Senior IT Strategy & Portfolio Officer

UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The Senior IT Strategy & Portfolio Officer reports Director of Digital Impact, Technology & Innovation Department and Chief Information Officer. The incumbent provides direct and indirect supervision and technical guidance to international and Area professional posts at UNRWA HQ. The supervised staff primarily include software architects, engineers, analysts/programmers, and quality assurance officers.

Business Relationship Management and Communications: Leads and coordinates the establishment and strengthening of business relationship management practices to ensure Agency-wide client needs and expectations are effectively captured, prioritized and addressed in alignment with strategic objectives. Oversees the establishment of an Enterprise Service Desk and the full automation of BRM and communication processes through the CRM system, ensuring standardized, responsive, and transparent client engagement. Develops and tracks Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure service performance and operational efficiency. Digital Transformation Strategy Implementation: Supports the Director in steering the implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy, ensuring coherence, prioritization, and alignment with Agency-wide objectives. Oversees the functioning of the Digital Transformation Strategy Steering Committee, ensuring effective governance through structured agendas, informed decision-making, and systematic follow-up on strategic actions. Program of Work and Workplans: Leads the development and coordination of the annual Program of Work for the Digital Impact, Technology & Innovation Department (DITID), ensuring alignment with Agency strategic objectives, performance frameworks, and budgetary planning. Oversees the development, budgeting, and monitoring of detailed workplans for DITID initiatives and services, ensuring effective resource allocation, timely execution, financial accountability, and performance reporting. Project Management Office (PMO) Governance and Continuous Improvement: Monitors & supports the governance and oversight of the PMO, ensuring projects are managed according to defined standards, frameworks, and methodologies. Promotes continuous improvement by proactively identifying opportunities to enhance project delivery, compliance practices, and overall PMO effectiveness. Audit Coordination: Leads DITID’s engagement in internal and external audits by serving as the primary focal point, coordinating the preparation of audit responses, monitoring timely implementation of audit recommendations, and maintaining effective liaison with auditors and oversight bodies. Enterprise Architecture Governance: Ensures the discipline of Enterprise Architecture governance is upheld and aligned with organizational strategy. Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Develops and maintains tools for tracking the progress of initiatives across the CIO portfolio, preparing regular performance and status reports for management review. Compliance Oversight:  Oversees compliance of IT services and applications with UNRWA DITID policies, internal controls, and data protection standards by establishing monitoring mechanisms, coordinating with relevant stakeholders, and ensuring corrective measures are implemented where necessary. Monitors adherence to IT governance framework and coordinates with relevant stakeholders to address and resolve compliance issues in a timely and effective manner.

Functional: ​​i. Applying Technical Expertise​  ​​ii. Creating and Innovating​  iii. ​​Formulating Strategies and Concepts​  iv. ​​Leading and Supervising​  ​​v. Analyzing​  Leadership: i. ​​Delivering Results​   ii. ​​Innovating and Taking Risks​  Other Competencies not listed under Functional and Leadership: i. Ability to work effectively in a team environment and lead cross-functional teams. ii. Proficiency in project management methodologies and tools. iii. Excellent organizational and planning skills; ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. iv. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to interact with a wide range of stakeholders. v. Ability to draft clear and concise reports, briefings, and other documentation. vi. Ability to work independently and demonstrate initiative. vii. High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism.

An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Management, Business Administration, or a related field is required.

Certification in Project Management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2) or Enterprise Architecture (e.g., TOGAF). ITIL Service Manager is required

A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in information management, technology governance, program/project management, or related areas is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Experience in working with business relationship management practices and frameworks is required. Experience in coordinating governance activities, such as steering committees, audit follow-ups, and architecture review boards is required. Experience in managing service catalogues, service support modules (e.g., ITSM tools like ServiceNow), and tracking IT performance metrics and KPIs is an advantage is required. Candidates are required to make a declaration as to whether they have any current or past affiliations with non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, political organizations, military, or have/are engaged in activities or have made any public statements, that could be seen to impact their neutrality, objectivity or independence in the performance of their duties for the UN/ UNRWA. Any declaration will not necessarily disqualify candidates from consideration for this post. Experience working in an international organization or large, complex institutional environment is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. There are no additional desirable languages specified. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

This is a UN Regular Budget post. Type of Contract and duration: 2 years, with the possibility of further extension. The incumbent of the post will be required to travel throughout the Agency's area of operations in the Middle East. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English; other language submissions will not be considered. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system Inspira will be considered, and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable. UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. Join our eco-friendly organization dedicated to environment sustainability and targeting to be plastic free by 2025. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work 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 RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.