Application Architect

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

The mission of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme (The Programme) is to build the capacity of Member States to manage health emergency risks and, when national capacities are overwhelmed, to lead and coordinate the international health response to contain outbreaks and to provide effective relief and recovery to affected populations. The Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems division (WSE) is responsible for building a system of collaborative intelligence enabling better decisions to avert and manage public health threats and risks. Its goal is to enable, strengthen and support countries, regional and global actors in averting and managing public health threats and risks through collaborative problem solving and decision-making for short-term action and long-term policies, informed by better data and analytics. The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence is a new office of WHO, located in Berlin. It works with partners to enable the generation of public health relevant information to provide timely actionable insights and improve decision making to prepare for, avert and respond to public health threats. It also aims to reduce fragmentation and inefficiency by creating an ecosystem that promotes collaboration across multiple professional disciplines, sectors, and initiatives; and empower decision makers, public health professionals, and civil society to make informed public health decisions.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Within the framework of the delegated authority, the incumbent is assigned all or part of the following duties which are performed according to the needs of the unit and department:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify existing technology application landscapes, gaps, and specific user needs and requirements to articulate functional and non-functional specifications for relevant software applications. This includes incorporation of algorithms and models developed in collaboration with other experts and teams.
• Analyse and document as-is architecture and components of selected environments and platforms, including proprietary and open-source software, and provide proposals for reusing and developing new components and their integration with existing solutions.
• Work with the team to coordinate and create detailed design plans for scalable, secure, and performant software application development, including architecture, data models, user interfaces, and other technical specifications in line with departmental strategies and meeting functional and non-functional requirements.
• When required, write code, and develop test-driven software applications based on the design specifications, including its integration and verification within the existing or new systems and solutions.
• Design and execute system verification tests, including performance, maintainability, usability and stability and secure acceptance of the results by key project stakeholders.
• Evaluate, test, and troubleshoot software to identify and fix bugs and issues.
• Update shared architecture repository with model-based reference architecture, other modelling artefacts and building blocks down to the level of source code, interface specifications, packages, and binaries, where applicable.
• Define resourcing requirements (including required skillsets) and work closely with other staff, consultants and collaborators as required to ensure that the application aligns with project goals and timelines.
• Optimize software code and application performance to ensure efficient resource utilization and responsiveness.
• Coordinate and ensure ongoing support for developed applications where appropriate and in line with the department’s strategies and operational models, including troubleshooting and resolving user-reported issues and implementing updates or enhancements as needed.
• Liaise as needed with the WHO cybersecurity team and others to ensure appropriate security measures against vulnerabilities and cyber threats. This may include implementing encryption, access controls, and authentication mechanisms.
• Remain current with industry trends, new technologies, and best practices to improve software development processes and keep applications current and competitive.
• Assist in deploying applications to production environments and ensure smooth transition from development to production.
• Provide technical support to the department and ensure mechanisms are in place for stakeholders to address inquiries, issues, and requests related to developed applications maintained and provided by the department / division.
• Coordinate the development, integration and delivery of training material and workshops on the effective use of developed applications.
• Utilize various development and collaboration tools such as version control systems, issue tracking systems, and project management software to streamline the development process.
• Participate in code reviews to ensure code quality, maintainability, and adherence to coding standards and advise on technology decisions, conduct risk assessment, develop mitigation strategies and promote best practices.
• Contribute to advocacy and communication of work and activities through departmental mechanisms, including the authoring and publication of peer-reviewed literature.
• In collaboration with other team members, manage technology evaluation and selection and standard configurations.
• Provide technical advice, guidance and support to development teams.
• Communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Perform other related responsibilities as assigned, including replacing and backstopping for others as required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential:

• Advanced university degree (Masters or higher) in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or related field.
  
  

Desirable:

• Advanced degree in health informatics, data science, bioinformatics, applied mathematics, computer science, computational linguistics, computational epidemiology, or related field.
• Certifications in software development and cloud technologies (e.g. CompTIA A , CISSP, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Developer Associate, Certified Kubernetes Administrator, Red Hat Certified Engineer, Certified Docker Associate, IBM Certified Solution Developer).
• Certifications in project management (e.g. PMP, PgMP, PfMP, ACP, PRINCE2, Certified ScrumMaster).

Experience

Essential:

• At least 7 years of relevant and recent (i.e., within the past 10 years) experience as an application architect, leading technical software development teams and coordinating activities with lead and solution architects to ensure that solutions developed in the scope of individual projects are aligned with the larger vision.
• Extensive demonstrated hands-on experience in software architecture, software development lifecycle and DevOps principles and practices, including the design and support of continuous delivery pipelines. This includes software design and development, integration, verification and deployment of application packages (including integration with relevant 3rd party dependencies), the use of distributed version control systems and quality control.
• Experience designing and optimizing applications for scalability and performance, particularly in high-traffic or resource-intensive environments.
• Demonstrated experience in complex international contexts involving technical, cultural and political elements.

Desirable:

• Demonstrated experience in the development of applications for the public health domain.

Skills

• Expertise in complex, scalable, modular architecture design and model-based systems engineering, with good understanding of interactions of application architecture with other system domains.
• Proficiency in designing information exchange components, including web-based and microservice architectures.
• Deep knowledge of software design patterns and development practices, DevOps, software testing, cybersecurity principles and best practices for mitigating cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
• Proficiency in various programming languages and frameworks, including REST endpoint specification and GraphQL, client-side frameworks and general-purpose 3GL such as Java and Python.
• Expertise in Cloud architecture including compute, storage, serverless and container (microservice) architectures, security, and federated identity and access management, as well as deployment and maintenance of applications in the Cloud.
• Skill in translating business requirements into effective solutions, including proposing alternatives.
• Good understanding of data architecture and database management systems.
• Experience with ORM technologies and their integration with relational and non-relational database management systems.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools.
• Good understanding of privacy, confidentiality, and security in software development, including awareness of related regulatory compliance requirements like GDPR and HIPAA.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
• Adaptability to work independently and in a team environment.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Knowing and managing yourself

Use of Language Skills

Essential:

• Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable:

• Intermediate knowledge of French.
• Intermediate knowledge of WHO Language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 77,326 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 2893 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level.

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test and/or an asynchronous video assessment may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and E-Manual.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

   

  The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply.

   

  Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int

• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to express and develop their talents fully.
• The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int
• Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.
• Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with WHO and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

   

  Candidates appointed to a fixed-term position in the Professional category with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at shws@who.int.
• In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click this link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates