ICT Specialist – Technology Innovation, home based At UNOPS

South East Asia Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia – 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine business units: SEMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Lao PDR, EAPMCO Philippines and EAPMCO Cambodia.

In 2022, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 95.7 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

Background Information – Project

UN Global Pulse (UNGP) is an initiative of the Executive Office of Secretary-General (EOSG) founded in 2009. We work in support of the Secretary-General’s priorities, in advancement of the UN Charter. UNGP serves as a cross-pillar lead and hub for experimentation and digital innovation. We have a globally distributed team in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The teams work with digital innovation, strategic foresight, real-time data and artificial intelligence to further sustainable development, humanitarian and peace outcomes. Our vision is ‘A world in which responsible and inclusive digital innovation serves to empower people and protect the planet’. Our mission is to work at the intersection of digital innovation and science to inform, inspire and support the entire UN and those it serves, to anticipate and respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The goals of the UNGP Network are: i) to generate knowledge, capabilities and approaches that support the transformation of the United Nations into a more agile and resilient ‘next-generation’ institution; ii) to create and accelerate the development of globally accessible approaches that help communities and partners anticipate and address emerging global challenges; and iii) to advocate for the global transformation of policies, practices and culture required to maximize the impact of digital innovation, minimize its risk of harm, and ensure pathways to scale and sustainability.

UNOPS is seeking for the UN Global Pulse Disha team, a Technology Lead.

Global Pulse’s Disha is an initiative managed by UNOPS and the Executive Office of the Secretary General (EOSG) and across Pulse Labs that brings together UN agencies and private, public, and social sector partners for the development of data and AI products as digital public goods (DPGs). Disha aspires to catalyze the formation of a cohesive and responsibly open ecosystem of data and AI products and services that reduces inefficiencies in the development of digital solutions for sustainable development and humanitarian action—with an initial focus on natural disaster response and recovery—to accelerate attainment of the sustainable development goals.

The Technology Lead is a key role and instrumental for the success of Disha. With experience in the development of large-scale, data-driven solutions, the Technology Lead will lead the development of Disha’s data access and processing platform and the implementation of pilot use cases that leverage the Disha platform.

In response to strategy and product evolution, the Technology Lead will design and evolve the technical architecture of the data and AI solutions alongside a delivery roadmap to meet the needs of each use case with collaboration from the Disha team.

The Technology Lead will be accountable for the quality of data and AI products and co-create and own Disha’s best practice data and software development principles.

The Technology Lead will onboard, guide, and supervise the work of technical contributors including software engineers and data engineers (currently 4) from within Global Pulse.

The Technology Lead will foster collaboration across partner organizations to create team(s) that can work effectively together for better and faster outcomes. They will utilize their experience at facilitating cross-organisational, cross-functional teams to develop and support technologies within an ecosystem which meet user needs.

The Technology Lead may represent Global Pulse and Disha and participate in panels, working groups, and other relevant forums within and beyond the UN to articulate and propose solutions to overcome technical barriers towards data and AI as digital public goods.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of this initiative in a pivotal moment to realize the opportunities of data and AI products as digital public goods for impact at scale. The incumbent of this position will be a personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

This position will need to work across time zones from East Asia (Jakarta) to East US (New York) in a balanced working pattern across the week.

Functional Responsibilities

Functions/Key Results Expected

Technical product development
Implementation guidance
Quality, Ethical and Humanitarian Protection of AI and Technology Outcomes
Thought Leadership

1. Technical product development

Create the roadmap of data and AI products that will need to be developed and maintained in collaboration with the Disha team
Guide the design of the cloud-based data access and processing platform that is leveraged by and powers use cases (including their data processing, modeling, and deployment pipelines)
Discover and translate the needs for privacy protection, legal and regulatory requirements, and other relevant considerations for responsible use of data and AI into technical specifications (platform, use cases) working with the Platform Lead and the Policy Lead
Translate user needs and product requirements into technical specifications (platform, use cases) from data ingestion to front-end and deployment design decisions
Balance the need for implementation of the platform and use cases on a timeline with the need for robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure
Stay updated on latest and emerging technologies, assess their potential benefit or impact on the Disha project and its use cases
Monitor the quality, performance and efficiency of our project’s data and AI components, then suggest and guide potential improvements
Work with the rest of the team to plan for scalability and capacity needs
Facilitate knowledge flow and transfer within the team through mentoring and documentation generation
Identify potential risks in technical development and implement strategies to mitigate them
Collaborate with team members in assuring budget allocation is effective for current and future operation

2. Implementation guidance

Onboard, guide, and supervise the work of technical contributors from within Global Pulse and across partner organizations, some of whom may join for shorter periods on rotation
Drive towards decisions regarding key technology components of the platform (both 3rd party and cloud specific) and in support of use cases in a timely manner
Serve as a technical advisor to the Disha team, recognize and bring to bear the expertise of technical contributors to arrive at high quality decisions as a team
Provide, or partner to bring in, Data science support for existing use cases, including review of applicable data sources and methodologies
Act as player-coach contributing hands-on to development where necessary
Manage expectations and the timeline of delivery of data and AI products in coordination with the Delivery Lead, Head of Disha, and the entire Disha team including partners
Oversee the technical development, maintenance and support needs of Disha’s use cases and data products from an infrastructure / technological standpoint

3. Quality, Ethical and Humanitarian Protection of AI and Technology Outcomes

Researches and coordinates appropriate quality controls into the development of AI models including engagement of human experts to correct irreducible errors
Coordinates quality evaluation of AI model outputs from deployments with support from expert users
Assist the technical team to perform critical evaluations of data, methodologies and models required to assess bias, validity and explainability of results in development and humanitarian response projects;
Assist in analyzing the potential risk and harms associated with AI and data science projects.
Communicates the methods of quality controls and outcomes of evaluations with all partners. Openly communicate the risks and benefits of this use of AI.
Establish technical standards and best practices and ensure consistent quality across work products with technical contributors on 3-6 months rotations
Put in place processes to plan and deliver work on a predictable timeline, routinely identify areas of improvement, foster a high-trust, high-quality, high-throughput technical development team
Proactively seek to identify and overcome pain points, keep lines of communication with the Delivery Lead (and Head of Disha as relevant) very open
Contribute to a positive, can-do team culture and attitude

4. Thought Leadership

Support identification and scoping of new use cases for project implementation, including review of application data sources and methodologies.
Help guide the positioning of Disha product offerings relative to existing data and modeling initiatives.
Support Disha outreach to technical partners inside and outside the UN, in order to further develop the Disha value proposition and ensure that Disha addresses the needs of this community.

Impact of Results

The effective and successful achievement of Disha objectives could accelerate the ability of social and humanitarian actors to utilize the benefits of AI and big data at a faster pace in these unprecedented times of fragility and uncertainty of climate-fuelled natural disasters and intense conflicts.

In addition, successful delivery of Disha’s vision would position UN Global Pulse project and its regional hub in Asia Pacific as a capable, trusted, and trustworthy voice in digital equity and as an advocate for a fair digital common. In turn, promoting the image of UN Global Pulse as an effective convener and leader in digital innovation and enhancing UNGP’s competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services at the global, regional, and local level.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above)

Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.

Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).

Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.

Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.

Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.

Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education:

An advanced University Degree (Master’s or equivalent) or higher degree in computer science or a related field is required;
First-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in the above-mentioned fields with an additional two (2) years of relevant experience can be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

Experience:

A minimum of five (5) years of experience in engineering of data-intensive applications, or in data science is required;
Experience in delivering technology and innovation related project work and coordinating technical teams is preferred;
Proven track record translating complex user needs and other product requirements into the design of technical, data-intensive applications is preferred;
Experience in designing and deploying data-driven applications in the cloud including data governance, data processing, analysis and reporting/visualization is preferred;
Experience in employing, designing, coding and deploying open source software is preferred.
Experience in employing, designing, coding and deploying in Linux-based operating system distributions is preferred.
Experience in programming with Python is desirable.
Experience in programming with one or more of currently popular ML/AI frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, etc. is desirable.
Experience in programming with NodeJS is an asset.
Familiarity with the product offering of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), or Microsoft Azure as used to implement data ingestion, processing, and deployment architectures is an asset;
Familiarity with MLOps is an asset;
Experience in building quality controls into the development of AI models including utilization of human-in-the-loop to correct irreducible errors is an asset.
Experience of successfully working as a part of a collaborative team is required; experience with distributed, international teams is desirable.
Excellent communication skills are desirable with the ability to explain complex analytical concepts to people from other backgrounds and disciplines;
Prior experience with people management is an asset;
Experience working with the UN system is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Full working knowledge of English is required;
Knowledge of another official UNOPS language is an asset

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement
Contract level: ICS 10 / IICA 2 / LICA10
Contract duration: On-going subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Disclaimer:

In duty stations where the NPO category has been established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), a Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) must be issued for a home-based contract.

Additional Information

Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.