Call for Roster – IT Operations Officer (International Consultant), RBDakar

ABOUT WFP WESTERN AFRICA REGIONAL BUREAU (RBD)

The WFP West Africa region extends from Mauritania to Chad and along the coast from Cameroon to Senegal. It consists of 19 countries; Benin Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Regional Bureau for West & Central Africa (RBD) is based in Dakar and provides strategic guidance, technical support, and direction to country operations in these countries.

PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

IT Operations Officer (Consultant) lead or participate in the planning and delivery of efficient and effective IT and TC services, providing sound, innovative solutions that enable staff to deliver food assistance to beneficiaries, in line with WFP’s strategy.

This Assignment with a range of one (1) to eleven (11) months is published to attain two objectives:

(i) create a pipeline of talent to facilitate a quick selection and deployment of IT Operations Officers (consultants) in any of the countries that fall under the WFP Regional Bureau of West Africa on a need basis and;

(ii) to give an opportunity to IT Operations Officers (consultants) to express interest in being part of this roster to meet the first objective.

This announcement is not related to any current open position. However, all applications received will be reviewed and will be subject to a selection process to assess the relevant professional experience and qualifications of the candidates.

ACCOUNTABILITIES / RESPONSABILITIES

Under the overall supervision of the Head of TEC the IT Operations Officer (Consultant), will lead or participate in the planning and delivery of efficient and effective IT and TC services, providing sound, innovative solutions that enable staff to deliver food assistance to beneficiaries, in line with WFP’s strategy. The incumbent will be responsible for the following:

1. Participate in the development of plans, budgets and policies, and lead the design and deployment of IT/TC systems aligned with business needs, in line with WFP corporate standards.
2. Plan, design and maintain large IT/TC systems and networks, ensuring appropriate data security and access controls considering both local and wide area network issues; and ensuring users to get maximum benefits from them.
3. Identify and test new hardware for improving and upgrading system performance; install any technology upgrades as required.
4. Negotiate and manage contracts with service providers, to facilitate procurement of equipment and services at minimum cost, in line with WFP rules and regulations.
5. Coordinate reporting on IT/TC activities, investments and costs, identifying trends/issues and presenting clear recommendations to increase cost-efficiency.
6. Develop and maintain technical expertise and knowledge of external industry developments to provide leadership in specific technical areas of competence.
7. Partner effectively with senior managers to understand their priorities, and provide solutions on all aspects of IT and the delivery of IT services, as well as on strategic and policy issues.
8. Lead and motivate a team of IT Officers, monitoring performance, providing coaching, training and guidance to ensure appropriate development and enable high performance.
9. Plan and lead capability building of staff, collaborating with colleagues in the IT division to design and deliver training policies and programmes aimed at developing skills/knowledge in IT/TC.
10. Work in close collaboration with other UN agencies to align activities, conduct negotiations with common vendors, and maximise possibilities of future inter-agency collaborations.
11. Form partnerships with colleagues and partner organisations, to foster information exchange, and obtain agreements to help meet WFP’s service requirements.
12. Represent WFP at international meetings and conferences, to gather and share best practice, and propose new approaches to improve IT/TC service delivery.
13. Take responsibility for an equitable and inclusive workplace which incorporates all dimensions of the WFP diversity and inclusion framework.
14. Participate in emergency preparedness and contingency planning, providing technical recommendations and monitoring the management of risks, so that WFP can maintain basic IT services and/or quickly respond and deploy resources to affected areas at the onset of a crisis.
15. Lead the preparation of operational plans and manage resource requirements at the onset of an emergency operation. 16. Other as required.

Education:

Qualifications that you have attained.

• Advanced university degree (recognized by https://www.whed.net/home.php) in Computer Science or other relevant fields, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience or trainings/courses. Professional IT-related certifications would be an asset.

Experience:

What we are looking for.

• At least three (3) years (Consultancy level 1) or five (5) to ten (10) years (Consultancy level 2) of relevant post-graduate progressively responsible professional experience in implementing, maintaining and managing complex IT infrastructure.

Please note the level of consultancies below:

• Level I Consultancy: At least three to five years of relevant professional experience.
• Level II Consultancy: At least five to ten years of relevant professional experience

Experiences that will make you stand out:

• Has led and coordinated large projects successfully.
• Has managed, coordinated and actively executed emergency response operations.
• Has provided innovative approaches in the resolution of complex technical issues or problems.
• Has effectively managed IT teams and resources needed for the planning, development and delivery of specified information and communications systems services (including data, voice, text, audio and images).
• Has successfully managed complex IT infrastructure, including the installation and testing of new hardware for improving systems performance.
• Has led the design and successful implementation of ITIL service management systems and protocols for handling customer requests and achieving service excellence.

Languages you should be able to speak fluently:

English and French (level C in reading, writing and speaking).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• All applications received will be reviewed and go through a selection process to assess relevant experience and qualifications. Based on the assessment results, successful candidates will be placed in a roster at consultant level II. Applicants who meet the selection criteria may be contacted for further interviews or assessments and to confirm their continued interest and availability for short-term opportunities ranging between 1 to 11 months.
• The roster validity is for a period of 24 months from the date on which the candidate is notified of their success.
• This is an international consultancy roster and both internal and external candidates of all nationalities can apply to be part of the roster.

Deadline for application: 13 March 2023