The Regional Chief of ICT is accountable for the effective Information and Communications, closing date: Friday, 3 April 2015

Vacancy No: E-VN-2015-000672

Duty Station: Kathmandu

Country: Nepal

Region: ROSA

Job Level: P-5

Position: 00072259

Application Close: 03-Apr-15

Contract Type: Long-term Staff (FT)

Purpose of the Position

 Technology (ICT) management and ongoing support for the achievement of the strategic business objectives of UNICEF for the Region and country offices' programme management and administration by providing coordination, guidance, facilitation and enabling environment for integration of ICT with business process, knowledge-sharing and effective, integrated and secure ICT services, consistent with the MTSP goals.

The key end-result is added value to UNICEF's internal and external partners and customers in the Region by making available reliable, secure, efficient and effective ICT systems, infrastructure, networks, administration, and technical capacity and support, in close collaboration with ITD, HQ, and ICT Officers at the country level.

The Regional Chief ICT is accountable to the Deputy Regional Director (or the Regional Director) for technical advice on ICT planning, management, operations and administrations at the regional and country strategy levels, in support of the country office programme management and administration, in accordance with the UNICEF ICT policy, strategy, plans and guidelines, ensuring the compliance to corporate standard architecture and ICT security, and review and evaluation of the same.

Key Expected Results

1. Management of ICT Systems in the Region

• Ensure that ICT systems in the Region effectively managed to advance the productivity and effectiveness of the office work by implementing the corporate ICT policy, strategy, technology, and systems, as per Country Office management plan (CPMP) and Regional Office management plan (ROMP) requirements.
• Lead the formulation of regional approaches, strategic planning, policy formulation, improvements and evaluation of ICT activities. Ensure that all regional ICT initiatives are in concert with the UNICEF global vision and directions of ICT and that the global vision and directives are applicable to the Region. Accountable for the roll-out, monitoring and evaluation of new ICT initiatives and process in the Region.
• Coordinate and oversee information management plans and related budgets for the Regional and Country Offices, including the ICT components of the Country Office Management Plan (CPMP) and Regional Office Management Plan (ROMP).
• Oversee the implementation of office computerization, applications, network, telecommunications, database and records management, ensuring appropriateness, productivity and cost effectiveness of local computing and telecommunications facilities to meet programme, communication and operations requirements of the Regional and Country Offices' Management Plans, in accord with the UNICEF corporate ICT strategy, policies, guidelines and procedures.
• Provide managerial and technical guidance and oversight for the effective, equitable and efficient operations of the Region's ICT systems to support and facilitate the achievement of programmatic goals and objectives by meeting their changing requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the organisational supply function when selecting regional or local country ICT procurement and outsourcing services. - Ensure the correct and consistent application of organizational policies and procedures in the management of ICT functions through the provision of authoritative advice and guidance on their appropriate interpretation and application to officers at the country level. Participate in and contribute to the establishment of Global and Regional guidelines.
• Make recommendations on ICT policies, guidelines, procedures and systems for improvement through appropriate mechanisms.

2. Information/Knowledge Management

• Ensure to support tools to facilitate better information/knowledge management and knowledge-sharing to provide the strategic information for managing and supporting the Country Programme goals and targets of the Country Office Management Plan (CPMP), Regional Office Management Plan (ROMP) and the Country Programme.
• Promote the exchange of knowledge and technology between country offices in the Region and institutionalize standard organizational operations and ensure consistency of approach and practices.
• Support and facilitate the enhancement of knowledge management through coordination of office information/data/records management including management of the local database capacity using standard ICT database. Provide support to ensure the accuracy and accessibility of information/data sources.
• Provide technical support for tracking and analyzing key annual programme indicators as required for facilitating the Regional/Country Management/Senior Management Teams' programme and management planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluations, and reporting.

3. Infrastructure and Security

• Ensure that the Offices in the Region are provided with effective ICT infrastructure and security.
• Ensure that the appropriate local computing and telecommunications facilities are in place to meet programme requirements.
• Oversee to ensure the proper installation of software and hardware in accordance with the ICT policies and procedures.
• Oversee to ensure that ICT security, firewall administration and antivirus infrastructures are effectively in place, updated and maintained on an on-going basis.
• Oversee to ensure ICT security level monitoring and escalations procedures/processes are in place.
• Advise on security related information on new threats/risks which may impact normal ICT operations. Perform periodic reviews/monitoring for non-compliance.
• Provide guidance in periodic reviews on inventory and system performance for effective maintenance, updating, improvement and prevention of problems.

4. Applications Administrations

• Ensure that the Offices in the Region are provided with professional guidance and technical support for effective administrations of corporate applications in compliance with ICT policy and guidelines.
• Oversee to ensure effective Messaging Operations of corporate applications (e.g., MS Exchange, Outlook, Office 365, Webmail).
• Oversee to ensure ERP field systems operations: SAP/ProMS/FLS.
• Oversee to ensure effective ICT infrastructure operations.
• Oversee to ensure effective User Administration in place.

5. Network Administration/Data Communication/Telecommunications

• Ensure that the Offices in the Region are provided with professional oversight, guidance and support for effective network administration, and tele and data communication.
• Oversee to ensure the effective administration of network, including LAN and WAN.(e.g., Internet).
• Oversee to ensure that the Offices in the Region are provided with the effective telecommunications facilities (network security, firewalls, VoIP, routers).
• Provide technical support for the management, evaluation, and implementation of multi-media applications over networks.
• Oversee to ensure the effective data communications and ongoing monitoring of troubleshooting and enhancement of the effectiveness, reliability and coordination of ICT telecommunications with NYHQ.

6. User Support and Assistance

• Ensure that the Offices in the Region are provided with professional oversight, guidance and support for the users in the areas of IT.
• Oversee to ensure effective ICT security and user authentication administration.
• Oversee to ensure to make effective and efficient local Help Desk and other service facilities available to users.
• Oversee to ensure that technical guidance and trouble shooting support are available to all users.
• Ensure to make available user documentation for major systems, including advising on the use of new application systems and technology.
• Provide guidance in the analysis of users' business requirements, local business processes not covered by global provisions, upgrading existing user systems, troubleshooting and ensure continuing user support in compliance with the ICT policy and guidelines.

7. ICT Evaluation and Audit

• Ensure that evaluation of ICT systems is effectively facilitated, supported and utilized to ensure the strategic use of information technology and resources, improved performance and wider learning at the Regional and Country Office levels. Audit recommendations on ICT properly coordinated and implemented.
• Monitor compliance with all systems and procedures and ensure management integrity in all activities in the area of IT. Oversee to ensure the implementation of agreed audit recommendations; advise on corrective measures to be taken and establish relevant internal controls. Promote the efficiency of ICT operations through the follow-up on special management reviews and audit observations to assist in the improvement of procedures and practices.
• Provide coordination and advice to the evaluation of ICT systems in the regional and country offices, in compliance with the established procedures and guidelines, ensuring that evaluation of ICT meets quality standards as established in UNICEF ICT Policy.
• Oversee to ensure that findings, conclusions, recommendations and lessons learnt from ICT evaluation are effectively disseminated to the intended audience with a view to improving ICT performance and contributing to wider learning. Oversee to ensure that ICT evaluation results are fed into key ICT planning processes including the Annual Reviews, the Mid-Term Reviews and formulation of the Country Programme Document, the Country Programme Action Plan and the Annual Work Plans.
• Ensure evaluation and feedback to ICT architecture and development functions at the Headquarters of impact on organization due to technology choices and IT-driven business process change. Oversee to ensure that management responses to the findings and recommendations of the ICT evaluation are monitored and coordinated for follow-up implementation.
• Provide guidance in the preparation of training materials and conduct of technical demonstration/presentation/briefing as suited to the local situation. Provide support to ensure that the Offices effectively deploy training materials, operating and user manuals and train staff in the use of ICT systems and applications. Provide technical support and advise in the selection process of service contracts with training vendors.

8. ICT Capacity Building

Ensure that the ICT capacities of office staff in the Region are strengthened enabling them to increasingly engage in high quality ICT management processes.

• Ensure that ICT capacity building strategy for the Region is in place and corresponding activities are identified and implemented in the context of the UNICEF corporate and regional ICT plans.
• Ensure that office staff have the basic knowledge and skills to fulfil their ICT requirements, and training is planned and carried out to fill identified gaps. Acts as coach and trainer for the ICT capacity building function.
• Ensure that Country Office staff and national partners are aware of and have access to UNICEF ICT management and learning resources.
• Provide advice and guidance for building up learning and development activities for enhancement of information/knowledge management capacity within the country offices.

9. Communication, Networking and Partnerships

• Ensure that the above tasks are carried out and accomplished through effective communication, networking and partnerships.
• Provide leadership and coordination and broad integrated planning of ICT activities within the Region, the UN Country Teams and the wider international communities, in the context of internal office management plans, the country programme process, the UNDAF and UNICEF ICT approaches.
• Facilitate coordination and sharing effective ICT activities and practices with national partners, the UN Country Teams and the wider international communities.
• Provide technical advice to country office staff and national partners on data processing, data management and data analysis for basic information management.
• Ensure that ICT evaluation results are provided to the country office senior management, the Country Management Teams and key programme and operations staff.
• Facilitate learning from the results of ICT evaluation within the Country Offices and more widely within the region and globally as well as among national partners and other key stakeholders.
• As member of global ICT management team, maintain the on-going working and collaborative relationships with Headquarters ICT Director and ICT sectoral Officers for specific technical support on ICT issues as well as for overall coordination of priority ICT initiatives, changes, and other activities.

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• An advanced university degree (Master's) in computer science, information systems or a directly-related technical field(s) is required.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant work experience, at the national and international levels, in information communication technology (ICT) is required.
• Specialized training in the ICT field is considered an asset.
• Previous work experience in a developing country and/or an emergency duty station is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English (written & verbal) is required. Fluency in an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset. Competencies

Competencies of Successful Candidate

• Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.
• Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering projects on-time and on-budget.
• Creates and encourages a climate of team-working and collaboration in a multi-cultural environment.
• Analyzes and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources.
• Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.
• Has high-level leadership and supervisory skills; provides others with a clear direction; motivates and empowers others; recruits staff of a high caliber; provides staff with development opportunities and coaching.
• Sets, develops and revises organizational strategy and develops clear visions of the organization's future potential.
• Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups. Actively nurtures good relationships with people across all organizational levels and boundaries, and with government leaders and stakeholders.