Senior ICT Specialist (Infrastructure and IT Operations) - Rome, Italy P-4

at  International Fund For Agricultural Development

ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Corporate Services Department (CSD), led by the Associate Vice-President, CSD, provides IFAD with the human resources, administrative services, safety and security, information technology resources and medical support services required to allow IFAD to meet its objectives of enabling rural people overcome poverty. The work of the CSD is undertaken by three divisions (i) Human Resources Division (HRD) (ii) Administrative Services Division (ADM) and (iii) Information and Communication Technology Division (ICT) and two units: (a) Field Support Unit and (b) Medical Services Unit.
The Information & Communications Technology Division (ICT) delivers secure, reliable, and integrated technology solutions which enable delivery of business value and provide IFAD with a strategic advantage through technical innovation and agile ICT services, and by streamlining corporate processes using effective ICT solutions. It facilitates access to information, ensures reliable and secure availability of information and communication means, provides a sustainable and secure digital environment and offer standard ICT services.
Senior ICT Specialists work under the overall strategic, policy and management guidance as well as direct supervision of the Director or Manager, Information and Communications Technology Division (ICT). They are typically accountable for unit work plan establishment and supervision of a team of ICT Specialists, Associates and/or Assistants.

EDUCATION:

• Level - Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in a technically relevant area. In lieu of an advanced university degree, a diploma in combination with six years over and above the minimum experience requirement may be considered;
• Areas - Computer science, information technology, mathematics or other job related field
• Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php(*) Note: For internal candidates, this requirement will be assessed in line with the provisions set forth in the IFAD’s Human Resources Implementing Procedures.Position specific: Continuing education and certification - please list all technical certificates and evidence of proven exposure relating to the requirements of this vacancy announcement.

EXPERIENCE:

• At least eight (8) years of progressively relevant, responsible professional experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of information technology, in at least two of the following roles: system administration, network administration, security management, DevOps and microservices;
• At least five (5) years in a position leading well-sized infrastructure teams and related services in this context in a global, multi-lateral or international organization providing services on a global scope.
• Position-specific experience: At least five (5) years of proven experience with responsibility managing cloud technologies, container and virtualisation management, Identity and access management (IAM) solutions as well as CI/CD pipelines and new methods including such as Infrastructure as Code; Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a diverse organization tailoring language, tone, style and format to match audience.
• Proven record of effectively utilising IT standards methods and frameworks in managing technical ICT operations meetings across infrastructure teams including results management and KPIs; proven experience in incident response coordination as well as root cause analysis and mitigation.

SKILLS:

• Budgeting, resource management: Know-how in budget administration and accounting, resource allocation and planning at divisional level
• Procurement: Know-how in the application of the procurement policies, rules and regulations applicable to IFAD HQ and/or Country Programmes/Projects, including for complex individual cases
• Financial data integrity and financial systems: know-how in systems interface control, core banking system management, data mining and analytics
• Analytical skills: Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations
• Data management: Data collection, cleaning, transformation and consolidation; data-base architecture & development; data presentation
• Strategy implementation: Ability to lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD / for respective divisions
• HR systems: Know-how in the design and management of HR systems and tools (e.g. learning platforms, performance platforms, etc.)
• Agile ICT services: Use various agile methods, such as daily stand-ups, sprints and hackathons, to generate end products early on
• Basic ICT & digital fluency: Expertise relevant to the specific role (e.g. in-depth, computer information systems, including micro-computer operating systems software, hardware and applications software and other office technology equipment), end-user computing configuration management
• Cyber-security: Expertise specific to cyber-security principles, tools, systems and applications
• Data analysis/architecture: Know-how in the analysis and interpretation of data needs and sources taking into account its operational context, using systems and models to disseminate ensuring integrity, availability to meet reporting and business analytics needs
• Data systems & tools: Expertise in the design, development, deployment, maintenance and management of Data Warehouse, data visualization, data analysis, data mining and reporting tools
• DevOps: Expertise in continuous integration, configuration management, deployment automation, infrastructure orchestration and monitoring and analytics
• Emerging technologies: Expertise to evaluate and identify business and technical opportunities in emerging technologies including methodologies, tools, systems and applications (including Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning, Virtual Reality, Robotics, GIS Analytics, etc.)
• Network and Infrastructure Administration: Expertise in the provisioning, configuration, management, tuning and performance monitoring of the IFAD network and the infrastructure of the IFAD datacentre
• Project/Programme management: Identification of key-priorities, ability to structure work to meet deadlines and adjustment of workplan/resource allocation when needed Programme management: overall management of portfolio of work (including PMO interaction) with expertise to identify dependencies or bottlenecks between projects, managing changes and risks
• System and Database Administration: Expertise in the provisioning, configuration, management, tuning and performance monitoring of systems and databases
• User experience: Strong focus on the delivery of a positive and intuitive user experience, building on a proactive clarification of user needs and requirements
• User technology enablement and support: Advanced configuration and endpoint management, digital mobile communication, seam IT monitoring and backup, incident response and endpoint management
• Planning: Know-how in the planning of human, financial and material management of IFAD resources
• Change management: Role modelling, anticipation of key risks & conflicts and formulation of contingency plans/solutions, action-oriented
• Client orientation: Strong critical thinking combined with communication skills to liaise between the business and technologies to understand business problems and needs, document requirements and identify solutions
• Leadership: Group thought leader, sought out by others and providing mentorship and effective guidance to others; Ability to build trust, inside and outside the organization by acting as a role model for IFAD’s core values and competencies, and to provide a clear sense of direction, mentorship and effective guidance to the team, strategizing the IFAD’s goals, giving the vision, empowering the team and ensuring a positive environment for all.

Senior Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Specialists at this level are senior specialists assigned leadership and management of technology design, development and maintenance work that involves interface with users and coordination of other ICT specialists. The role of ICT Senior ICT Specialist is a key role within ICT. The incumbent is required to understand technical requirements and develop in-depth knowledge of IFAD processes, systems and infrastructure. They are typically accountable for unit work plan establishment and supervision of a team of ICT Specialists, Associates and/or Assistants.
Position specific:
In particular, the Senior ICT Specialist (Infrastructure and IT Operations) is responsible for the management, monitoring, support and continuous improvement of several elements of IT Infrastructure and operations, including but not limited to Datacenter, Networking, and Audiovisual equipment; for the technical management of procurement process of infrastructural components; for the architectural planning and technology choices for ICT Infrastructure.