ICT Associate at UNU, Dresden, Germany

POSITION:Personnel Service Agreement

REFERENCE NO.:2014/UNU/FLORES/PSA/ICTA/21

LOCATION:Dresden, Germany

CLOSING DATE:2014-04-20

Organizational Unit: UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES)

United Nations University (UNU) objectives

UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in research, postgraduate training and the dissemination of knowledge in furtherance of the purposes and principles of the United Nations, its Peoples and Member States. The University functions as a think tank for the United Nations system, contributes to capacity building, particularly in developing countries, and serves as a platform for new and innovative ideas and dialogue.

UNU Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES)

The mission of UNU-FLORES is to advance a nexus approach on sustainable management of environmental resources: water, soil and waste. UNU-FLORES acts as a think tank of UNU through policy relevant research, education and capacity development to support the UN system and its member states. Potential issues of focus include: urban water management, nutrient cycles and budgets, methods for reclamation and rehabilitation of degraded sites, site-specific river-basin-scale water management; interaction of land-use management and water inventory under differing climate conditions, and efficient site-adapted waste management strategies, among others.

The Dresden-based institute consists of five academic units: Capacity Development and Governance unit, Systems and Flux Analysis unit, Water Resources Management unit, Soil and Land-use Management unit and Waste Management unit. The institute also has a highly efficient supporting team including Finance and Administration, Communications and Advocacy as well as Computing and ICT services. The Institute develops innovative concepts for target- and region-specific knowledge transfer as well as appropriate methodologies and approaches for postgraduate and professional education including a planned upcoming doctoral programme jointly with TU Dresden. The institute is also going to open its first Operating Unit in Maputo, Mozambique. For more information please visit http://flores.unu.edu.

Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the Director of UNU-FLORES on an operational level and under the technical guidance of the Chief of ICT and Campus Computing Centre (C3), the ICT Associate is responsible for supporting the general ICT requirements and software development of the academic programmes as well as the overall operation, maintenance and advancement of the computing infrastructure of the institute. Working in close collaboration with the Manager of the Office of the Director and Academic Officers, the incumbent will provide daily technical support to UNU-FLORES by performing the following tasks:

1. Applications Development:

• Support the software and systems of the Nexus Observatory project, including development of an e-learning platform and other academic research initiatives;
• Develop software specifications by analysing user requirements;
• Design solutions to meet user-elicited requirements according to best practice and SDLC methodology;
• Design and develop programmes to interface with various systems while ensuring data security and integrity;
• Conduct user acceptance testing to ensure programs can be used easily, efficiently and accurately;
• Develop web-based forms and systems;
• Provide necessary documentation to ensure that other programmers can diagnose and fix problems that might arise, as well as implement enhancements and perform maintenance;
• Assist in the maintenance and operations of the institute's main website and project websites;
• Modify source code of open source software and/or develop interfaces to couple models on specific aspects of material fluxes;
• Support the institute's knowledge management initiatives.

2. ICT support:

• Provide quality technical support to UNU-FLORES and act as a focal point for all ICT-related matters for the institute;
• Proactively maintain hardware and software systems to ensure ICT is functioning optimally to support the scholastic and administrative activities in the institute; train and support staff to maximize the use of ICT resources for their day-to-day activities and projects;
• Work closely with C3 Headquarters in Tokyo pertaining to ICT policies and procedures, procurement of ICT resources, strategic directions and upgrades; actively promote C3-led global ICT initiatives that are relevant to the Institute;
• Assist in procurement procedures, conducting needs assessments, establishing benchmarks and preparing technical specifications and evaluation criteria;

3. Perform other duties as required.

Required qualifications and experience

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Sciences, Geo-Informatics, Informatics, Electrical Engineering or a related field;
• At least four (4) years of working experience in applications programming;
• At least one (1) year of experience in establishing and operating e-learning platforms such as Moodle;
• Experience in programming (preferably in web-based languages) and Object Oriented Programming, such as C++, etc.;
• Experience with development of linked databases;
• Knowledge of SQL, PHP, database management system(s) and understanding of basic web technologies like JSON, XML, etc. are expected;
• Solid understanding of SDLC concepts and methodology as well as source code control;
• Proficiency with Microsoft operating systems and Microsoft Office/productivity tools;
• Experience and knowledge with environmental-related software systems and development and/or development of online courses would be highly desirable;
• Knowledge and experience of Model-View-Controller pattern, UML knowledge, server hardware will be an advantage;
• Working knowledge of VMware vSphere would be an asset;
• Knowledge of VoIP technology, protocols and codecs is a plus;
• Good command of both oral and written English, knowledge of German or another UN official language is highly desirable;
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and complete tasks within given timeframes;
• A self-starter and good team player with strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Remuneration

Remuneration will commensurate with qualification and experience of the successful candidate.

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