IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING APPLICATION DEADLINE: please note that the deadline for applications is indicated in local time as per the time zone of the applicant’s location.
1. Organizational Context
a. Organizational Setting
The post is located in the Operations Service, The Hague Registry, Brands and Designs Sector. The Operations Service carries out the regular operations described under the Hague Agreement. The Operations Service of the Hague system collaborates actively with a team of IT experts under the Solutions Design and Delivery Division with the objective of performing the activities set out by the Hague Agreement with a high level of quality and customer satisfaction.
b. Purpose Statement
As part of a cohesive Business-IT team, the main role of the incumbent is to articulate solutions and attribute priorities to the work of the technical team in face of multiple, sometimes competing, demands. The incumbent applies knowledge of the business value proposition of the Hague System to guide the prioritization of features. The incumbent works with software release cycles and keeps stakeholders, in particular end-users, regularly informed of the developments. Analyze needs and develop business requirements, or supervise the drafting of such requirements, for the mission-critical information systems that enable the core operations of the Hague System. Such information systems include notably the official Hague Register, the interface with WIPO's finance system, a customer-facing application (eHague) and the Hague IB System, the cloud-based back-office system underpinning processing and examination functions. This role adopts an end-to-end perspective of processes and takes into account the progressive development of the legal framework underpinning the Hague System. The role adapts to changes triggered by the rapid and constant expansion and the increasing need for integration between internal and external systems, including with national Offices of Hague Contracting Parties, which in turn requires a high degree of strategic planning, cross-system analysis, and coordination with a wide-range of relevant business and IT units.
c. Reporting Lines
The incumbent works under the supervision of the Head, Operations Service, The Hague Registry, Brands and Designs Sector.
d. Work Relations
The post seeks to interface with the mission-critical IT and business systems and units, inside and outside the Organization, which allow the International Bureau to perform data collection, formalities examination, processing, recording, notification, publication, fee collection and distribution.
2. Duties and Responsibilities
The incumbent will perform the following principal duties:
a. Manage demand and expectations by prioritizing competing feature requests, change requests and incident resolutions by guiding the delivery team through the relative urgency and importance, based on the impact on the value proposition of the Hague System.
b. Make editorial choices to propose user interfaces, textual content and processes based on an understanding of the value proposition of the Hague System and the constraints imposed by the legal framework.
c. Listen to end-user needs and articulate solutions to face their needs.
d. Manage changes to mission-critical production systems by defining acceptance criteria and testing strategies, reporting regularly to stakeholders, and obtaining feedback in particular from the examination team.
e. Carry out analyses and investigations to determine the impact of incidents and trace a course of action for the resolution.
f. Liaise with concerned work units and bodies (Hague Examination, Solutions Designs and Delivery Division, Hague Legal Affairs Section, Hague Information and Promotion Section, Translation, Finance, the WIPO IP Portal, the Committee on WIPO Standards, Madrid and PCT) to communicate ongoing changes and assess evolving needs.
g. Define business requirements and oversee the drafting of detailed specifications for functions in IT systems for use by applicants, holders and external Offices in compliance with the Hague legal framework, rigorous record management practices, standard operating procedures, examination practices, security and confidentiality requirements.
h. Work with the delivery team on prototyping, user testing and implementation of changes to mission-critical Hague IT systems, ensure that the IT tools are built according to requirements.
i. Participate in official missions; provide training to Hague staff and external stakeholders also engaged in such activities.
j. Review and comment information material to ensure alignment with delivery timelines.
k. Perform other related duties as required.
3. Requirements
Education (Essential)
First-level university degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Law, Science, Engineering, Humanities or related discipline.
Education (Desirable)
Certification in project management (preferably Prince 2) or software development methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Agile).
Experience (Essential)
At least six years’ professional experience in a client facing environment interfacing with projects and change (e.g. business analysis, prototype designing, user requirements specification, user acceptance testing and deployment).
Experience (Desirable)
Experience within the domain of intellectual property application systems and processes in an intellectual property office or comparable working environment.
Experience working with bug tracking software including Atlassian JIRA or similar products.
Language (Essential)
Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.
Language (Desirable)
Knowledge of other Hague publication languages.
Job Related Competencies (Essential)
Strong understanding of the value proposition of intellectual property systems.
Good understanding of computer systems design, testing and deployment within a large organization.
Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and the internet and the ability to adapt quickly to new software.
Ability to work both independently and in a team, identifying and following up issues with a high degree of autonomy where appropriate, but ensuring full participation by all potentially interested parties to deliver effective results.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work in a team with both Hague users and technical staff at different levels and in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Integrity in dealing with confidential and sensitive data.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent document drafting skills.
Excellent time management and work organization skills.
Highly adaptable to new environments, tasks and demands.