Posting Title: Chief of Unit, Information Systems., FS-6 (Temporary Job Opening)
Job Code Title: TELECOMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Department/ Office: United Nations Office to the African Union
Duty Station: ADDIS ABABA
Posting Period: 16 August 2017-24 August 2017
Job Opening number: 17-TEL-UNOAU-84280-J-ADDIS ABABA (M)
Staffing Exercise ID: N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Special Notice
Notes:
- A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further ‘stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…’ Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
- Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
- Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as ‘retirement.’ Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.
- Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.
- While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
- The expression ‘Internal candidates’, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
- Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
- For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
- The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English
- Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.
- Staff members are not eligible to apply for the current temporary job opening if they are unable to serve the specified duration of temporary need before reaching the mandatory age of separation. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.
Organizational Setting and Reporting
This position is with the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under Support Section and is available for 364 days.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Chief of Unit, Telecommunications will be responsible for the following duties:
- Leads the engineering, design, installation and commissioning of various telecommunications systems and networks to include Local-, Metro- and Wide Area Networks
- Drafts specifications and standards for a wide range of telecommunications equipment such as network switches and routers, telephony switching systems, VSAT and INMARSAT satellite earth station systems, digital microwave systems, trunked radio systems, and UHF/VHF/HF mobile/repeater and fixed station systems
- Provides support for the development of technical specifications for procurement of equipment; evaluates vendor proposals, performs tests and recommends selection of telecommunications equipment; supports the establishment of equipment and service contracts, and serves as the contract administrator; identifies appropriate standards to procure communications and information technology equipment at the least cost and in the most expeditious manner
- Establishes performance standards for telecommunications equipment and services and recommends corrective measures to improve service quality and operational performance
- Provides planning support for rapid set-up and operation of communications infrastructure from ‘scratch’ at local and wide area levels, including visiting regional sites for technical reconnaissance missions
- Provides engineering services related to planning, implementation and maintenance of local and wide area telecommunications networks
- Coordinates with the satellite engineering and coordinating group at the UNOAU HQ and other locations to enhance the deployment, operation and maintenance of the mission’s satellite communications network
- Provides emergency communications capabilities in support of staff security, including providing a focal point for inter-agency emergency field security communications liaison
- Collaborates with the mission’s Human Resources Office in the preparation of training modules and other training activities in all aspects of communications technology usage
- Prepares and makes presentations on telecommunications networks and equipment to staff and other UN agencies.
- Develops disaster recovery plans and ensures appropriate planning and training of those responsible.
- Ensures effective coordination with other UN agencies in order to maximize possibilities of inter-agency collaboration in the field of ICT services.
- Manage telecommunications and information technology assets with respect to deployment and redeployment.
- Develops and recommends strategies to address specific telecommunications, connectivity and related training need.
- Develop plans for secured communication networks including use of encryption.
- Provides professional leadership, work direction, and mentoring for staff members within the Unit and coordinates individual yearly work plans for the Unit.
- Supervises junior staff/technicians as required
- Performs other related duties as required.
Competencies
- Professionalism: Knowledge of a wide range of telecommunication systems with adequate skills for leading a team through the installation, maintenance and operation of these systems. Knowledge of operations of commercial telecommunications services, voice and data communications networks, telephony switching, radio, satellite, microwave and trunked radio communication systems. Ability to analyze, review, and make recommendations to improve the delivery of telecommunications services. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, 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. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
- Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
- Technological Awareness – Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.
Education
High School diploma or equivalent and technical training in education in the field of telecommunications and information systems is required.
Work Experience
At least 10 years of experience in telecommunications including experience in developing and overseeing large centralized and globally distributed institutional systems. Experience and knowledge of Communication Tower Construction, working at Height and Rescue Policies and Procedures is desirable. Experience of LAN structured cabling and ICT backbone systems and regional coordination is desirable. Experience in managing a large team with diverse technical skills is desirable. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to 5 years for candidates who possess a first level University Degree
Languages
French and English are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
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, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
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 At-a-Glance on ‘The Application Process’ and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on ‘Manuals’ hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: 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 a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
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.
More Information
- Job City Addis Ababa
