Career Opportunities: IT Operations Officer P4, RBD, Bangui, Central African Republic (826682)

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

Are you an experienced in managing large projects requiring innovative recommendations and approaches, at Headquarters and field? If yes, this opportunity is for you!

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications must be submitted by Saturday May 27, 2023 (11:59 PM CET).

WHY JOIN US?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse and multicultural working environment 
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of trainings, accreditation, coaching, mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities 
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe
• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section)

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.  

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP) and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The role is based in our Country Office (CO) at Bangui, Central African Republic. Interested applicants should note that this is a non-family duty station, and you will not be able to live with your family.
 
You will report to the Divisional/Regional/Country Director or the designate, under the functional supervision of the Director, Information Technology (IT).
 
The successful candidate will lead a team and work in partnership with business owners across multiple business areas. The incumbent will establish and manage effective business relationships and provide expert IT advice and innovative solutions that fulfill business objectives. Job holders are responsible for conducting business analysis as well as delivering complex IT solutions.
 

JOB PURPOSE:

Partner with the business to understand its vision, mission, needs, and operating environment in order to manage the transformation of strategic and operational business objectives into solutions exploiting IT capabilities.

The incumbent will be responsible for coordinating the discovery of needs and solutions, elicitation of requirements, development, deployment and implementation of innovative digital solutions (both existing and new) that can support WFP’s operations, as well as supporting programmes with Governments and / or collaborating with Partners. Some of these digital solutions are focused particularly on beneficiary services, Cash Based Transfers (CBT) and other directly related activities and capabilities, namely SCOPE. 

Under the responsibility of the Head of TEC, the incumbent will partner with the business to understand their needs and requirements to enable the transformation into digital solutions.

The incumbent will supervise the Data Coordinator and the Digital SCOPE Support Assistant.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

• Engage with the business to understand their needs and translate into clear requirements that can be met through innovative digital solutions;
• Provide strategic and operational oversight for digital solutions (including data and monitoring solutions) within the operation;
• Collaborate with Programme and other key stakeholders on the development and maintenance of a CO strategy and roadmap for relevant SCOPE implementation;
• Enable the business to make data-driven decisions to inform the strategic direction, analyse the success of initiatives and impact to beneficiaries whilst ensuring data security and privacy
• In collaboration with Regional Social Safety Net Officer/relevant colleagues provide advice related to social protection and safety net infrastructure for governments as it relates to capacity strengthening;
• Support CO engagement with other UN agencies and with NGOs interested in benefitting from WFP’s digital assistance services through assessments, intervention design, project support and service delivery coordination;
• Undertake analysis for the business case for commercial service providers in order to expand the provision of services to WFP recipients across the country, in collaboration with key team members.
• Participate in Country Office strategic planning and operational decisions to advocate for results and outcomes that are aligned with WFP corporate policies, standards and strategy;
• Keep abreast of both Technology standards and WFP’s strategic direction to identify new initiatives, provide guidance on Technology options, and adopt best practices to support the Country Office Strategic Plan;
• Set standards for Country Office assistance strategy through effective application of Digital Assistance Services (DAS);
• Review Country Office programme documents (e.g. submitted for Strategic Programme Review and Country Strategic Plans process), providing inputs to incorporate and strengthen DAS components;
• Drive a culture where consistent data are effectively used to take decision and drive the implementation of WFP IT innovative solutions;
• Partner effectively with senior managers to understand their priorities, and provide solutions on all aspects of IT and the delivery of IT services, as well as on strategic and policy issues;
• Work in close collaboration with other UN agencies to align activities, conduct negotiations with common vendors, and maximize possibilities of future inter-agency collaborations;
• Form partnerships with colleagues and partner organizations, to foster information exchange, and obtain agreements to help meet WFP’s service requirements;
• Oversight of IT operations in all locations in Central African Republic, ensuring consistent delivery of services to meet customer needs;
• Participate in emergency preparedness and contingency planning, providing technical recommendations and monitoring the management of risks, so that WFP can maintain basic IT services and/or quickly respond and deploy resources to affected areas at the onset of a crisis;
• Lead the preparation of operational plans and manage resource requirements at the onset of an emergency operation;
• In collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator, ensure the effective development and implementation of the IT Common services workstreams for all UN /INGO's agencies based in Central African Republic;
• Lead and motivate a team of staff, monitoring performance, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance;
• Plan and lead capability building of staff, collaborating with colleagues in the IT division to design and deliver training policies and programmes aimed at developing skills/knowledge in IT;
• Perform any other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND KEY REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

• Advanced University degree in business management, computer science, telecommunications engineering or social sciences, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience or trainings/courses. 

 EXPERIENCE:

• Eight years or more (of which three international) of post-graduate progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian aid operations and/or business systems analysis, design and development.

LANGUAGE:

• Fluency (level B) in English language. 
• Fluency (Level C) in French language.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and/or Portuguese (a WFP working language).

MORE ABOUT YOU

• Has managed large projects requiring innovative recommendations and approaches, at Headquarters and field.
• Has built strong relationships with internal and external partners to identify key business issues and identify new/improved IT solutions and services.
• Experience in client-facing roles in either technology implementation projects or in the planning, design and implementation of humanitarian and development programmes. 
• Understanding of poverty dynamics, social protection principles and their application to current national economic and development issues; 
• Proven ability to produce reports and/or research papers with a good command of poverty and social protection issues.
• Possession of a combination of broad business skills and IT experience including: general management skills in business and/or public sector, excellent business communications skills, business analysis including creation and review of functional and non-functional business requirements for IT solution, research and analysis, market analysis, benchmarking, industry best practices, etc. 
• Has knowledge in the following areas: data centre management, networking, server and client operating systems, digital and analogue VHF, HF telecommunications, VSAT infrastructure and cloud computing;
• Ability to think strategically and create points-of-view, propositions and solutions to help clients gain value and solve complex, 
• Creative thinking and conceptualizing of technology-based solutions;
• High calibre negotiation and motivational skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels within and beyond the organisation;
• A proven record of delivering complex projects whilst working under pressure, managing stakeholder expectations throughout;
• Ability to coach teams in how to maximise value from agile delivery, and how an organisation needs to change to consume digital platforms effectively;
• Positive and resilient, passionate about change and driven to exceeding your client’s expectations through exceptional delivery.
• Knowledge of cash-based transfers (CBT) programming in humanitarian context.
   

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Different expectations of behaviour are defined depending on your grade and role/responsibilities within WFP.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Mobility is and continues to be a core contractual requirement in WFP. This position is however classified as “non-rotational” which means the incumbent shall not be subject to the regular reassignment process unless the position is reclassified as rotational. The selected candidate will be employed on a fixed-term contract with a probationary period of one year. This position is open to both internal and external candidates.

WFP offers an attractive compensation and benefits package in line with ICSC standards (http://icsc.un.org) including basic salary, post adjustment, relocation entitlement, visa, travel and shipment allowances, 30 days’ annual leave, home leave, an education grant for dependent children, a pension plan, and medical insurance.

The selected candidate will be required to relocate to Bangui, Central African Republic to take up this assignment.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable)
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
• Please contact us at wfprecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.