This position is located in the International Computing Center (ICC). The International Computing Centre (ICC) is an inter-organization facility that provides shared Information Technology and Communications (ICT) services to the United Nations system organizations and other users. The ICC was founded in Geneva in 1971 by the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) pursuant to resolution 2741 (XXV) of the United Nations General Assembly.
ICC has an annual budget of more than USD 60M and employs approximately 450 staff and contractors. The objectives of the Centre, as stated by its mandate, are to provide information and communication technology services (including training) on an inter-organizational basis. ICC seeks to maximize the sharing of its computing and communications infrastructure, the associated systems, software, and its specialist skills, so that recipients of its services can benefit from economies of scale.
The Director, ICC is appointed by the UN Secretary General and is accountable to the ICC Management Committee.
The Director of ICC has the overall responsibility for all Centre activities and within delegated authority, will be responsible for the following:
• Leading all aspects of ICC's strategy and operations, to facilitate the provision of services to more than 40 members of the UN Common System;
• Establishing an ICC strategy that includes determining business goals, developing a business plan with a two- to four-year time horizon, preparing a programme of work and budget, and implementing the approved plan;
•Providing leadership to the development of innovative and/or change management programmes;
•Providing oversight to ensure that ICC products and services respond to the needs of its client organizations and that future needs are constantly being taken into account, while striving to provide transparency of cost, consumption, and performance to its clients;
•Providing input to client organizations related to the direction of the Centre in the context of their respective ICT strategic frameworks;
•Staying abreast of emerging industry trends to ensure that the Centre continues to innovate to meet client needs;
•Supporting best practices, identifying new market space, directing seed funding, developing skills, and ensuring that Centre staff embrace a culture of innovation and continuous learning;
•Leading product selection, procurement, and relationships with strategic suppliers on behalf of the Centre;
•Ensuring the security and protection of Client organizations’ data and systems in accordance with ISO 27001 standard, and ensuring that a Service Management system is in place and operating to the ISO 20000 standard;
•Liaising and coordinating at a senior level with the Client organizations and oversight bodies of the United Nations, and representing ICC in external meetings and correspondence with stakeholders, including Client organizations, suppliers, legal advisors and auditors (internal and external);
•Managing, developing and training staff under his/her supervision, as well as fostering teamwork and communication among staff in the ICC and across organizational boundaries; and,
•Performing other related duties as requested by the ICC Management Committee.
•Professionalism: Ability to lead a large IT global organization; ability to drive effective IT solutions with a focus on improving operations, enabling transformation and leading the management of information and resources; ability to lead programme transformation by identifying service requirements and establishing effective service delivery and support, identifying industry benchmarks for performance, and enhancing service and performance management; ability to lead teams to maintain high levels of service availability throughout transition periods, produce reports and papers on technical issues, as well as to review and edit the work of others; ability to oversee all financial aspects of a large IT global organization, including revenue and cost responsibility; ability to identify key strategic issues and use sound judgment in applying expertise to solve a wide range of problems; strong conceptual, analytical and research skills; ability to work under pressure, in meeting commitments and observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.
•Accountability: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
•Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
•Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.
•Judgement /Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.
Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in a relevant discipline, such as Information Technology (IT), Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Business/Public Administration, Management or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
Over 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the management of a large and complex information technology services organization at a national or international level is required. Five (5) years of the aforementioned experience must have been at the senior management level. Experience in leading an Information Technology and Communications (ICT) Services organization, operating in multiple locations and time zones, and serving multiple clients, is required. Experience in leading and implementing major enterprise transformation and change management is required. Experience in developing and maintaining high-level, strategic ICT sourcing strategies, including for new and emerging technologies is desirable. Experience in managing a continuously available and highly secure data center and network environment, comprised of a wide-range of processing, storage and networking capability, disaster recovery, business continuity, and capacity planning, is desirable. Experience in overseeing the implementation and oversight of an information security programme is desirable. Experience in developing and implementing successful enterprise risk management, audit, and compliance programs is desirable.
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of French or Spanish is desirable.
Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.
The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. All staff at the D2 level and above are required to submit a financial disclosure statement upon appointment and annually thereafter.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking 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.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.