ICT Specialist - Software Development (Javascript, Typescript, Python, Javascript frameworks)

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

Not Required - part of GPO/NYPO

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement defined activities in support of the Development Coordination Office (DCO). In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO assumed managerial and oversight functions of the resident coordinator system under the collective ownership of the members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Under the UN development system reform, a reinvigorated RC system has been rolled out since 2019 and has created new frameworks, instruments, tools and platforms to support the RC system, and enhance accountability and transparency.

The United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) supports the UN Resident Coordinator System globally, providing oversight, guidance and operational services to drive coordinated development results across 162 countries and territories. 

To improve development coordination, facilitate data harmonization and demonstrate the UNSDG’s contribution to Agenda 2030, DCO established the online UN INFO system. UN INFO enables users to manage the data for a standard results framework based upon the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework guidance. Accurate data management and analysis of information within UN INFO is critical for accountability and transparency on the work and results of the UN development system and of the RC system.  UNINFO is also the main system for the UNCTs in their active engagement on the Efficiencies agenda, which enables cost effective sharing and use of resources within each country context.

The Development Coordination Office (DCO) is committed to providing the Resident Coordinator System and the UN Sustainable Development Group with modern software platforms that facilitate efficient and effective development operations. Building upon an established foundation, DCO is now focused on enhancing, expanding, and evolving these platforms in-house. This approach allows for greater agility in responding to evolving policy and programming needs, ensuring alignment with the latest UN development reform mandates, including those related to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

The incumbent will be a vital member of the Data and Digital team, contributing to the ongoing evolution and maintenance of DCO's software platforms. They will contribute and be involved with the whole software development lifecycle, from requirements analysis, prototyping, coding for the front and backend, automated testing and deployment.  In addition, the incumbent will also support the business focal points with triaging and resolving user issues and feedback, as well as general reporting and data management.  The incumbent will also be expected to take an active role with supporting and improving the team’s development process. The incumbent will also support the Digital Solutions Lab's development and quality assurance capacity to the Lab's AI tools and programmes

The incumbent will report to the ICT Senior Manager and will work collaboratively with the core development team who are based remotely and also with colleagues in headquarters in New York and the UN Resident Coordinator Offices.

Within a team of front-end and back-end developers, the incumbent will be working on web and software applications servicing offices across the world as well as HQ. The main technologies used are Typescript, Javascript, Express, Postgres, React JS, Python, Docker, Kubernetes, Azure tools and environments, LLM providers, Microsoft Power Automate and other low code tools. The project follows the Git workflow model and uses Gitlab for code management and releases. Developers are required to write comprehensive automated tests for code to ensure adequate coverage.  

The incumbent of this position will be a personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

The incumbent will primarily work as a Software developer and be involved with all aspects of the system development as part of the team.  This includes design and development of User interfaces (UI), web APIs and databases, whilst adhering to agreed standards and dev-ops procedures. The incumbent will be required to perform the following functions:

• New Feature Development: Design, develop, and implement new features and modules to address DCO’s identified business needs and priorities, ensuring alignment with DCO’s digital development standards.
• System Maintenance and Support: Analyze and develop solutions to issues reported by the business focal points.  These prioritized issues will include both bugs and feature enhancements and changes.
• Full-Stack Development: Utilize expertise in both frontend and backend technologies (Typescript, Node.js, ReactJS, PostgreSQL, Python) to contribute across the entire technology stack and to maintain quality through automated tests.
• API Development/Integration: Design and develop public and private APIs suite as well as to facilitate integration and consumption with other systems, and provide comprehensive documentation.
• Data warehouse or lakehouse: Design and build data storage architectures for optimised and efficient data management and retrieval.
• Platform Enhancement: Analyze existing applications and identify opportunities for improvement in performance, scalability, security, and user experience.
• Data Visualization: Develop and integrate interactive data visualizations and dashboards using to effectively communicate insights.
• Collaboration: Work closely with a team of developers, participating in code reviews, sprint cycles, and knowledge-sharing activities.
• Technical Documentation: Create and maintain clear and concise technical documentation for developers and application administrators.
• Technical Support: Provide technical support to application administrators and data managers, assisting with user and data management, resolving bugs and troubleshooting.
• Cloud Technologies: Leverage cloud platforms (Azure) and tools (Docker) to ensure scalability, reliability, and security of applications.
• Stay Current: Remain informed about the latest trends and advancements in software development, and responsible AI practices, continuously updating skills and knowledge.
• Function as an active member of the wider DCO development team, including regular knowledge interchange, joint events etc.
• Assist with Dev-ops tasks such as maintenance, configuration and support of the infrastructure on which the DCO applications sit.

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent), preferably in information technology, information systems, information management, web development, database, engineering or related field is required with five (5) years of relevant experience is required; OR,
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent)), preferably in information technology, information systems, information management, web development, database, engineering or related field is required with seven (7) years of relevant experience is required; OR,
• A Secondary school diploma (or high school equivalent) with eleven (11) years of relevant experience is required.

Required:

Relevant experience refers to cumulative experience across the following fields: 

• Database driven web application development and maintenance.
• Experience developing with object-oriented JavaScript and JavaScript-based libraries, in particular Typescript, Node.JS and ReactJS to build dynamic and data driven websites and/or applications.
• Experience in software testing including frameworks and techniques such as dependency injection, Jest, Mocha or Cypress..
• Experience with development of AI-Driven apps and/or complex Agentic workflows 

Desired:  (The following experience is optional. Candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply)

• Experience in developing with SQL-based open-source databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL is desirable 
• Experience in code versioning, in particular Git workflow, is desirable
• Experience in the development of web API services and their utilization is an asset.
• Experience of developing on a Linux environment is desirable.
• Knowledge or experience in managing dependencies, deployment and development workflow is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in web development projects in a consulting or professional services environment, working with cross-functional teams is an asset.
• Experience working on projects using an agile framework is desirable.
• Experience with devops, in particular Kubernetes and Docker is desirable.
• Experience with Azure and other cloud services or Azure Developer Associate certification, would be an asset
• AI-102 certification / AWS Certified AI Practitioner is an asset
• Experience of developing web applications in other programming languages would be beneficial, in particular Python and FLASK
• Experience with AI-enabled application development (e.g. developing custom Agents, MCP Servers, Observability platforms, Copilot Studio, Rovo and others) is desirable.
• Experience working with setting up AI services (e.g. Azure AI Foundry) 
• Experience with, or aptitude for, structured use of AI tools to assist with development, testing, and quality assurance is desirable.
• Experience of integrating vector data and maps with various platforms is an asset.
• Experience working as or closely with a UX/UI designer is an asset.
• Some experience working with the public or not-for-profit sector would be an asset.
• Exposure to or demonstrated aptitude for AI-assisted testing and quality assurance (e.g., evaluating or red-teaming AI-generated outputs) is desirable. 

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
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• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.