Coordinator, Architecture and Strategy, IT4IT and DR/Surge

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.”  The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. 

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. 

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. 

The Digital Transformation Department (DTD) has the dual role of providing cost-effective data and digital solutions (“digital solutions") to enable the Secretariat and its geographically distributed staff and offices to function effectively and efficiently, as well as supporting the Digital Transformation of the National Societies to use data and digital solutions for their own work.
 
The Digital Transformation Department is led by the Digital Transformation Director. Based on a recent organisational change process, four Unit Managers serve as key members of the global DTD management team, along with the CISO and Regional IT managers, under the leadership of the DT department’s Director. Together, they implement the IFRC Digital Transformation Strategy that serves the IFRC’s business needs, and lead the process on further strategy development. Subject to final implementation planning of this change process, the four Units will consist of a Digital product development and management unit, an Enterprise Architecture, Strategy & Planning Unit, Data management Unt and Services Unit.

Job Purpose

Background to the position 
In virtually all countries, people increasingly rely on and expect a diverse range of digital services (e.g., through their mobile devices) to interact with local government, companies, and community organizations and services. This disruption is already happening to humanitarian assistance. Yet, the Digital Divide remains a persistent and significant challenge at both national and local levels.  
The need for a successful and large-scale digital transformation is urgent. And Digitally Transforming the IFRC and its 192 members is a complex process which requires collaborative action and support across the membership. Therefore, the IFRC recently developed a Digital Transformation Strategy which was approved by the IFRC Governing Board in May 2021. 
  
The Digital Transformation Department (DTD) has full leadership responsibility for the implementation of the digital transformation strategy and the positive impact it will have on the 192 National Society members of the IFRC. The DTD provides strategic leadership and guides the IFRC Secretariat as well as the members network to adapt and innovate humanitarian services, drawing on digital services, data-enabled decision-making, and other opportunities for digital transformation in support of the IFRC’s Strategy 2030. In addition, the DTD is responsible for the development and implementation of business transformation, information technology and digitalization services throughout the IFRC Secretariat, thereby supporting the same transformation in 192 national societies, setting the vision, and drawing stakeholders together on this digital journey. 
 
The incumbent will be accountable to the manager of DTDs Enterprise Architecture, Strategy and Planning unit (“Planning unit”). The other units within the DTD include the Digital product development and management unit, the Data management unit and the Service unit. Under the leadership of the Director DTD, these four Unit Managers serve as core members of the global DTD management team, along with the CISO and Regional DT managers. 

Job purpose

The position holder leads the development and establishment of the architectural roadmap, ssupports the implementation of the enterprise architecture, and manages and tracks the implementation of the infrastructure related developments. Maintains and evolves the IFRC IT ERU (Emergency Response Unit) and DT expert pool to ensure relevant, agile and effective surge support to emergency response operations. Establishes global framework agreements with technology suppliers and support IFRC membership in their uptake.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

1.    Enterprise Architecture adoption, implementation & compliance:

• Leads development of the roadmap of the enterprise architecture, ensuring that the business needs are met in accordance with the relevant strategies and standards, including IFRCs information security and risk management policies;
• Participates in the selection of global projects, in terms of assessment, design and implementation, ensuring that they are aligned with the IFRC standards, are consistent, effective and sustainable from an enterprise architecture point of view;
• Participates in the selection and evaluation of IT projects and participates and follows up the evaluation of the impact of changes for any new IT projects or technologies.
• Promote the guidelines related to the enterprise architecture; Facilitate the knowledge transfer, the various experiences and the good IT practices among teams in charge of system architecture.
• Under the guidance of the enterprise architect, maintains the standards and architecture principles, analyses the impact of new solutions on systems, proposes changes and evolution for different business applications;
• Proposes changes to the technology components of the SI architecture taking into account the different service models.
• Provides the required documentation and updates the corporate knowledge repository and service catalogue.
•  Develops recommendations to securely integrate new technology solutions within the IFRC and ensures warranty service (availability, integrity, continuity and evidence). 

2.    Lead the IT4IT roadmaps and implementation projects

• Lead the development and implementation of the IT architecture for infrastructure, specifically focusing on network, physical and information security architecture.
• Acts as the organisation-wide account manager for global frameworks with key global technology service providers such as Microsoft, Twilio, Adobe, under the guidance of the Senior Architect.

3.    Emergency response unit and surge support

• Maintains and evolves the IT Emergency Response Unit, including scope setting, standards, training, curriculum and coordination of deployment.
• Facilitates and when needed co-chairs IT ERU working group.
• Builds and maintains surge pool of relevant digital experts for deployment in emergency response operations, including scope setting, roles and capability requirements, profile requirements and curriculum development.
• Analyse surge response deployments against relevancy, effectiveness and efficiency and translates lessons identified into digital surge support profiles and response modules.
•  Collaborates with Secretariat surge teams and relevant National Societies to build and evolve the surge capacity and capability.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

4.    National Society Development support:

•  Supports the development of global framework agreements with technology suppliers for use by Membership, including operating modalities;
• Produces information material for and disseminates existence of global framework agreements to National Societies and promotes their uptake within the Membership.
• Advises National Societies on modalities such as onboarding procedures, processes to adopt technology covered by these global frameworks. 
• Analyses challenges and best practices of National Society in the uptake of global frameworks, promotes improvements to framework agreements and modalities with the technology suppliers.
• Supports development and evolution of technology blueprint for the Membership, including technology and enterprise architecture standards, data architecture and common data standards.

5. Contribute to the building of an effective, high-quality, fit-for-purpose Digital Transformation Department

• Support all unit’s planning, budgeting and resourcing processes.  
• Collaborate effectively with Secretariat’s Divisions’ and DTD colleagues to fulfil key responsibilities and to ensure the successful delivery of key deliverables to ensure the effective delivery of objectives pertaining to the IFRC DT strategy, Agenda for Renewal and Strategy2030.
• Ensures effective communication and feedback flows with relevant stakeholders, creating a working environment with stakeholders that creates understanding and acceptance of decisions.
• Act as an expert on architecture, technology standards and technology framework agreements for Membership.
• Partner with other colleagues with digital-related roles across the Secretariat.  
• Consult and advise stakeholders, including regional and divisional staff members; share expertise and knowledge freely as and where required. Provide training, documentation, etc., when required.  
• Be accountable to the Manager Planning Unit on progress made and delivery, providing data for reporting from the department.
• Be a pro-active advisor and dynamic team member, supporting operational content areas and/or organizational and process change.  
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders including National Societies, peer organizations, participate in communities of practice and professional associations. Develop networking and exchange initiatives in order to keep abreast of emerging trends and integrate good DT practices.
• IFRC (quality) standards and operating procedures: Ensures ITIL and IFRC quality standards are applied across all responsibility areas as relevant and performs duties in standard IFRC tools. Ensures availability and development of standard operating procedures and/or guidelines and required documentation is delivered and where relevant available into the Service Management Tool. 

Duties applicable to all staff:

1.    Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals 
2.    Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles
3.    Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

Required:

• University degree (or equivalent) in Engineering, computer sciences or similar discipline.
• ITIL certification or equivalent experience and proven track record of ITIL procedures use in enterprise environment.

Preferred:

• Certified with SOA Architect credential (S90.03 minimum), CEA: FEAC’s certification or any equivalent.
• Project management professional certification (PMP certification preferred).
• Courses in business administration, organizational behavior or similar.

Experience

Required:

• A minimum of ten years progressively responsible postgraduate experience and minimum of three years within the RC RC Movement and/ or international humanitarian or development organisations.
• At least five years of successful IT project management, including financial and performance measurement
• Experience in developing and implementing annual plans.
• Experience in development and/or deployment of organisation-wide infrastructure systems, such as CISCO.

Preferred:

• Experience in management of resources remotely.
• Experience in deployment of digital solutions in emergency response settings 

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required:

• Have a broad range of technical and business skills, with a good understanding of enterprise architecture principles, such as service-oriented architecture (SOA), cloud computing, and big data.
• Up-to-date technology knowledge, including of disruptive technologies, ability to balance short-term needs with long-term goals to ensure that the organization's digital portfolio is innovative, relevant, and engaging.
• Systems modelling, integration and optimization; infrastructure study, deployment and operation.
• Strong leadership abilities.
• Excellent planning and organising skills.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Strong strategic orientation and conceptual thinking; ability to categorize and organise, separating strategic from tactical and operational.
• Effective collaboration and influencing skills.
• Excellent presentation, written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to drive results, and create culture that fosters proactive action, actively prioritize, set high standards and accountability.
• Fosters a climate of trust and confidence, makes decisions transparently and manages in structured and predictable way and follows through on agreed commitments and actions.
• Able to network effectively and influence and inspire others including peers, the membership and other stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Proven training, knowledge transfer and supervisory skills as part of the people’s management.
• Proven teamwork and trust-building skills, including development of effective and efficient networks and partnerships within and outside of the organisation.
• Proactive approach to finding creative and constructive solutions to difficult issues.  
• Fluently spoken and written English.

Preferred: 

• Propensity for embracing change and ambiguity: anticipate emerging conditions and demands, embrace organisational change, navigate complex dynamics, view uncertainty and disruption as an opportunity.
• Developing others: Push autonomy and empowerment, view people development as imperative, create culture of accountability.
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic).

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.
Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.
Functional competencies: Strategic orientation; Building alliances; Leadership; Empowering others
Managerial competencies: Managing staff performance; Managing staff development

Comments: This is a national staff position open to Hungarian nationals and others who are legally eligible to work in Hungary. Candidates must be able to provide proof of their eligibility to work in Hungary.