Deputy Director, Business Systems Solutions, Information Technology Solutions and Services Division, D-1, New York

UNICEF, the world’s leading organization working for the right of children, seeks a Deputy Director, Business Systems Solutions, Information Technology Solutions and Services Division, D-1, New York.

Purpose:

The Deputy Director, Business Systems Solutions:

Leads the teams of internal and external experts and partners that conduct requirements analysis and specification work, development, testing, implementation and optimisation for UNICEF’s major software based solutions to meet the expectations of UNICEF Programme Managers at various levels. She/he organizes and provides on demand software related subject matter expert services, in a project context, or otherwise, for decentralised hubs and units.

The work spans operational, internal facing and, equally, UNICEF mandate oriented programmatic undertakings. Client sites comprise all of UNICEF’s points of presences in 190 countries worldwide, with organisational units in country offices, regional offices/service centres and headquarters. Through those entities, clients also comprise governmental partners and UNICEF National Committees (currently 36 non-governmental organizations).

The nature of UNICEF’s mandate requires intensive collaboration and partnering across the organisation, with other international institutions, academia, volunteers and entities in the public and global/local private sectors – the latter as donors or contractors. Software solutions and services are expected to match the requirements of this multifaceted context, tap into the rich portfolio of work sourcing possibilities, and handle the  inherent ramifications of vendor and partner management.

Software systems operate onsite, centralized or decentralized, and are Cloud based and in the shape of meshed designs and integrations. Due to the sustainable capacity building and South-South cooperation enabling aspects of UNICEF’s mandate, software infrastructure includes - besides mainstream and regular enterprise grade Commercial off-the-shelf - production, integration, advisory or support for selected open source components and systems.

It is the Deputy Director’s responsibility to produce business applications and related services that are:
• in the best possible fashion aligned with business needs;
• from a Total Cost of Ownership perspective, cost effective to develop and maintain;
• easy and fast to change, based on changing business needs; and
• resilient.

Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree in software engineering, information systems management, or a related field with specialized training as below:

• Theoretical foundations of computer science with practical applications of software, database, network and systems development.

• Specialized training in IT project management, information systems management, network technology, IT management and policy.

• At least thirteen (13) years of professional work experience at national or international level in work related to business information systems, as well as systems meant to support the delivery of an organization’s core mission
• At least seven (7) years management experience, supervising a technological organization.
• At least three (3) years of managing an application system project or a major component of an application system project.

• Fluency in English. Knowledge of Spanish or French desirable.

Competencies:
• Commitment      
•  Diversity and Inclusion    
•  Integrity

•      Highly developed Communication skills 
•      Strong ability to work with People 
•      Strong drive for results 
  •     Highly developed leading and supervising skills           
  •     Highly developed abilities to formulate Strategies and Concepts  
  •     Highly developed analyzing skills                                   
  •     Highly developed relating and Networking skills           
  •     Highly developed abilities to decide and initiate action
  •     Highly developed ability to apply technical expertise.  

Specific Technical Expertise/ability required:• Special concerns, needs and constraints when designing ICT solutions for developing countries. Ideally, prior ICT related work assignments in one of those countries.
• Providing solutions and services for a geographically widespread organisation, including services for decentralised structures that are themselves rendering services.
• Mainstream enterprise resource planning systems (SAP, Oracle); savvyness to span functionality knowledge, systems change management, integration, operation, information security and business continuity aspects.
• Mainstream enterprise content management systems and development tools.
• Latest IT industry trends and offerings.
• Personal shaping and evidenced productive usage of an organisation’s internal customer relationship arrangement for the purpose of an individual project or of a standing nature for a function. Prior successful
• establishment or optimisation of such a setting for external customers/partners desirable.
• Business process reengineering and automation for a multi-site, multi-organisational-function setting.
• Overall familiarity with key best practises for software development, IT management, project management, service management and governance methodologies and standards.
• Leading a large project and change undertaking, ideally in software related domain.
• Design and actual usage of comprehensive metrics and a function/organisational reporting/BI solution.
• Budgeting, financial management, cost charging arrangements.
• Exposure to audits of compliance review – especially information security related, as well as thematic nature; participation in program/project effectiveness and benefits realization evaluations.

Applicants are requested to submit a P. 11 form or their Candidate Profile if registered in UNICEF’s eRecruitment system, CV and a cover letter to recruit.ssr@unicef.org by 4 February 2013.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.