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, P5, 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, P5 will be responsible for performing the following duties:

• Provides policy guidance to Senior Management of the mission, on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies, policies and procedures;
• Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Section; coordinates with ICTD, and other Field Missions on matters related to Information Systems and Telecommunications (IST) operations and support; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Section;
• Manages and supervises the work programme of the Section under her/his responsibility; co-ordinates the work effected by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others;
• Provides advice and guidance to the mission senior management on Information Management strategies, policies, and general practices in order to streamline and secure information and data used by the mission;
• Ensures coordination and monitoring of overall strategies and programmes for IST support activities of the mission, and takes the lead in acquiring the human and financial resources required. This will include the establishment of relevant strategic mission performance indicators which provide data and analysis for the review of legislative bodies. Ensures that all processes and systems in place are relevant and cost effective;
• Maintains active communication with ICTD and the global/regional service centres supporting the mission. Actively engages with civil, police and military components of the mission to ensure coordinated and high quality IST support according to their operational needs;
• Recommends innovative business improvements through the introduction of new technologies; provides leadership on introducing technological changes, and ensures proper change management procedures and guidelines are in place and adhered to;
• Plans and prepares the inputs for the work programme of the Section; provides leadership, guidance, and mentoring for the senior staff, and fosters teamwork and improved communications among all staff of the Section;
• Takes the lead in the preparation of the mission's IST budget; coordinates the generation of reports to the relevant UNHQ finance and budget review bodies as required;
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear; negotiates and coordinates with relevant national authorities with respect to IST policy and related matters; ensures effective coordination with various UN agencies in order to maximise possibilities of inter-agency collaboration in the field of IST;
• 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;
• Perform other related duties as required.

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 large-scale regional and, where applicable, inter-mission projects in conflict and post conflict areas; 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.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

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.

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 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.

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 ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in the planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of Information Systems and Telecommunications, Geospatial Technologies or related area is required;

One (1) year experience at the managerial level is required.

Experience in budget, staffing and performance management and reporting is required.

Experience in contracts management and outsourcing practices is required.

Experience in making recommendations for innovative business improvements through the introduction of new technologies is desirable.

One (1) year field experience in a United Nations common system field operation (inclusive of peacekeeping, political missions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes) – or similar international organisation or non-governmental organisation – in a conflict or post-conflict setting, or experience in a military operations 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 P5 roster.

Please note that the Chief, Field Technology P5 positions are typically in a volatile, conflict or post-conflict locations in non-family and/or hardship duty stations.

The Chief, Field Technology, P5 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.