Consultancy: Senior Back-End Developer (Drupal), OffShore/Offsite

As part of this digital transformation project, UNICEF is implementing a new CMS, that should be the platform that meets the needs of the external audience (supports the requirements of the new digital content strategy) and internal audience (a user-friendly multilingual and multisite to publish, govern and iterate nimbly).

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a connected world

The Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD) of UNICEF covers the development, implementation and management of innovative, effective and secure IT integrated business solutions and technology infrastructure in support of the Organization’s strategic objectives.

UNICEF is working on a project to overhaul UNICEF’s global digital engagement and communications. This includes replacing our current technologies, establishing digital governance and building the appropriate capacities among our personnel globally to manage and adapt to the ever-changing digital landscape.

As part of this digital transformation project, UNICEF is implementing a new CMS, that should be the platform that meets the needs of the external audience (supports the requirements of the new digital content strategy) and internal audience (a user-friendly multilingual and multisite to publish, govern and iterate nimbly).

UNICEF chose Drupal 8 as the new web CMS technology and Acquia as the hosting platform. UNICEF legacy web ecosystem contains more than 200 different websites (global unicef.org, country office & regional office websites - called ROCO sites - and microsites) that will be revamped into the new web CMS.

Currently the new platform is being developed/enhanced. This new implementation is using Acquia Cloud Enterprise to host a Drupal 8 multisite and multilingual implementation.  

Purpose of the Consultancy:

The objective of this scope of work is to engage with a senior back-end developer resource who will work on the front-end related backlog activities. 

The engagement is foreseen until Dec 2019, which will be reviewed and renewed depending on the need on that time. The consultant will report to a section manager located in New York Headquarters, and work within a team dedicated to this new initiative at UNICEF.

The selected resource will perform the following activities:

• backlog grooming;
• backend development;
• behat testing;
• deployment scripting on a list of additional features that need to be added to the current development process.

The selected resource will:

• work with current UNICEF team and adhere to UNICEF's processes and standards;
• be located off-shore or off-site;
• work on a full-time basis;
• participate in daily scrum, sprint demo/planning and retrospectives, as well as other technical meetings as needed;
• adopt the tools and the software development life cycle currently established.

Adequate access to all necessary environments will be given to the selected resource (github, Acquia, visual studio online…etc.).

Skills and Qualifications:

• More than five (5) years of professional experience with Drupal module development; 
• At least five (5) years of professional experience with PHP, hooks, SQL, performance optimization, continuous integration (travis, jenkis...etc.); 
• At least two (2) years of professional experience Drupal 8 and Symfony;   
• Experience working with Composer, Solr Search, Vagrant/Virtual Box; 
• Hands on practice to cover QA test cases creation (e.g. behat tests) as part of development work;  
• Experience working with agile methodology (e.g. JIRA, VSTS), version control - Git;
• Desired: Acquia certification;
• Desired: Acquia BLT, Composer, continuous integration (through travis, jenkins or another CI server), Solr Search.

Fluency in English is required. 

Please indicate availability and cost (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications received without a daily rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Due to the high volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.