CHIEF, FIELD TECHNOLOGY

These positions are located in United Nations Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions and other offices outside of Headquarters. The Chief, Field Technology, P4, normally reports to the Chief Operations and Resource Management or the Director/Chief of Mission Support. There is a functional reporting relationship to the Information and Communications Technology Division, Department of Field Support at United Nations Headquarters.

Within the limits of delegated authority, the Chief, Field Technology, P4 will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• Manages the Field Technology Unit/Section;
•Plans and directs all major Communications and IT systems projects within the mission, monitoring the progress of the design, installation and commissioning of the various networks and systems;
•Plans and prepares the inputs for the work program; provides leadership, guidance, and mentoring for staff, and fosters teamwork and improved communications among all staff of the Unit;
•Leads the development of training modules and other training activities in all aspects of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and coordinates and oversees delivery of ICT training to staff and other users in the mission;
•Takes the lead in the preparation of the mission’s ICT budget and coordinates the generation of reports to the relevant UNHQ finance and budget review bodies as required;
•Manages the acquisition of goods and services and coordinates needs assessments and the establishing of benchmarks as well as preparation of Statement of Works (SOWs) and Request for Proposal (RFPs) in coordination with the Procurement office to establish and manage contracts;
•Determines the need for testing/evaluating new products and technologies; provides leadership on introducing technological changes, and ensures proper change management procedures and guidelines are in place and adhered to;
•Ensures proper inventory control and asset management of ICT systems and services in coordination with the mission’s Property and Inventory Control Unit, and oversees all the ICT resources and manages them in accordance with the approved ratios;
•Serves as the main liaison, and represents the service, with its clients; negotiates and coordinates with relevant national authorities with respect to ICT policy and related matters; ensures effective coordination with various UN agencies in order to maximise possibilities of inter-agency collaboration in the field of IT and Telecommunications;
•Serves on various committees and review bodies within the mission as required;
•Ensure that all Field Technology Unit/Section activities, are in compliance with the DPKO/DFS Environmental and Waste Management policies and in line with the DFS Environment Strategy objectives; coordinate with the mission's environmental officer for guidance as needed;
•Performs other related duties as required.

Core Competencies:

Professionalism: Knowledge of Information Systems and Telecommunications Technologies for large and complex organisational environments; ability to organise and manage diverse and cross-functional groups, across geographically dispersed locations, for institutional systems in conflict and post conflict areas; 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 administrative, budgetary, financial, procurement and human resources policies and procedures; ability to provide specialized advice on a broad range of ICT issues to the Senior Management of the Mission; ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others; ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations; 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.

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.

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.


Managerial Competencies:

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 improvement; 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.

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, information systems, mathematics, statistics or related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) years qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of telecommunications and computer information systems, geospatial technologies or related area, of which four (4) years should have been in the public/private sector, functioning at the management level, with experience with international ICT practices and regulations, is required.

Four (4) years field experience in United Nations common system field operations, inclusive of Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions, UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, or military operations is desirable.

Experience in carrying out administrative functions of a Unit/Section, which would include preparation of budget/cost estimates, reporting on budget/programme performance, procurement of goods and services along with contract management, and the recruitment of staff, is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; Working knowledge of French is desirable; Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

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

The United Nations Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified candidates to fill anticipated job openings in peacekeeping operations, special political missions, and other field operations. The purpose of this job opening is to generate a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in the Chief, Field Technology P4 roster.

Please note that the Chief, Field Technology P4 positions are typically in a volatile, conflict or post-conflict locations in non-family and/or hardship duty stations.

The Chief, Field Technology, P4 may also be housed in camp environments. An updated list of missions and additional information on working in the field can be found at https://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/about/work.shtml

The entire assessment process takes an average of six months; all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) within 14 days of the conclusion of the process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently will be invited to apply for field mission vacancies open only to roster members.

Roster membership does not guarantee selection.

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 or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, 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.

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.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side 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.

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.