Background UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
The National Registration Bureau (NRB) of Malawi is legally mandated to implement and maintain a National Registration and Identification System (NRIS) to register and issue identity cards to all citizens 16 years of age and older. UNDP has provided technical assistance to the NRB in the design and development of critical software and operational procedures for a fully supported National Registration and Identification System for Malawi. The UNDP led Project directly implemented the registration and issuing of biometrically–secure identity smart cards to approximately 10.3 million citizens from 2017 – 2021. A national registry to process and store individuals’ records in a central database was also established. Following the mass registration exercise, the project transitioned to supporting a continuous registration system which was progressively transferred to NRB during the course of 2018, to register half-a-million new registrants each year as well as updating existing registrants’ information. As institutional and capacity development was an integral component of the Project, NRB was well positioned to independently administer, manage, and operate the NRIS from 2019 onward. The NRIS Project has already delivered transformative benefits for e-governance in Malawi, redressing fundamental obstacles in satisfying the right to identity and to progress the ambition of Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, to ensure a legal identity for all. A whole of government approach towards the adoption of use of the system is pivotal to both maximize the benefits of the system and to achieve these goals, as well as a return on investment. The NRIS Project was designed around two principal phases: direct implementation of the mass registration exercise in 2017 with preparatory institutional and capacity development; and a transitional process to fully capacitate and transfer the management and administration of a continuous registration process to the NRB in the course of 2018 -2019. In December 2019, the Project extension was signed to close the gap of unregistered Children in Malawi under the age of 16 years, but due to COVID-19 the children’s registration could not be implemented, and the project was extended till Dec 2023.
Integral to delivering on these operational goals is a close partnership with NRB, engagement with a broad spectrum of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the adoption of the technology and modeling of their business processes, engagement with civil society and other stakeholders, the UN Country Team, and a close partnership with donors engaged in the Project and contributing to the Basket Fund. Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the ICT Specialist is responsible for leading the technical support in the maintenance and implementation of the information management systems (IMS) for NRB. The incumbent will supervise daily technical support in the operations and execution of the NRIS system architecture, in close association with enterprise systems, Government, and other stakeholders. The ICT Specialist will lead the technical support team which includes UNDP appointed Software Developer and network systems administrator. Support services to NRB include the planning, design, implementation and coordination of the acquisition, development, maintenance and use of the government’s computer and telecommunication systems. The ICT Specialist will ensure the smooth operations and business continuity of the NRIS, with particular focus on the maintenance of biometric registration kits (BKRs), data center systems (hardware and software), disaster recovery sites, data transmission and interoperability with other systems. Duties and Responsibilities
Provide technical leadership on the plans, design and strategies on the NRIS, focusing on the following: Lead the consultations of users, management, vendors and technicians to assess computing needs and system requirements and specifying technologies to meet those needs; Advise and make recommendations to the Project Manager on the ICT budget formulation processes for the NRIS and other associated organizational units; Lead the formulation of systems requirements, processes and procedures for the implementation of the NRIS in consultation with NRB; Advice on the formulation processes of ICT systems, in compliance with relevant laws, regulations and procedures; Coordinate and provide technical input into contract specifications and subsequent management; Supervise the transformation processes of the pilots into mass registration of Children and continuous registration of the ICT systems for the NRIS Project; Lead in the development and implementation of various ICT software and hardware systems required in the mass and continuous registration of children; As required, lead in technical meetings and workshops; Participate in the complete lifecycle of delivery including architecture, design, development, tests, and document integration solutions, custom development, and data migration elements of business applications across technical domains; Research, review and make recommendations on any new software applications or innovations from a perspective of design, integration, and technical fit with other systems; Lead efforts for standardizing, integrating, and centralizing multi-system systems. Define and clearly communicate the requirements to all relevant stakeholders; Plan, design and oversee the implementation of complex government business solutions in collaboration with functional solution vendors; Participate in the refinement of technology and architecture roadmaps as needed and oversee the adherence to these roadmap/s; Evaluate the existing systems to determine integration requirements for NRB systems and other stakeholders. Provide substantive support and high-level advice on the execution and management of ICT Infrastructure for the NRIS, focusing on the following: Supervise and mentor the work of Systems Administrators, Software Developers and contracted vendors; Take the lead in the selection, installation and management of ICT resources such as PKI infrastructure and Biometric servers; Supervise and approve the development and drafting of training materials for ICT staff and operational staff involved in the NRIS process in conjunction with the Project Manager; Manage the ICT operations, analyzing workflow, establishing priorities, developing standards and setting deadlines, as well as risk issues and mitigating measures; Provide technical advice to the ICT capacity-building efforts of the NRB; Provide administrative supervision of the logistics of computers, registration equipment and security of ICT systems of the NRIS Project; Develop, test, debug and review computer code for database systems (e.g. SQL queries) and specialized modules; Provide sound technical advice as well as hands on support for the NRB systems integration and interoperability strategies and interface with other systems; Liaise with other stakeholders such as CDC/EGPAF on NRB systems development in relation to systems integration efforts, including maintaining a close working relationship and rapport with Government ICT staff and departments; Lead in the development and implementation of a disaster recovery and business continuity plan for NRB. Ensures efficient network administration and NRIS ICT operations, focusing on the following: Provide oversight in monitoring and tracking the progress and performance of the NRIS against established objectives, policies and identified risks; Maximize network performance between NRB HQ, DROs, Post Offices and other registration centers by monitoring network performance, troubleshooting network problems and outages;This vacancy is archived.