WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. We are seeking to fill a consultancy position of a Senior Python Developer Team Lead based at our Headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Reporting to the Head of Corporate Solutions Development at the Technology Division, the Senior Python Developer Team Lead (internally called Scrum Team Lead) leads the technical aspects of the design and implementation of IT solutions, providing direction, instructions and guidance to the (off-site) Development Teams with the purpose of developing IT solutions which achieve the highest quality in terms of technical usability, user acceptability, and domain suitability.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

• Design the software architecture of IT solutions.
• Provide direction, instructions and guidance to the (off-site) Development Teams.
• Ensure the high quality of IT solutions, covering all aspects such as: functionality, user experience, and compliance with applicable guidelines (architecture, security, technology stack, user interface, etc.)
• Act as Scrum Master:

• Champion for Scrum within the team.
• Coach the Development Team, the Product Owner, and the business on the Scrum process and look for ways to fine-tune their practice of it.
• Deeply understand the work being done by the team
• Help the team optimize the delivery flow.
• As the facilitator-in-chief, plan and schedule the Scrum ceremonies: Sprint planning, Daily stand-up, Sprint demo, and the Sprint retrospective.
• Resolve impediments and distractions for the Development Team, insulating them from external disruptions whenever possible.

• Create and prioritize, in collaboration with the Product Owner, tickets required to ensure the high quality of the IT solution.
• Review and approve prioritised Backlog tickets for their inclusion in Sprints looking at completeness, clarity, conciseness, visual representation, dependencies, test data availability, behaviour-driven development (BDD) test scenarios, and such.
• Support the Product Owner with Backlog grooming.
• Set-up and maintain IT solution environments.
• Collaborate on designing and maintaining the software libraries stack.
• Collaborate on maintaining the continuous improvement (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) infrastructure.
• Create an inspiring team environment with an open communication culture.
• Other duties related to software development, as required.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Education:

• Advanced University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics, or other related fields obtained from a reputable Institution; or First University Degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses.

Experience:

• At least 5 years postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience and a proven track record for: developing Python-based IT solutions; leading teams responsible for developing such solutions; overseeing developers; and managing and implementing related projects;

Technical Skills & Knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge and proficiency developing high-quality Python-based IT solutions, including best practices, front-end and back-end web development tools and techniques and software security;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Knowledge and hands-on experience with:

• Python & Django.
• Front-end technologies (React, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SCSS, etc.);
• Scrum;
• DevOps (Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL/MariaDB/MySQL);
• Object Orientated Programming (OOP) principles;
• Git and branch management techniques (such as Gitflow);
• Performing peer code reviews and feedback;
• Accessibility (WCAG);
• Behaviour-driven development (BDD);
• Continuous Integration (CI)
• Continuous Deployment (CD).

Competencies:

• Management and leadership skills, showing vision, empowering, building trust;
• Excellent communication, presentation skills;
• Well organized and detail oriented with strong judgement/decision-making skills;
• A passion for new technology tools and usage of those tools;
• Ability to effectively coordinate multiple responsibilities simultaneously.
• Able to articulate complex application concepts in non-technical language;
• Ability to plan and organize work and communicate effectively;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work and to meet strict deadlines;
• Ability to supervise staff, be resourceful, take initiative and use mature judgment;
• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

   Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English is essential. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable.

Terms and Conditions

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Deadline for applications: 16 October 2018

Ref.: VA No. 88225

Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.