IT Solution Architect
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles
Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance
Job Title: IT Solution Architect
Type of Contract: Regular consultancy contract (CST) Level 2
Division: TECD
Duty Station: Remote
Duration: 11 months
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT:
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian agency, fighting hunger worldwide. WFP Technology Division (TEC, formerly known as IT) is the digital business engine of the World Food Programme, providing the business with multi-pronged and resilient technical capabilities able to respond with the agility required in humanitarian operations, be they manmade or in a natural disaster setting. TEC continues to increase its activities to meet the constantly growing demand from the organization and implement the initiatives related to data.
Reporting to the Head of Product Delivery and Engineering, the IT Solution Architect leads the technical aspects of the design and implementation of IT solutions, providing direction, instructions and guidance to the (off-site) development teams for the purpose of developing IT solutions which are fully compliant with WFP standards and achieve the highest quality in terms of technical usability, user acceptability, and domain suitability
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design the software architecture and the data model of IT solutions, and support the Product Manager in presenting the IT Solution Proposals to the Architectural Board;
- Ensure the high technical quality of IT solutions, covering all aspects such as: functionality, user experience, and compliance with applicable guidelines (architecture, security, technology stack, user interface, etc.);
- Provide direction, instructions, and guidance to the (off-site) Development Teams;
- Prepare high-level effort estimations for the development of IT solutions;
- Support the Product Manager with Backlog grooming;
- Review and approve prioritised Backlog tickets for their inclusion in Sprints looking at completeness, clarity, conciseness, visual representation, dependencies, test data availability, behaviour-driven development (BDD) test scenarios, and such;
- Create technical tickets required to ensure the high quality of the IT solution, and negotiate their prioritization with the Product Manager;
- Request VPN accounts and renewing them on time to ensure continuity of services;
- Set-up and maintain IT solution environments;
- Collaborate on designing and maintaining the software libraries stack;
- Collaborate on maintaining the continuous improvement (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) infrastructure;
- Create an inspiring team environment with an open communication culture; and
- When required, act as Scrum Master:
- Champion for Scrum within the team;
- Coach the Development Team, the Product Manager, and the business on the Scrum process and look for ways to fine-tune their practice of it;
- Deeply understand the work being done by the team;
- Help the team optimize the delivery flow;
- As the facilitator-in-chief, plan and schedule the Scrum ceremonies: Sprint planning, Daily stand-up, Sprint demo, and the Sprint retrospective; and
- Resolve impediments and distractions for the Development Team, insulating them from external disruptions whenever possible.
- Other duties related to software development, as required.
DELIVERABLES:
- Well-developed IT solutions fully compliant with applicable guidelines (architecture, security, technology stack, user interface, etc.)
- Clean source code of IT solutions, in WFP source code repositories.
- IT solution documentation (Solution Proposals endorsed by the Architectural Board).
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
- University Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or other related field.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of professional working experience in software architecture and development.
Technical Skills & Knowledge:
- In-depth knowledge and proficiency with solutions architecture, developing high-quality IT solutions, web technologies, Git versioning system, and GitFlow, Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD), Agile Scrum, and mainstream software design & development methodologies; and
- Proven experience with software development, in particular with Python and one of the frameworks for this programming language (Django and or Flask); and
- Proven experience with Docker and Kubernetes and in general dockerization concepts and techniques; and
- Proven experience with CD/CI implementation and pipeline automation; and
- Understanding of accessibility, security compliance, design principles behind a scalable IT solution, and the differences between delivery platforms, such as mobile vs desktop, and optimizing output to match the specific platform.
Capabilities:
- Able to think creatively and strategically;
- Able to plan and organize work effectively;
- Able to articulate complex concepts in non-technical language;
- Able to coordinate multiple responsibilities simultaneously;
- Able identify and resolve problems;
- Well organized and detail oriented;
- Values diversity in the workplace, particularly valuing respectfulness and inclusively leveraging everyone's talents.
Language:
- Fluency in oral and written English with an intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is desirable.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
WFP offers a competitive compensation package, which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.
http://www.wfp.org Click on: "Our Work" and "Countries" to learn more about WFP's operations.
Deadline for applications: 1 February 2023 at 11:59pm Rome time (CET/CEST)
Qualified female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.
WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
Saving lives, changing lives
