UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

For every child, a connected world.

The overarching strategic goal of UNICEF’s Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD) is to transform and build partnerships with our stakeholders to successfully implement UNICEF programmes globally through innovative technology-enabled solutions.

This position reports to the ICT Manager (Platform Services) at the P-4 level. This position is part of the Application Services and Platforms Unit under the ICTD Platforms and Service Delivery (PSD) Section in ICTD’s Digital Core in Valencia, Spain. The Platform and Services Delivery Application Services and Platforms Unit is the global architecture and engineering lead for UNICEF’s global Identity and Access, Mobility and Cloud Platforms Services portfolio. This position works directly with many global stakeholders on both day-to-day platform administration and support and as part of new initiatives that involve collaboration and cloud. These stakeholders include senior management, office of internal audit, HR, and other divisions and sections involved on matters such as sensitive investigations, audit, and human resources cases.

How can you make a difference?

The ICT Specialist (Messaging and Collaboration) is responsible to:
• Manage and administer the UNICEF messaging and collaboration ecosystem and relevant integration including anti-spam and threat protection systems, mobility services and the Power Platform.
• Propose and implement enhancements to improve the platform’s functionalities and general end-user experience and plays a central role on the release of new platform services and features.
• Automate repetitive administrative activities.
• Ensure day to day operation and support of the platform, including the configuration, troubleshooting, fault identification, rectification, performance, health monitoring, control, and administration of all the suite services globally for the 24,000+ UNICEF users.
• Monitor the ecosystem for cyberthreats and build mitigating and remedial settings to minimize threat traversal within the ecosystem.
• Provide direct technical input to support the design and development of global platform services. Coordinates monitoring and remediation activities on UNICEF brand protection services to mitigate the risks of brand fraud and misuse and to address infringements to UNICEF’s Brand, identity, and reputation on the Internet.

This position requires significant knowledge across multiple platforms, processes, and architectures. Its duties demand specialized competencies, qualifications, and advanced levels of expertise.

This position supervises two Senior Network Associates at the G-7 level.

Key responsibilities:

Administration of the Global Communication and Collaboration Suite
• Administers the Global Productivity Suite platform services including Messaging, Unified Communications and Collaboration. The administration will encompass managing both the global services configuration and individual instances of elements such as mailboxes, distribution, security and collaboration groups, mail transport rules, journaling, e-discovery and delivery reports, collaboration spaces, personal file sharing spaces and other service-related elements as they are released by the platform vendor.
• Manages system capacity, response, availability, and service levels. This includes on-premises integration components and the cloud properties configuration management, problem investigation and rectification. Proposes, establishes, and documents processes and procedures for provision of the messaging and collaboration services.

Global Productivity Suite Fault, Performance Monitoring and Security
• Develops and uses off-the-shelf and specialized proprietary tools to identify, diagnose, resolve, and monitor messaging and collaboration applications and related systems. Provides third level technical resolution of open tickets and liaises with the cloud provider for incident resolution and end-user support. Ensures all calls are reflected in the incident management system and that monthly reports on activity are undertaken.
• Undertakes regular (not less than quarterly) problem management reviews identifying prime causes of failure and removing their underlying causes. Identifies known errors with their resolutions and reports these to the Global Shared Services Centre (GSSC) Customer Care. Develops a strong, resourceful, pro-active and customer responsive messaging team that works with GSSC Customer Care to reduce call volumes and improve service to end-users.
• Establishes baseline for normal performance levels and performance statistics for infrastructure planning including usage metering, failed message monitoring, availability, capacity, and responsiveness reporting. Works with the platforms and service delivery team following the existing security guidelines and standards to evaluate security risks and to develop pragmatic and workable solutions to security issues. Monitors UNICEF brand protection services for proactive monitoring and immediate response to mitigate the risks of brand fraud and misuse and to address infringements to UNICEF’s brand, identity, and reputation on the Internet. This includes online surveillance for UNICEF brand misuse, anti-counterfeit for UNICEF brand, and anti-phishing and scam response services.
• Investigates cybersecurity incidents and liaises with product and service vendors to remediate and restore systems and services impacted by cyberattacks.

Support to Official Investigations and Special Interventions
• Liaises with the Office of Internal Audit Investigations team, Human Resources, and other divisions and sections to provide required evidence for ongoing official investigations. Provides forensic analysis support for messaging and collaboration related matters to the senior investigators, such as tracing email sources, authenticity-check of email data, etc. Intervenes to prevent confidential data leakage in emergency situations, e.g., trace and remove confidential data sent by mistake to large number of recipients.
• Reviews and advises on litigation hold and retention for data and information that may be required in court cases. This role is usually the root of litigation chain of custody for UNICEF.

Global Productivity Suite Documentation and Features and Services Release
• Prepares and oversees preparation of documents on global productivity suite operations, processes, procedures, performance and monitoring, and configurations. Prepares documents on fault tracing, messaging and collaboration policies and procedures, and implementation of maintenance process and status. This includes messaging and collaboration procedures on archiving and retention policies.
• Monitors the features and services public roadmaps for the cloud collaboration platform and prepares the technical assessments and recommendations for their release. Liaises with the release manager and coordinates the technical aspects of the release, including the configuration of the test environment and first release accounts. Supports the groups performing the features and services release pilots by contributing to the technical documentation and adjustment of configuration elements based on the pilot’s feedback.

Support to the Design and Development of Global Platform Services and Other Duties
• Assists the other Senior Architects with the overall coordination, design, development and maintenance of platform services and related systems.
• Performs any other duties assigned by the ICT Manager (Platform Services)

Leadership and People Management
• Strategically leads, supervises, develops, and empowers staff under supervision.
• Promotes culture of performance management, providing timely guidance, feedback, and support to supervisees.
• Monitors work progress and ensures results are achieved according to schedule and performance standards.
• Promotes a team environment of staff well-being, accessibility, and inclusion.
• Develops work plans and targets based on strategic division and organizational priorities.

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have…

Academic Degrees and Training:
• Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, Telecommunications, or equivalent qualification.
A First University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) along with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• Specialized and advanced training in administering messaging systems, (specifically Microsoft Exchange) or equivalent related industry certifications, such as Microsoft Certified Exchange Administrator is required.

Professional Experience:
• A minimum of 5 years practical hands-on professional work experience administering, supporting, and implementing Microsoft 365 solutions and features is required.
• 3 years of practical hands-on professional work experience administering, configuring, and integrating enterprise UCaaS platforms is required.
• Practical experience with administrating, troubleshooting, consolidating mail systems, migrating mail systems, coexisting multi-protocol mail systems and directories in a multiple server environment is required.
• Hands-on experience using Microsoft Power Platform, including expertise in writing PowerShell scripts in a complex and integrated M365 enterprise ecosystem is required.
• Ability to work autonomously and take sound technical decisions in a complex and integrated Microsoft 365 ecosystem is required.

Language Requirements:
• Fluency in English is required.
• Working knowledge of another official UN language (Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is desirable.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
• Builds and maintains partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
• Drive to achieve results for impact
• Innovates and embraces change
• Manages ambiguity and complexity
• Thinks and acts strategically
• Works collaboratively with others
• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People

During the recruitment process, we assess candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: Competency Framework here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID).

Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF.

UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation (vaccination) requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/

Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

This vacancy is archived.

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