Consultancy: Senior Full Stack Engineer and Project Manager, ICTD Digital Core (7 months, remote)

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 fulfill 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 the use of innovative technology-enabled solutions. 

INVENT is UNICEF’s global online portal for innovation and technology for development (T4D). 

INVENT helps UNICEF accelerate results for children through innovation and T4D. As UNICEF’s global inventory for innovation and T4D projects, it helps focus investments in innovation in line with our strategic priorities. INVENT includes innovations of all types: physical product, programming, frugal, innovative financing, data, and digital. 

The field is where innovation happens. UNICEF’s Global Innovation Strategy and Portfolio Management approach places field-based ideas at the heart of solving priority problems in innovative ways. 

INVENT enhances the global visibility of innovative country and regional projects, with the aim of identifying initiatives that have the potential for multi-country and global scale. 

INVENT is an open-source project and the codebase can be reviewed at https://github.com/unicef/invent. The project is currently in its last phase of its lifecycle and we are focusing on maintaining it until its successor is implemented in 2025. 

Technology: 

INVENT utilizes Python as a programming language and Django as a framework for its admin interface. VueJS 2 is used for front end development and is hosted on Kubernetes (AKS). 

How can you make a difference? 

ICTD is presently in search of a Full stack Engineer and Project Manager consultant. This resource will operate within the purview of the ICT Manager within the Solution Center and Support Section of the ICTD division. 

Scope of Work: 

Project Management and Agile Practices 

Planning, executing, and finalizing projects according to strict deadlines and within budget. Even though the consultant will be working independently, they should possess strong project management skills to effectively manage project scope, goals, and deliverables. Familiarity with agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban is essential, enabling the candidate to self-organize, prioritize tasks, and ensure timely completion of project milestones. 

Client and Stakeholder Communication 

Single point of contact in ICTD with all other teams (DB, Platforms, InfoSec). Provide regular updates on the status of bug fixes, changes, and updates. Conduct post-project evaluations and identify areas for improvement. 

• Regular Updates: Providing regular updates to clients and stakeholders on the status of the application, any ongoing issues, and planned upgrades.
• Feedback Loop: Establishing a feedback loop to continuously gather input from users and stakeholders to guide future improvements.

Bug Fixing/Minor Changes: 

Fix bugs or issues, make adjustments that do not involve logic changes or additional features (ie: user interface elements, updating content or making small modifications). 

Library and Dependency Updates: 

Regularly check for updates to the libraries used in the application. Note: current Nuxt.js 2 major update to 3 not in scope since it would require a full re-writing. 

Security and Compliance 

• Security Patches: Applying security patches and updates to prevent vulnerabilities and protect against threats like hacking or data breaches.
• Compliance: Ensuring the application adheres to relevant regulations and standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and updating it as compliance requirements evolve.

Incident Response: 

Respond to different types of incidents, communicate effectively during incidents, and document post-incident reports for learning and improvement. Collaborate to improve current procedures. Note: incidents that affect the application availability, such as infrastructure/hosting or system failures. 

Log Management: 

Manage application logs effectively. Ensure that logs are collected, stored, and easily accessible for analysis. 

Documentation: 

Maintaining comprehensive documentation of the application’s architecture, codebase, configurations, and processes to facilitate understanding and future maintenance. 

Work Assignments Overview 

Deliverables/Outputs 

Delivery deadline 

Month 1 Sprint 

Application Assessment and Report 

Conduct a full assessment of the application: code quality, security, performance, and documentation. 

Provide a detailed report summarizing findings, identifying critical issues, and recommending prioritized actions for immediate and future attention. 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

30 November 2024 

Month 2 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

31 December 2024 

Month 3 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

31 January 2025 

Month 4 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

28 February 2025 

Month 5 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

31 March 2025 

Month 6 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

30 April 2025 

Month 7 Sprint 

Bug Fixes 

Resolution of bugs and issues, adjustments to user interface elements, content updates, and minor modifications. 

Security Patches and Compliance Check 

Application of security patches and updates. 

Regular assessments and reports on security vulnerabilities. 

Incident Response 

Documentation of post-incident reports. 

Continuous improvement of incident response procedures. 

Documentation 

Maintenance of up-to-date application documentation. 

Guides for deployment procedures and configurations if changes are made. 

Documentation for custom code and integrations. 

Communication 

Provision of regular status updates on bug fixes, changes, and updates. 

31 May 2025 

1. Please note that in view of the nature of the work, these listed activities will have to be done throughout the period of engagement for which progress will be reported through monthly reports. 

2. Payment will be made on a monthly basis against a monthly activity report, including the above requirements, highlighting key activities and achievements under this assignment. 

Reporting structure: The Full Stack Engineer and Project Manager will report to the ICT Manager SCS, ICTD. 

Duration of contract: 7 months with the possibility of an extension. 

Travel: The Backend Engineer and Project Manager may be required to attend meetings, conferences, workshops and other events, as well as onsite support for the rollout of activities with teams based in the field. Travel costs will be covered by the office as appropriate. 

Financial Proposal: 

Please indicate your ability, availability and your overall rate – or rate per deliverable (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a rate will not be considered. 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A university degree in Business, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or Engineering.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in a Software Development role with strong emphasis on Python, Django.
• Experience in working with an Agile development team to with continuous development and deployment.
• Experience scoping, user testing and training for enterprise related projects.
• Proven experience as a Project Manager in software development or IT industry.
• Excellent understanding of project management methodologies, tools, and techniques.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Experience developing software as part of a distributed team using Git, especially in an open-source environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with quality assurance testing processes.
• Ability to align technical goals with UNICEF strategic goals—that always will mean prioritizing UNICEF’s mission over any particular technology.
• Dynamic self-starter, who needs minimum supervision.
• Quick learner, who can quickly understand complex business problems.
• Understand the value of commitments to end-users, product, and project teams.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required: 

• Expertise in Django and Python.
• Expertise in Project Management and Agile Methodologies.
• Experience developing and deploying web solutions for use in low-bandwidth, challenging work environments.
• Experience optimizing database models, SQL/Postgres.
• Docker and Kubernetes experience.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. 

Remarks: 

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

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