The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Corporate Services Department (CSD), led by the Associate Vice-President, CSD, provides IFAD with the human resources, administrative services, safety and security, information technology resources and medical support services required to allow IFAD to meet its objectives of enabling rural people to overcome poverty. The work of the CSD is undertaken by three divisions (i) Human Resources Division (HRD) (ii) Administrative Services Division (ADM) and (iii) Information and Communication Technology Division (ICT) and three units: (a) Front Office CSD (b) Field Support Unit and (c) Medical Services Unit.
The Information & Communications Technology Division (ICT) delivers secure, reliable, and integrated technology solutions which enable delivery of business value and provide IFAD with a strategic advantage through technical innovation and agile ICT services, and by streamlining corporate processes using effective ICT solutions. It facilitates access to information, ensures reliable and secure availability of information and communication means, provides a sustainable and secure digital environment and offers standard ICT services.
ICT Specialists work under the overall strategic, policy and management guidance of the ICT Director and the direct supervision of an ICT Manager/Senior ICT Specialist.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Specialists at this level are seasoned professionals reflecting an in-depth, complete understanding of ICT systems and applications development. The applications development work is original or involves major modifications requiring the development of specifications in consultation with diverse users who have diverse needs.
When tasked with supervision, they are typically supervisors of general service (GS) staff. Frequently ICT Specialists will coordinate the work of and provide technical guidance to external consultants and/or other temporary staff.
Position specific:
The ICT Specialist provides DevOps technical and subject matter expertise in respect to IFAD’s system landscape, architecture and interoperability. The incumbent is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring and availability of IFAD applications, co-ordinating with Business Process Owners (BPOs), software vendors and hosting partners and the internal ICT team to resolve any issues. The incumbent is responsible for identifying new tools and processes to improve the data centre and cloud platform efficiency automating processes in line with corporate priorities.
Position specific:
Develops, together with the relevant teams, required capabilities and capacities with regard to DevOps, cloud and emerging technologies infrastructure management towards a roster of well qualified professionals in this domain over time.
The work of ICT Specialists is made up of different areas and includes resolving problems in integration and interface. Thus the work at this level directly impacts the processing work of systems and applications, users, and the overall services provided by the ICT Division; their technical decisions affect the internal structures of the applications assigned and indirectly impact the accomplishment of the Fund’s overall objectives, goals and functions.
The key performance indicators for ICT Specialists at this level include effective design and accurate performance of assigned application development and relevance to client requirements.
Internally, ICT Specialists at this level are required to explain, clarify and train users in new information and communications technology functionality and operations as well as to develop and clarify user requirements, and also take the lead as subject matter experts to ensure the appropriate level of building and running related technical services in their area of expertise. They advocate directly and indirectly both technical and non-technical users to accept limitations or modifications of applications and provide advice regarding requirements or capabilities requirements. Within the ICT Division, they are collaborating with other technical leads for the purpose of solving complex problems and persuading others to accept modifications of specifications. External contacts involve a professional exchange of information with colleagues in the information and communication technology community to collect/exchange information on emerging technology and ensure IFAD is leveraging the latest best practice in ICT. They may also negotiate with external service providers and/or vendors regarding services and new hardware/software and in the technical evaluation and selection of the same. ICT Specialists at this level are delegated authority to make commitments on routine aspects of the assignment.
Organizational Competencies:
Level 1:
Education:
• Level – Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in a technically relevant area. In lieu of an advanced university degree, a first university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) plus at least four (4) additional years of relevant professional experience over and above the minimum number of years of experience requirement may be considered;
• Areas - Computer science, information technology, mathematics or other job-related field
• Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php
Certifications