Job DescriptionThe Position: The Applications Specialist at UNFPA plays a crucial role in managing medium to complex projects involving UNFPA's customized in-house planning systems, which are closely integrated with the Oracle ERP and downstream reporting data warehouse. As a senior team member, you'll collaborate with business teams to analyze requirements and propose solutions, while also working alongside implementation partners to design and develop solutions that address UNFPA's specific business needs. You will report directly to the Chief, Corporate Digital Solutions. How you can make a difference: UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA's strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to build forward better , while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women's and girls' access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals. In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction. UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results. Job Purpose: Together with our partner agencies, UNFPA is moving to a full Oracle Cloud ERP suite and we are working to implement a tightly integrated planning system. The Applications Specialist will be the lead in ensuring existing and future business needs are met and will ensure we evolve, enhance and maintain the solution after go-live. You would be responsible for:A. Business analysis, needs assessment, and solution proposal
- Define business requirements, processes, and related business rules in collaboration with internal business stakeholders
- Analyze business scenarios and identify opportunities for improvement through automation, system enhancements, or process changes
- Conduct Fit/GAP analysis, process mapping, root-cause analysis, and requirements gathering
- Researches possible solutions and makes recommendations based on findings; develops proposals that outline feasibility and costs
- Develop and/or lead analysts in functional specifications and high-level prototypes
- Provide input to project scoping, planning activities, and product roadmap
B. Project Management of improvement initiatives
- Project Management of improvement initiatives or implementation of new custom functionality or modules
- Manage project scoping and planning activities
- Monitoring project progress and reporting to stakeholders
- Demonstrated ability to manage direct reports and make strategic, high-impact decisions.
C. Design, development, and enhancement
- Liaise with functional owners and end-users to understand and collect application development requirements. Analyze requirements and prepare functional and technical requirements documents. Based on the requirements documents generate a sprint plan to include design, development, test, and deployment methodologies
- Designing and developing applications on UNFPA's QuantumPlus platform using a microservices architecture. Angular will be used for the front end and Node.js for the back end, interacting with Azure SQL Database and MySQL databases on the Google Cloud Platform. Responsibilities encompass designing database schemas, writing SQL queries, implementing API endpoints, building user interfaces, and ensuring seamless integration and testing. The focus is on creating secure, scalable, user-friendly, and accessible applications that meet UNFPA's requirements, leveraging the benefits of microservices for modularity, flexibility, and maintainability
- QuantumPlus solution is seamlessly integrated with Oracle Cloud ERP through Oracle Integration Cloud and File-Based Data Integration frameworks. The Application Specialist holds the responsibility of overseeing and establishing new integrations according to the specific needs of UNFPA
- Perform thorough continuous analysis of existing production systems and interactions with clients and end-users; identify weaknesses, gaps, and opportunities to improve existing systems and provide specific technical recommendations for improvements
- With most of the development efforts being outsourced to an implementing Partner, this role necessitates direct involvement in development tasks and the assessment of the team's code through peer review
D. Support, testing, and documentation
- Investigate and resolve application functionality-related issues and provide support for issues and matters surrounding system utilization, functionality, and data;
- Liaise with first-level support as well as specialized maintenance team to ensure resolution of issues
- Based on lessons learned, makes recommendations for enhancements and improvements
- Preparation and execution of test plans for new or changed configurations
- Document business process issues and/or problems and provides consulting assistance to system users
- Develop product documentation including user guides and implementation guides
- Develop and implement user training/education on system functionalities
E. Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership. Qualifications and Experience: Education:
- Advanced university degree in Information Technology, Business Administration or related discipline.
- A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Knowledge and Experience:
- At least five (5) years of increasingly responsible professional experience developing custom applications with software development frameworks and tools (e.g., React, Angular, Node.js, Docker, and Kubernetes) is required;
- Experience building high available, scalable and high impact systems ;
- Strong understanding of database management systems (SQL and NoSQL);
- Solid experience with Agile methodologies, SCRUM, or Extreme Programming methodologies and project management tools (e.g., Jira);
- Experience assisting in the definition of systems strategy, gathering and documenting business requirements, leading fit-gap analysis, as-is and to-be business process designs, conference room pilots (CRPs) functional configuration, testing, and client user training;
- Excellent communication skills and experience presenting ERP processes to business/process owners;
- Strong analytical skills, ability to supervise staff, ability to work under pressure and prioritize tasks;
- Experience with UN entities in ICT projects is desirable;
- Knowledge of cloud platforms with a strong emphasis on GCP is desirable;
- Knowledge of Oracle OIC integration with Oracle ERP Cloud, HCM Cloud, and third-party systems is desirable.
Languages: Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably French and/or Spanish, is desirable. Required Competencies: Values:
- Exemplifying integrity,
- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
- Embracing cultural diversity,
- Embracing change
Core Competencies:
- Achieving results,
- Being accountable,
- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
- Thinking analytically and strategically,
- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
- Communicating for impact
Functional Competencies:
- Developing ICT standards and applications
- Manage information and workflows
- Planning, organizing and multitasking
Compensation and Benefits: This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable. UNFPA Work Environment: UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more. Disclaimer: Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.