Project Manager, Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP) Software Development

Purpose of the Consultancy

Under the general direction of ITSS Project Coordinator (Chief of KMS /ICT Specialist), the incumbent will be in charge of managing the Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP) Software Development project from its planning through the delivery of the final product. In particular he/she will oversee the work of the vendor that will develop the EPP software and will liaise with the business owner, the preparedness team of the UNICEF Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) Humanitarian Field Support Section (HFSS), and other key stakeholders to ensure that business requirements are met.

The incumbent will develop a project roadmap and ensure that the vendor will effectively adopt agile approaches--frequent interaction with final users through cycles of prototyping and testing--to develop a product that meets UNICEF’s expectations in terms of user experience and user interface, that is coherent with UNICEF eTools, and linked to other UNICEF platforms as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Under the direction of and having responsibility to the project board and project coordination group, take full responsibility for the management and successful completion of the EPP project taking into account strategic business, political, or high-profile impact, and high-risk dependencies, in particular:

• Direct and co-ordinate activities to manage and implement the EPP project from contract/proposal initiation to final operational stage;
• Ensure that the project realizes business benefits and that project management is informed by an awareness of current technical developments;
• Ensure that realistic project, quality, change control and risk management processes are maintained;
• Monitor and control resources, revenue and capital costs against the project budget and manage expectations of all project stakeholders;
• Ensure coherence and linkages with other UNICEF platforms (current and under development).

1. Effectively implement best practice methodologies, processes and toolsets for effective project and portfolio management, in particular:

• Plan and execute the project in alignment with the defined ICT frameworks;
• In collaboration with ITSS, EMOPS colleagues and other key stakeholders, refine the project scope, goals, timelines, milestones and deliverables to support business goals using the appropriate tools
• Define project success criteria, develop and monitor performance measures, ensuring that the project meet established time and cost parameters and standards of technical quality;
• Conduct stage gate reviews of project performance and create a recommendations report in order to identify corrective actions and successful/unsuccessful project elements;

1. Oversee the vendor that will develop the EPP software, in particular:

• Convene and coordinate meetings and workshops between vendor, EPP project team and other UNICEF stakeholders according to work plan and emerging needs;
• Ensure alignment of software architecture with current UNICEF’s infrastructure and practices as well as coordinate proper interaction between ITSS and the software vendor regarding project planning, architecture, coding best practices, release management, quality assurance, etc.;
• Provide the EPP project team with recommendations on the approval or rejection of deliverables produced by the development vendor;

1. Perform any other job-related activity required to achieve the goals and objectives of the EPP project.

Education Background

Required: Advanced university degree (Masters) in computer sciences, engineering, business administration or in a related discipline. A combination of a university degree plus substantial professional experience in the field may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree in the relevant discipline.

Experience

Required: At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience relevant to the functions of the post.

Language Skills

Required: Fluency in English

Professional Skills

• Expert Knowledge and demonstrable experience of IT governance, IT service, and Project and Portfolio frameworks and PMO.
• Expert in managing projects implemented by a vendor while liaising with different divisions inside an organization; proven ability in creating a collaborative environment by building trust, enhancing collaboration and ensuring effective information-sharing; ability to generate innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations; ability to support complex negotiations.
• Excellent record in IT project management, including successfully managing software development life cycle and the delivery of large and complex IT projects under specific frameworks and following already defined system standards to the satisfaction of customers and end users. Particularly, experience involving some or all of: UI/UX design patterns, cross-platform systems, feasibility studies, prototyping, requirements engineering, design, development, implementation, operations and support.
• Proven ability to plan, prioritize and deliver projects on time and to produce quality results while meeting established goals; thorough knowledge of developing work packages, project documentation, project plans and other required documentation on software development projects; effectively able analyze complex data and prioritize needs, requirements and other issues.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested applicants are requested to submit their applications along with a cover letter and C.V. toisspost@unicef.org no later than 23 June 2016. In your response, kindly indicate your proposed daily rates. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. Either an Individual or an Institutional Contract could be the outcome of the solicitation process depending on the legal status of the selected vendor (Individual Contractor/Consultant for individuals in personal capacity or Institutional/Corporate Contracts for self-incorporated entities and companies.

The contract will be for 11 months and is renewable subject to adequate funding being available. This position will be NY Headquarter-based. You will report to a section manager and work within a team dedicated to this new initiative at UNICEF. The selected candidate is expected to work 8 hours/day.

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 our organization.

U.S. citizens and all those authorized to work in the U.S. are encouraged to apply.

The Organization does not sponsor for the H1 Visa.