Director, Information Management Department

Vacancy Announcement

Director, Information Management Department, D-1

HQ Amman

Deadline for Applications

10 January 2018

(27 December 2017 for internal applicants)

Duration

2 years, with the possibility of further extension, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance and continuing need.

Vacancy Announcement Number

17-HQ-AM-67

UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women and welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities.

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for professionals like you.

We are building a SMART Enterprise that partners with the business to benefit the Palestine refugees

The Information Management Department (IMD) is a strategic enabler of UNRWA’s programmes in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and Gaza. With over 35,000 staff members serving over 5 million Palestine refugees, the Agency’s programmes deliver direct services to the refugees in the areas of education, health, relief and social service, infrastructure and camp improvement, and microfinance services. IMD is always at the forefront when it comes to introducing innovative business solutions that impact the organization’s overall value chain even as it embarks towards a future ready state that is defined by the SMART Enterprise Strategic Framework.

Do you want to make a lasting difference? 

If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. In this role, you will direct and manage staff and resources of the Information Management Department (IMD), providing leadership to the Department and ensuring that ICT support services across the Agency are efficient, effective and to the highest standards. You will also serve as a member of UNRWA’s senior management team and ensure that the objectives and activities of IMD are in line with the Agency’s mandate and strategic direction.

The main responsibilities include:

•         Managing the ICT Governance framework on behalf of the Agency; researching, developing and promulgating ICT policy and strategy via the ICT Governance Board to ensure that UNRWA manages its ICT resources in accordance with best practices; providing the secretariat function to the ICT Governance Board; leading, coordinating and providing up-to-date strategic direction to the Agency’s ICT plans, systems and projects; ensuring the provision of technical guidance on Technology Services and Information Management Services to HQs & Field Offices; ensuring that TSD and IMSD strategic and technical plans and activities are aligned with Agency Mid-Term Strategy and policy framework;

•         Directing, managing and evaluating the Agency’s Enterprise Application Architecture in conformity with ICT policy and strategy including maintenance of existing enterprise applications, enhancement of existing enterprise applications, project management and coordination of new enterprise applications and technical oversight of Field applications approved by the ICT Governance Board and in accordance with Agency standards and priorities;

•         Providing technical leadership and coordinating the Agency’s transformation programmes; driving strategic business and operational solutions to maximize organizational effectiveness and efficiency through:

             I.        Leading assessment of integrated business intelligence requirements identified by key stakeholders;

           II.        Establishing and managing an effective data warehouse and business intelligence platform in response to Agency needs;

          III.        Supporting business transformation planning based on the extraction and analysis of ICT activity data, leading to the identification and implementation of staff, organizational and resource efficiency measures.

•         Establishing ICT infrastructure policies and work plans; directing, managing and evaluating Agency-wide provision of ICT infrastructure services, including hardware management, licensing, connectivity arrangements, provision of appropriate internal control systems to ensure that appropriate information access levels and security clearances are maintained especially with regard to authentication, access control, audit logs, physical security, remote access, implementing appropriate disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements and leading and integrating the provision of appropriate technical service support arrangements Agency-wide;

•         Directing and providing effective leadership for the department; evaluating progress and performance; ensuring exchange of information, experience and learning; developing new strategies and identifying courses of action to accelerate/improve delivery of ICT services in accordance with direction received from the ICT Governance Board; developing and establishing work plans for departmental staff; monitoring compliance with the same and ensuring that the needs of the department are met in terms of staff requirements, budgeting and financial control; ensuring effective use of staff and financial resources for the delivery of an efficient and timely information systems service to user departments;

•         Directing, managing and integrating ICT operations Agency-wide in coordination with concerned Fields, Departments, Field ICT Officers and related commercial and UN service providers to ensure continuity of operations and provision of an efficient enterprise ICT service; managing relationships with external ICT partners including but not limited to other UN entities to align strategy and policy, UN service providers, commercial service providers and government bodies concerned with ICT issues;

•         Ensuring that Department and Field ICT staff maintain state of the art technical knowledge through continual professional development.

Conditions of service 

UNRWA offers an attractive compensation package including annual salary starting at $96,865 net tax free with post adjustment of 45.4% (subject to change without notice). All UNRWA duty stations (with the exception of Gaza and Syria) are family duty stations. Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include:

•  Dependency allowances

•  Rental subsidy

•  Education grant for children

•  Home leave travel

•  6 weeks (30 working days) annual leave

•  Pension fund entitlements under the

    UN Joint Staff Pension Fund

•  International health insurance; optional

    life insurance

•  Disability protection

Additional information

Will be required to travel in the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East.

To qualify for this position, you will need:

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution with specialization in information technology or related discipline and additional coursework in business administration and management; a first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree;

Work

experience

A minimum of 15 years of professional ICT experience, including 10 years of progressive experience with a successful track record of leading and managing complex ICT operations, including two years’ experience at international level outside your home country;

Language(s)

Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Desirable qualifications:

•         Experience in information systems applications for enterprise resource planning, education, health and social welfare administration;

•         Working knowledge of spoken and written Arabic.

You will also need to demonstrate the following competencies:

•         Vision, planning and organizing: Strong strategic abilities, ability to plan and work to tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent activities;

•         Leadership, management and administration: Demonstrated leadership, supervisory and management skills; wide-ranging expertise at the strategic and operational level including change management experience, in the occupational areas of the portfolio;

•         Excellent knowledge of current and emerging developments, policies related to information and communications technology;

•         Innovation: Demonstrated proficiency of introducing new initiatives and change in the workplace to enhance capacity and effectiveness;

•         Communication: Highly developed communication (spoken, written and presentation) skills;

•         Political awareness: Sound understanding of national, regional and international political trends;

•         Institutional awareness: Sound understanding of the UN and Agency policy and practice, within the larger context of humanitarian agencies in general and of the Agency’s mandate and role in particular;

•         Professionalism: Seasoned negotiating skills; ability to resolve complex and/or sensitive issues;

•         Teamwork: Strong interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;

•         Proven ability in managing and leading projects leading to the implementation and management of enterprise ICT applications and systems in large international or commercial organizational settings;

•         Broad managerial and administrative knowledge and experience with in-depth understanding of the technologies underpinning ICT systems and their capabilities;

•         Demonstrated ability in managing complex change management process transformation initiatives which have materially and structurally improved business processes using ICT systems;

•         Extensive knowledge and experience of managing the implementation of data warehouse/business intelligence solutions to support management of business transformation including in-depth knowledge of business process re-engineering concepts, best practices and applications.

For guidance on how to prepare for competency-based interviews:

            https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=AYI

How to apply

To start the application process, applicants are required to register at http://jobs.unrwa.org by creating a personal profile and completing UNRWA Personal History Form. Only applications received through http://jobs.unrwa.org will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for UNRWA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process. The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.

General information

UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, neutrality and impartiality at all times. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity, and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment.

The retirement age for staff entering or re-entering service in the UN Common System after 1 January 1990 is 62 and 65 after 1 January 2014. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete a term of appointment will normally be considered.

The Agency reserves the right not to make an appointment, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

Date of issue: 14 December 2017/ NH