Senior Functional Expert

Org. Setting and ReportingUNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5.8 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA's services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The Senior Functional Expert is responsible, as applicable, to the Head, Business Service Management Section, OR to the Head, IT Service Centre, and receives technical guidance, as applicable, from the Chief, Business Engagement Division or Head, Business Service Management Section. ResponsibilitiesThe incumbent is responsible for managing the acquisition, development and implementation of information system(s) in one or more of the following functional areas: Health, Infrastructure and Camp Improvement, Relief and Social Services, Microfinance, Education and other cross-functional areas by performing the following duties: - Analyses user requirements and needs; develops and proposes technical solutions to implement requirements and changes within systems constraints; prepares functional and technical solution documents; draws new/changed workflows and processes; prepares, coordinates and obtains user approval/s for system implementation, rollout and training plans. - Manages the planning and implementation of information systems projects; develops project plans and budgets; tracks and monitors project progress against plans, budgets, scope and quality standards; liaises with users during all phases of project development and implementation. - Provides supervision and professional guidance to assigned project team; facilitates communications between Information Management Department and its major stakeholders. - Organizes and performs unit and integrated testing for new systems and changes to existing systems; oversees the development and implementation of test cases; assists users in conducting acceptance testing; develops training materials and operating guidelines for new systems; writes reports and papers on project/system status and issues. Prepares ‘Request for Information’, ‘Request for Proposal’ and contract documents for the development and implementation of new systems; negotiates with vendors/ contractors changes to existing systems including work scope, effort estimate, time schedule and costs; contracts vendors/contractors upon Agency’s approval; manages the performance of contractors on assigned projects. CompetenciesUN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. - Commitment to continuous learning, willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field of information technology. - Service orientation and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations. - Excellent communication skills. Ability to convey complex technical concepts and recommendations to non-technical staff at senior levels, both orally and in writing, in a clear and concise style. - Problem solving skills. - Ability to independently plan and prioritize own work, work well under tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects/activities. - Strong analytical skills. EducationAdvanced university degree from an accredited Education instituation in computer science or in business administration with emphasis on computer-related studies and/or information technology. Job - Specific QualificationBusiness Analysis Certification is desirable. Project Management Certification is desirable. Formal training in project management techniques is required. Work ExperienceA minimum of seven years of experience in the area of business analysis, applications development and implementation is required. At least three years of work experience at a senior level managing large application development project is required. Knowledge/experience in the automation of one or more of the following areas: population registration, relief services, education, health, microfinance and ERP systems is required. Thorough knowledge and proven hands-on experience in web projects involving multi-tier application development, object-oriented design and programming and utilizing .Net tools over major RDBMS, preferably MS SQL is required. Experience in the use of a standard SDLC methodology, project management tools and techniques in addition to using standard productivity tools such as MS Office and MS Project is required. Advanced university degree from an accredited education institution in computer science or in business administration with emphasis on computer-related studies and/or information technology is required Excellent command of written and spoken English is required. Are you currently residing in Duty station. Please specify your current location. It is required. Candidates are required to make a declaration as to whether they have any current or past affiliations with non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, political organisations, military, or have/are engaged in activities or have made any public statements, that could be seen to impact their neutrality, objectivity or independence in the performance of their duties for the UN / UNRWA. Any declaration will not necessarily disqualify candidates from consideration for this post. LanguagesExcellent command of written and spoken English. AssessmentEvaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview. Special NoticeContract Type: Fixed Term Appointment for 3 years; including 1 year probation period, with the possibility of further extension, subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance, and continuing need. Grade and Salary: Grade 17 Monthly basic salary JD 1156.60 plus special occupational allowance (SOA) of 69.90% of the basic salary (SOA may change from time to time). Other benefits: Other benefits include monthly Provident Fund contribution (15.4% of basic salary paid by the Agency), compulsory medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, and dependency allowance (if applicable). Additional benefits: - 2 days of sick leave for each completed month of service. - 14 weeks of Maternity Leave. - 2 weeks paternity leave. This vacancy notice is open to internal and external candidates. Only candidates residing in Jordan, and within commuting distance of the duty station with authorization to work in the duty station at the time of application are eligible to apply. The Agency will not assume responsibility or accountability to support or facilitate the issuance of work permit in Jordan, and without a valid work permit, the appointment may be rescinded. The incumbent may be required to travel in the Agency’s area of operations. Preference will be given to registered Palestine refugees and candidates assisting the Agency to meet its commitment to gender parity. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post that becomes vacant in the future. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The PHP should be completed with full relevant work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All acquired university degrees must also be stated, if applicable. Applicants applying to positions for Grades 12 to 20 or LDC Bands E to H must submit a cover letter/motivational statement in order to be considered. Additionally, providing incorrect or misleading information on an application will result in the immediate disqualification of a candidate. For UNRWA internal staff, they are required to specify and include their current UNRWA grade level. To do so applicants should select under \"Category\" RLG, scroll down to see all categories, then select their local grade. Equivalency: Equivalency may apply for this post. NB: Work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. Advertisements published only in English will only accept applications in English, and Arabic submissions will not be considered. The Agency may disqualify applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List, or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated whilst misconduct processes were pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers, about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated whilst an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and such persons may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. The Agency will immediately disqualify applicants who are ineligible for any reason in accordance with the Agency regulatory framework. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/ United Nations ConsiderationsStaff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.