Vacancy Announcement: Senior Operations Associate, GS7, Temporary Appointment(364 days), UNICEF, MENA Regional Office #00127703

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Support

Since 2011, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a dramatic transformation. What was once a middle-income region, where UNICEF was implementing mostly upstream work, has now become the region with the greatest concentration of humanitarian needs in the world with two Level 3 emergencies (Yemen and Syria) and many countries that are facing protracted conflicts as well as civil unrest and/or political transition. The role of MENARO is to support all countries in the region in a more deliberate, consistent and value-added way, explicitly allocating the vast majority of programme and cross-cutting staff time and resources to country office technical assistance and quality assurance.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision and guidance of the IPM Management Specialist the Senior Operations Associate, Digital Platforms, is to provide to country office and regional office for e-Tools and UNPP users in all locations, at country, and regional levels, ensuring that effective and efficient solutions are provided to all incidents and queries on e-Tools and UNPP operations and services. 

Specific Roles and responsibilities are highlighted below:

1. Timely and effective user support is provided on an ongoing.

• Provides users with solutions to identified incidents, requests or service interruptions; provides timely feedback, status or progress reports as per established policies and procedures
• Diagnoses and resolves Service Gateway tickets assigned to the MENA Regional Office for action and keeps users informed of the status.
• Escalates timely Service Gateway tickets and other system issues which cannot be addressed locally to Headquarters and/or GSSC
• Provide Headquarters with feedback received from users, additional updates or requests for system enhancements and effective resolution on a regular basis and during the bi-weekly technical meetings.

2. Performance monitoring and assessment are regularly conducted for service improvement.

• Provides detailed metrics periodically on user support queries, and analyses them to assess performance gaps and faulty areas in the platforms causing issues for improvement in the service provided to users.
• Review the utilization of digital systems by country offices and prepare analytical reports.
• Perform quality assurance of data and other records in the system against UNICEF benchmarks

3. Data analytics and Power BI are regularly conducted to support risk-based decision-making.

• Support the identification of high-risk partners and risk indicators, collection of data from high-risk partners, formulation and presentation of data analysis according to risk indicators.  
• Support data analysis of programme monitoring data including field monitoring reports and partnership cube.
• Formulate automated reports and dashboards using Power BI and another reporting tool.

    4. Documentation and training of the digital platform’s processes and procedures is provided to maintain internal         knowledge continuity and competency.

• Documents and updates key tips and FAQs regarding the effective use of the systems for eventual distribution to users. Provides support in the training, development and distribution of user instructions and other related materials.
• Ensures Technical Support processes and procedures, with particular emphasis on business processes, are well documented and kept up to date.
• Identifies and reports users’ (internal/external) training needs based on requests/incidents/gaps identified and regularly conducts training sessions.
• Classifies and maintains key documents in a central and shared repository.

5. Assignments of additional duties and responsibilities are effectively performed.

• Performs any additional assignments as requested by the supervisor.

 To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Education: Completion of Secondary education is required, supplemented with formal training at the university level in Computer Science, software development, information technology, Information Systems, information management, and data analytics with seven years of professional experience in information technology, requiring systematic methods of troubleshooting and problem solving.
• Experience: A minimum of 7 years of practical work experience in information technology, requiring systematic methods of troubleshooting and problem solving is required. Alternatively, a bachelor’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position is accepted, with a requirement of four years of experience. Moreover, candidates holding a master’s degree from a recognized academic institution in a field relevant to the position are eligible with an additional two years of experience. Advanced knowledge of database fundamentals such as multidimensional database, relational database, power BI and data analytics. Ability to effectively use standard office software, tools, and technologies.
• Languages: Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates are encouraged to apply.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.