Job: IT Infrastructure Specialist

Location: Ramallah with regular travel to and other areas of West Bank and Jerusalem
Deadline: Wednesday, 13 November 2013

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need. Working in some of the world's most challenging environments, our vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

UNOPS provides services in sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement and sustainable project management, with projects ranging from building schools, roads, bridges and hospitals to procuring goods and services and training local personnel.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

We employ more than 6,000 personnel annually and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of regional and country offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Background Information - Jerusalem

Jerusalem

The UNOPS Jerusalem office opened in 2006 and now has sub-offices in East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Jericho. The portfolio includes infrastructure, procurement, human resources, capacity building, access coordination and security projects for partners and beneficiaries throughout the occupied Palestinian territory.

Background Information - Job-specific

JMPC directly supports the Palestinian Authority (PA). It provides a range of project management and related services to its clients and partners. The current projects combine logistics, procurement, contract management, personnel recruitment and administration/financial management, institutional reforms and governance strengthening, training, security, ICT, borders and crossings, and Infrastructure.

The IT Infrastructure Specialist will report directly to the UNOPS JMPC Project Manager.

Functional ResponsibilitiesThe IT Infrastructure Specialist is responsible for providing subject matter expertise for multiple ICT Projects. The specialist will provide technical input, solutions, and recommendations on how to build the IT infrastructure to run multiple software applications running on Debian operating system, tomcat application server, Apache web server, LDAP and Postgres Database. In addition to technical support, the expert is expected to design and run several training sessions to build the capacity of the IT staff of these projects and work with key IT staff to help them obtain the needed competencies to run the infrastructure by themselves. This assignment is organized around the following two main tasks: Build and Configure the IT Infrastructure, this includes:

• Debian 6 Distribution and package management
• Network setup
• Configuring and testing Apache Web Server
• Configuring and testing Tomcat application Server
• Configuring the Load balancer
• Configuring the Database and Database replication

Training, this includes conducting a thorough on job training and class training to IT Staff covering the following topics:

• Debian 6 Distribution and package management
• Apache Web Server
• Tomcat application Server
• Postgres database

Each component will undergo stage approval by senior project stakeholders as part of quality assurance.

Training Manual and Documentation:-

• The IT Specialist should provide detailed technical manuals describing both the technical configurations and training sessions.

Competencies

General competencies:

• Personal interest, commitment, efficiency, flexibility and willingness to work in a highly motivated team of professionals.
• Ability to adapt to difficult working environment, under pressure and with limited timeframes.
• Ability to work long hours when required
• Initiative, flexibility toward changes in assignment tasks.
• Excellent inter-personal and general communication skills.
• Professionalism - sound judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a range of issues/problems; ability to provide technical guidance to new/junior staff.
• Planning and Organizing - Ability to plan work assignments, juggle competing demands and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
• Keen attention to details.
• Communications - Very good communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences on ICT-related matters and prepare a variety of written documents, contracts, reports, etc. in a clear, concise style. Demonstrated, excellent reporting and documenting skills required.
• Teamwork - Very good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Experience leading teams in a complex and sensitive multi-cultural environment.
• Client Orientation – Ability to work in a complex environment requiring liaison and collaboration with multiple actors.

Managerial Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to manage the production and management of all project documentation to a professional and accurate standard.
• Demonstrated ability to assist with supervising and motivating contractors to deliver as per contractual arrangements.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor project staff in the area of ICT development.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively advise, mentor and directly assist third party beneficiaries in technical IT-related support and supply chain management for an IT project.
• Demonstrate ability to establish effective working relations in a multi-cultural team environment.
• Demonstrate excellent supervisory, team-building, diplomatic and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrate resourcefulness, initiative and maturity of judgment

Education/Experience/Language requirements

a. Education

• Master's degree in relevant discipline, preferably in Computer Science. First University degree in combination with 2 additional years of relevant work experience maybe considered in lieu of the Master's Degree requirement.
• Formal certification in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is preferable.

b. Work Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience related to the planning, design, development of large scale IT infrastructure projects.
• 5 years of experience in managing senior stakeholders with in UN/NGO, government or private sectors is highly preferable, but not required.
• General IT knowledge, networking, application configuration
• Ability to understand and contribute to design considerations such as scalability, performance, redundancy and automation.
• Experience in technical training and skill development is required.

Technical experience:

• Over 5 years providing solutions using Debian and Unix platforms.
• Excellent knowledge of Tomcat and Apache servers is required
• Strong understanding of software architecture is required
• Minimum of 3 years experience as Linux Network Administrator and a solid knowledge base in networking.
• Very good knowledge of shell scripting (bash) and perl, is an advantage
• Knowledge of the Debian distribution and its packaging system and creation of Debian packages
• Installation, configuration and supporting Apache, Tomcat and Postgres
• Responsible for the security and uptime of the servers.
• Ability to understand Information Security for IP network elements i.e. routers, Switches, Firewall and others.

c. Languages

• Fluent in Arabic, orally and written.
• Intermediate in English, orally and written Certifications
• Formal certification in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is preferable.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement Contract level: Local ICA level 6, retainer contract Contract duration: 6 months with possibility of extension For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx

Additional Considerations

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

More Info and Application