ICT Associate, Software Engineer, Dresden

POSITION: Personnel Service Agreement

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

LOCATION: Dresden, Germany

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:

• Take ownership in every step of the SDLC from requirements definition and prototyping to deployment and maintenance;
• Leverage open source solutions to meet business requirements;
• Customize WordPress themes and develop custom plugins;
• Develop detailed system and other functional specifications as well as user documentation for major systems and web sites;
• Assist with project estimating and proposals as requested;
• Bring innovation to the enhancement and delivery of intranet/extranet applications;
• Proactively identify opportunities to extend and improve on UNU's software applications;
• Identify security and performance issues at multiple layers of deployment, from backend to frontend;
• Ensure all relevant systems documentation and training materials are maintained;
• Continually update technical knowledge and skills by attending in-house and/or external training courses, reading manuals and exploring new development tools;
• Maintain frequent communication with the team on work done, work in progress and work to be done;
• Provide guidance to, and may supervise, new/junior staff, consultants, etc.
• Undertake other duties and specific projects as directed, which may include researching new technology and developing innovative approaches to new challenges

2. ICT support:

• Act as a focal point for all ICT related matters for the institute;
• Responsible for proactively maintaining 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

3. Perform other duties as required

Required qualifications and experience

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field ;
• Minimum of 3 years of software development experience using PHP, JavaScript, AJAX, jQuery and CSS;
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in MySQL/Postgres database design and administration;
• Proven knowledge of the inner workings of WordPress or other mainstream open source CMS (content management systems) and of the following:
  • OO PHP/PHP MVC Frameworks
  • RESTful web services
  • Revision control tools
  • SQL and database design concepts
  • JavaScript libraries
• Working knowledge of Linux administration, experience with graphic design and mobile applications development, as well as familiarity with unit testing and Agile software development lifecycle will be 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.

Duration of contract

This is a full-time employment (40 hours per week) for an initial appointment of two (2) years on a Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) with UNU-FLORES for the above-mentioned project, with the possibility for renewal subject to requirements and satisfactory work performance, with the combined duration of appointments not exceeding six (6) years.

The successful candidate will be employed under a local contract based in Dresden, Germany, and will not hold international civil servant status nor be a 'staff member' as defined in the United Nations Staff Rules and Regulations.

Interested applicants should submit their applications by email (to hrflores@unu.edu), and must include the following:

• a cover letter setting out how the qualifications and experience match the requirements of the position;
• a curriculum vitae and a completed and signed UNU Personal History (P.11). Please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organizations;
• full contact information of three (3) referees; and
• the email subject must comply with the format: Last Name_First Name_2014/UNU/FLORES/PSA/ICTA/21.