Senior Programme Coordinator (IT Transformation), P5 (TA), Geneva at UN High Commissioner for Refugees

** Terms of Reference
Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications,
UNHCR Geneva, Switzerland **

• Title: Senior Programme Coordinator (IT Transformation)
• Grade: P5
• Location: Geneva
• Duration: starting as soon as possible for a period of one year (extendable)
• Contract Type: Temporary Appointment
• Closing date: 8 October 2021

Background and context

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. UNHCR strives to ensure that everyone has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to eventually return home, integrate or resettle.

The UNHCR Division of Information Systems and Telecommunications (DIST), is responsible for ensuring that UNHCR takes advantage of effective and efficient information and communications solutions that enable and facilitate UNHCR’s execution of its mandate.

DIST seeks to deliver sustainable change through:

• Raising awareness through training and communications;
• Correcting deficiencies and introducing new security services;
• Improving operational practice internally and in contracted services; and
• Strengthening organization roles and responsibilities.

DIST is currently initiating a number of significant projects that need to be managed collectively under a single Senior Programme Coordinator (IT Transformation). The transformation programme is focused on building out DIST’s current IT offering within Headquarters, the Regional Bureau, and Country Operations. It is a multi-year programme that will transform UNHCR business processes and implement SaaS (Software as a service), PaaS (Platform as a service), and IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) solutions.

As a result, DIST requires an experienced Senior Programme Coordinator (IT Transformation) to lead these initiatives and to ensure full project and programme compliance with the PMLC and other statutory reporting, e.g. to the Transformation and Governance Board.

This position is located within the DIST Project Management Office (PMO) under the overall supervision of the CIO and Director of DIST.

• The position reports directly to the Chief, IT Planning & Support
• The position requires close collaboration across all Services within DIST, with external managed service providers, and – when required – DIST’s business partners in the HQ Divisions, Regional Bureau, and Country Operations.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties will include but not be limited to:

• Startup and initiation of projects within the programme
• Support project managers in the delivery of their projects
• Personal Project management for strategic projects
• Resourcing and staffing for the programme
• Task assignment and workload management for the team
• Managing the interdependencies amongst projects
• Project control oversight, including Scope, Schedule, & Budget variances
• Regular structured reporting on the programme to management and stakeholders
• Stakeholder management
• Issue and risk management, and escalation as and when required

The Key Responsibilities of the DIST Senior Programme Coordinator (IT Transformation) include:

1. Determining the best approach and mix of Saas, PaaS, and IaaS based on business needs and the constraints of the organization
2. Leading the sourcing strategy, including issuance of Requests for Proposal through to the award of contract(s)
3. Manage all projects within the portfolio in accordance with the DIST PMO guidelines
4. Manage and coordinate the work of the various project teams
5. Manage Programme scope, budget, schedule, risks and issues
6. Prepare and present Status Reports to the Programme Steering Committee
7. Identify, track and manage dependencies across projects
8. Act as the Programme focal point for the Project Managers and Business Coordinators providing the interface between the projects and the programme
9. Escalate risks and issues to the CIO or Chief, IT Planning & Support as required
10. Provide support to the Project Managers
11. Coordinate and facilitate the PgMO meetings
12. Participate in the selection of project resources and take responsibility for on-boarding
13. Other tasks considered to be part of Programme Management

PROFILE

Skills & Experience

• For P5 – at least 12 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 11 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 10 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree including at least 7 years of managing large and complex programmes
• Full life-cycle programme or project management experience on at least 2 large, global SaaS, PaaS, and/or IaaS Implementations
• Proven experience in managing outsourced contracts with large System Integrators
• Strong familiarity with complex application and data integrations between SaaS/PaaS/IaaS and their on-premise equivalents, and cloud-to-cloud integrations, transitions, and migrations
• Strong practical knowledge of programme and project management best practices (MSP, PRINCE2, PMBOK)
• Proven experience in managing remote and virtual teams
• Proven experience in managing a global and multi-cultural team

Essential requirements

• University degree in Computer Science, Business or Information Technology or a related field
• Recognized project management certification (PMI, PRINCE2)
• Practical experience in managing changes, risks, issues
• Practical experience in tracking costs on large, complex programmes with multiple external vendors
• Excellent communication, presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills
• Sound experience in senior stakeholder management
• Excellent written and spoken English

Desirable Skills/Experience

• 20+ years of IT work experience
• Experience in working for UN organizations / International organizations / NGOs / Public Sector
• Experience in using Microsoft Project Online
• Spoken French