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Consultancy: Senior Technical Architect, ICTD Digital Core, Valencia, Spain (Remote Based)

Remote | Valencia

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Remote | Valencia
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
    • Information Technology and Computer Science
  • Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF is currently looking for a Senior Technical Architect. The Senior Technical Architect will work under the supervision of the ICT Technical Lead, Field Solutions and will play an integral role in team to build solutions managing and organizing data. They will be focused on enterprise system integration, lead back-end/front-end application development and architecting/designing new modules.

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. 

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF is currently looking for a Senior Technical Architect. The Senior Technical Architect will work under the supervision of the ICT Technical Lead, Field Solutions and will play an integral role in team to build solutions managing and organizing data. They will be focused on enterprise system integration, lead back-end/front-end application development and architecting/designing new modules. 

Technology 

eTools utilizes Python as a programming language and Django as a framework for its admin interface. Lit Element  is used for front end development. More on the eTools codebase can be found here: https://github.com/unicef/etools.

Key Tasks and Deliverables: 

The exact tasks for the consultant will be jointly determined in an agile way and are outlined in summary below. The consultant will directly interface with the eTools Product Manager and will work on tasks/areas as prioritized and authorized by the Product Manager at the start of each sprint. Upon completion of tasks, the Product Manager will certify completeness and quality of work for payment. The Senior Technical Architect will be expected to follow similar agile development and project management practices by UNICEF ICTD. 

  • Plan and orchestrate coordination of software development /customization for existing eTools modules and planned work for both web and mobile frameworks, and corresponding integrations with complimentary systems from UNICEF 
  • Liaise with business on requirements and specifications, work with internal UNICEF Solution Centre technical team for building technical integrations for systems related to partnership management and monitoring, and associated solutions components 
  • Lead the technical solution activities and exercise latitude in determining technical objectives. 
  • Orchestrate alignment of technical activities related to the design, development, documentation, test, implementation and maintenance of eTools. 
  • Work closely with the Business Owners to ensure that solutions and related infrastructure meet the business needs with regards to scalability, usability, timeliness, and consistency. 
  • Work closely with Solutions Centre and Platforms & Service Delivery team leads to ensure that technology and implementation decisions are aligned with existing or planned corporate enterprise architecture solutions and established production operations. 
  • Work closely with Solutions Centre and Platforms & Service Delivery team leads to ensure that technology and implementation decisions will minimize post-project support, maintenance, and enhancement workloads and maximize potential to reuse eTools technology components in other initiatives.
  • Negotiate and decide on technology features and priorities with different ICT and End user groups. 
  • Work closely with business owners to translate the business requirements into technical requirements by helping the business owners understand current technological opportunities and constraints. 
  • Actively participate in the end-to-end management of the development of the Technical components of several eTools systems 
  • Guide the successful completion of technical project components being the prime technical contact on Tools 
  • Facilitate the tracking and reporting of daily development activities be responsible for actively supporting the removal of impediments that prevent the technical team from completing the work negotiated and agreed for a given sprint 
  • Facilitate resolution of technical issues that generate /create contentious positions / situations within or across the engaged technical teams. 
  • Engage in the development, deployment, and maintenance of various on-premises and cloud-based options and components of the respective system 
  • Play a key contributor and technical facilitator role in Quality Management, Testing (including Security Testing) and preparations for release to production of the system 
  • Oversee the preparation of technical documentation 
  • May be required to attend meetings, conferences, workshops and other events, as well as rollout and support activities with teams based in the field. 

Skills and Qualifications 

•   5-8 years experience in a Technical Architect role with strong emphasis on Python, Django 

•   5-10 years experience with frontend development and web components. 

•   10-15 years experience with backend development, python preferred. 

•   Experience in working with an Agile development team with continuous development and deployment. 

•   Experience scoping, user testing and training for enterprise related projects  

•   Experience with quality assurance testing processes  

•   Capable of deploying and maintaining software remotely on Kubernetes and Rancher 

•   Ability to align technical goals with UNICEF strategic goals—that always will mean prioritizing UNICEF’s mission over any particular technology  

•   Experience developing and deploying web solutions for use in low-bandwidth, challenging work environments.  

•   Experience optimizing database models, SQL / NoSQL, Postgres  

•   Experience developing software as part of a distributed team using Git, especially in an open-source environment  

•   Working knowledge with Docker, docker-compose, minikube 

It is highly recommended that the candidate will have the following traits/experience: 

•   Dynamic self-starter, who needs minimum supervision 

•   Quick learner, who can quickly understand complex business problems, 

•   Understand the value of commitments to end-users, product, and project teams 

•   Familiarity with waterfall, agile and hybrid practices especially working with external vendors 

•   Familiarity with UNICEF partnership management processes including the CSO procedure, HACT and Field Monitoring Guidance 

•   Experience with kubernetes deployments, helm charts, CI/CD and automating devops 

•   Experience with typescript, Polymer, LitElement, Redux 

•   Experience with machine learning 

•   Experience with tools and concepts of enterprise scale data architecture.  

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Additional UN languages will be considered an asset.    

The consultant will be working remotely for a period of 11.5 months and will continue working as such throughout the contract. 

Evaluation Method: 

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant or vendor whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: 

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and 
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical skills and financial proposal specific to the solicitation. 

Technical Criteria weight: [70%] 

Financial Criteria weight: [30%]. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly 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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

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

This vacancy is now closed.
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