Professional

CHIEF OF SECTION, INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grade P-5
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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2/5 flags
Formality Risk: Moderate
  • Narrow Requirements: Requirements appear unusually specific: requires a specific combination of named tools or systems; combines specific regional and thematic experience; unusually detailed qualification requirements.
  • Short Posting Period (5d): Only 5 days between posting and deadline. UN vacancies typically allow 2–4 weeks. Very short windows can indicate the hiring decision is already made.

Org. Setting and Reporting

The temporary position is located within the United Nations Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH). Pursuant to Security Council resolution 2793 (2025), UNSOH has been mandated to provide support; primarily to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the Haitian National Police (HNP), and the Haitian Armed Forces in the context of any joint operations with the GSF. Additionally, UNSOH is tasked with delivering technical assistance to the Organization of American States (OAS). The temporary position is based in Port-au-Prince and is located in the Office of the Director of Mission Support. The incumbent will report to the Chief of Operations and Resource Management and /or designate.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, The Chief of Section, Information Systems and Telecommunications, P-5 may be responsible for the following duties: • Conceptualizes, develops strategy for and oversees the design and implementation of major systems initiatives to support digital transformation, resilience and scalable service delivery. • Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior managers on systems provisioning, data center or cloud hosting, network operations, and collaboration technologies, in a changing business environment and the implications of various alternatives, on business applications and other related issues; identifies and plans for future needs; develops and disseminates best practices. • Leads and directs a team of information systems officers and telecommunication officers; may oversee activities for a discrete work section or equivalent; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors, and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment and selection of new staff and in the development of training programs. • Manages procurements for IT infrastructure and related systems, including conducting needs assessments and benchmarks, preparing bid documents and arranging contracts; supervises, coordinates and negotiates the services required to enable the management and operation of interdependent administrative, financial, human resources and other information systems. Develops and monitors performance measures; ensures that Services and support provided by the section meet established time and cost parameters and standards of technical quality. • Sets up, controls and oversees onsite user support services. • Prepares and monitors the budget, work program, and spending plan. • Develops innovative solutions to resolve intricate problems that impact a critical area of the organization’s work. • Ensures the development of standards, procedures and practices to ensure a stable and effective systems environment. • Lead team members efforts to collect and analyze data and provides insight to identify trends or patterns for data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting. Ensures that everyone can discover, access, integrate and share the data they need. • May perform other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of systems design, and development, management, implementation and maintenance of complex information systems. Ability to develop and oversee large centralized or decentralized institutional systems; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Knowledge of a range of computer languages and development paradigms, knowledge of organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s). Ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives. Ability to advise senior management on complex systems development and related matters of significant importance to the institution; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Ability to improve processes and approaches; demonstrates adaptability to changing priorities. strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach agreement on difficult issues. The ability to analyze and interpret data in support of decision-making and convey resulting information to management. Shows pride in work and achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments and adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently. Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; Takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. Managerial Competencies: Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands in the best interest of the organization. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing. Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation and gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the organization; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in computer science, information systems, mathematics, statistics or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree is required.

Job - Specific Qualification

ITIL and project management (PRINCE2 or PMP) certifications are required. Certifications or other industry recognized certifications in the areas of information security, risk management, and cloud security are desirable. Training or certification in cloud technologies or modern ICT architectures is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in planning, design, development, implementation and maintenance of computer information systems or related area is required. Out of the ten years, at least five years of experience in leading and managing large scale ICT systems and digital transformation initiatives in a large international organization and/or UN organization is required Experience in startup operations to establish ICT support from the ground up in harsh environments with non-existent or minimal infrastructure is required. Experience in performing or supervising information security assessments and in providing technical advice on the design of highly secure information technology solutions, including cryptographic controls and integrated authentication solutions are required. Experience in managing complex stakeholder relationships, including engagement with international organizations, government entities, and security forces, is required. Experience in the formulation of ICT budgets and oversight of procurement activities, including vendor management and contract administration, is required. Experience overseeing teams using modern technology stacks—including cloud platforms, data models, APIs, microservices architectures, and DevOps practices, is desirable. Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable. Experience in managing a large multicultural team at country, regional and global levels is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult https://languages.un.org [link removed] for details).

Required Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeaking
EnglishUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level IIIUN Level III

Desirable Languages

LanguageReadingWritingListeningSpeaking
FrenchUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level IIUN Level II

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.

Special Notice

This temporary job opening is being advertised for advance planning purposes pending formal approval of the relevant funding and staffing structures. An appointment may be terminated, or post level adjusted in accordance with the Staff Rules for such reasons as abolition of post or reduction of staff or committee funding approvals, for example in the event that the funding for the post is not approved or the mandate of the mission is not extended. The selected candidate will be expected to temporarily deploy until 30 June 2026 and subject to extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Please note that pursuant to the Staff selection system policy (ST/AI/2025/2): (1) Applicants for positions in the Field Service category cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located, and (2) Applicants for positions in the Professional and higher categories in a mission, field operation, or resident coordinator’s office cannot be of the nationality of the country where the position is located. For currently serving staff of a United Nations Common System organization, only the UN-recognized nationality will be considered for the purposes of these restrictions.

United Nations Considerations

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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. All external candidates recruited in accordance with section ‎2.2 (a) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment without limitation and all external candidates recruited in accordance with section 2.2. (c) of ST/AI/2025/3 for a fixed term appointment limited to the entity are subject to an initial probationary period of one year under a fixed-term appointment. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.
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