, controls and oversees Helpdesk support services. • Prepares and monitors the budget, work program, and spending plan. • Develops innovative solutions to resolve intricate problems that impact a critical area of the organization’s work, including providing technical services to conferences and IT services to clients, as well as providing applications to support the work of the Division of Administration • Ensures the development of standards, procedures and practices to ensure a stable and effective systems environment. • Leads team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work in general and of specific areas under supervision, including ICT strategy, service management and cost recovery, client services, operations, security, business solutions and systems, research and development, and ICT governance and coordination. Knowledge of systems design, and development, management, implementation and maintenance of complex information systems. Digital expertise and ability to integrate digital technologies and platforms into existing work systems. Ability to lead change management initiatives. Ability to anticipate risks and propose mitigating measures. Ability to develop and oversee large centralized or decentralized institutional systems; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Knowledge of a range of computer languages and development paradigms, knowledge of organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s). Ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives. Ability to advise senior management on complex systems development and related matters of significant importance to the institution; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Ability to improve processes and approaches; demonstrates adaptability to changing priorities. Knowledge of organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s); strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement on difficult issues. 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. • Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. • Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. • Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly. • Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, information systems, mathematics, statistics, business administration or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

Certification of project management (Prince2 or PMP – Project Management Professional) is desirable. Certification of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is desirable. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics, data science, project management, or change management programs is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of computer information systems or related area is required. Out of these, a minimum of five years of experience within an international organization is desirable. Experience managing multicultural teams, large-scale projects, and/or change management, including restructuring teams and/or programmes, is desirable. Experience in formulating budgets and managing expenditures, including via cost recovery, is desirable. Experience in providing IT and technical services to clients is desirable. Experience providing technical services for conferences is desirable. Experience in data analytics, digital transformation or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required and knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

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. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 31st October 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply:Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover letter.

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.