Data Programmer (National Position) Level (SB3/Peg1) Jerusalem/OCHA oPt

The OCHA office in the occupied Palestinian territory has responsibility for inter-agency coordination in complex emergencies and in natural disasters.  In the context of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, the OCHA Office has a specific responsibility for (a) disseminating information and policies to the humanitarian community, authorities and donors, as well as supporting resource mobilization efforts; (b) assisting in the identification of humanitarian priorities and needs and the coordination of resource mobilization efforts; and (c) disseminating information on the impact of natural disasters, response thereto and the need for international assistance.

In order to meet the increased requirements for coordination support, humanitarian advocacy and information, the OCHA Office in the occupied Palestinian territory will improve the capacity of Information Management, Advocacy and information dissemination in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, amongst humanitarian partners, local and international media, policy makers, governmental and non-governmental actors. The OCHA team will ensure adequate support to area-based operational coordination structures, sectoral coordination in priority areas such as health and food, security, etc., and national level coordination - both operational and policy.

The Data Programmer will be expected to work closely with the Information Management, Research and Analysis, Protection, Advocacy, and Field Coordination Units. The IMA will contribute to the development and improvement of information dissemination procedures and practices, ensuring that the UN OCHA oPt websites function efficiently and provide the best possible functionality and usability to OCHA clients and stakeholders. The IMA will also contribute to strengthening and creating new relationships with partner agencies and NGO’s. Finally, the IMA will ensure that all procedures and processes under his (her) responsibility are properly documented.

The Data Programmer will work under the direct supervision of the Information Management Unit Manager.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• Staff at all levels within OCHA, NGO's and the humanitarian community as well as national counterparts and donors.
• Representatives of other UN humanitarian agencies and other member organizations in the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, UN Mission and Member State personnel with responsibility for information management, humanitarian issues, and non-governmental organization representatives.
• Delegations, government officials, involved actors in the crisis, and partners in universities and research institutes, etc.
• Information Support Section (ISS) OCHA

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Website Development
2. Geographic Information System Management
3. Database development
4. Other responsibilities

1. Website Development

   • Play a lead role in the on-going design and development of the local UN OCHA website using  .NET  languages and related web technologies

   • Conceptualise and create dynamic web pages. Draft, edit, and update web pages as needed and provide specialized design, database and programming assistance in the oversight and maintenance of the materials posted on the UN OCHA website;

   • Continuous enhancement of the website interface using state of the art web technologies

   • Monitor latest trends in web design and create new graphic designs to produce attractive and effective web pages using appropriate web authoring tools, graphics applications and techniques.

   • Develop ways of communicating messages and transforming them into web-based products for humanitarian advocacy.

   • Identify and implement measures aimed at increasing the site's visibility for search engines (SEO) to draw visitors to the UN OCHA website. 

   • Perform custom indexing.

   • Ensure cross browsers compatibility and perform compatibility checks.

   • Create and maintain online communication tools to enhance the dissemination of publications : RSS feeds, email subscription service, send to a colleague/friend etc

   • Develop and maintain users feedback functionality

2. Geographic Information System Management
   • Conduct spatial and non-spatial data gathering including identifying requirements for spatial analysis and products relevant to activities of OCHA.
   • Preparing data documentation and metadata, Geo-data processing including creating, updating, and preparing geographic layers for GIS projects. This includes cleaning, compiling and collating from various sources, comparison and cross checking.
   • Evaluating data from public resources or third-party providers.
   • Preparing maps with GIS data sets and timely process Geographical data coming from the field.
   • Support the development and integration of maps within OCHA’s publications.
   • Standardize data collection processes, design survey forms and supervise the process
   • Promote geographic data collection and reporting using global positioning system, mobile devices, google earth and online interactive mapping. 
   • Provide GIS technical assistance and support to HCT members
3. Database development
   • Play a lead role in the development and production of databases to support the monitoring and archiving requirements relevant to OCHA’s coordination, research and advocacy role in the oPt;
   • Contribute to the migration of UN OCHA oPt’s core database from their current formats to MS-SQL Server for accessibility over the Internet. 
   • Play a lead role in the on-going maintenance, design and development of OCHA’s databases to effectively support OCHA’s coordination, research and advocacy role in the oPt;
   • Liaise with UN OCHA oPt field staff to ensure that database development, data entry, and data extraction methods provide optimum functionality and usability to stakeholders and OCHA clients;
   • Train OCHA staff on tools and databases created to support their coordination role
4. Other responsibilities
   • Other responsibilities as required by the IMU Manager. 
   • Any other duties as may be requested by the OCHA Head of Office and IMU Manager.

Education:

Bachelor Degree in Computer Science, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), Information Technology, Information Management, Management Information Systems (MIS), Geographic Information Management or any related field.

Experience:

3 years of progressively responsible experience in web development, maintenance, design and development, with proven experience in ASP.NET , MS SQL server development and administration, HTML, CSS, JavaScript , AJAX, JQuery, PHP, MySQL

1. Knowledge and experience in  Windows 2003/2008 administration is an asset
2. Knowledge and experience in data security including management of  Firewall (Juniper)  Experience in online (web-based) mapping (GIS) using Google Maps Web API or ArcGIS Web API is an asset
3. Programming knowledge and experience of database management and administration is an asset.
4. Practical knowledge of standard software packages (MS Office – Access – Visio – Adobe) is an asset.
5. Proven experience in designing databases and interfaces using MS Access integrated with MS-SQL Server is an asset.
6. Practical knowledge developing web pages using MS Visual Studio, Adobe Dreamweaver and other web development tools is an asset.
7. Knowledge and experience in data security is an asset.

Language requirements:

Proficiency in the UN and national language of the duty station.

Competencies

• Professionalism – Advanced knowledge of the use of information management to improve the business processes; proven and demonstrable experience in analysis of information and capacity to articulate the information management requirements of complex situations requiring a coordinated response between disparate actors; demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to use sound judgment to ensure the effective and timely completion of complex tasks; ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters).
• Communication – Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills including the ability to convey complex information management concepts and recommendations to staff at all levels, both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise style that can be readily understood by non-information management practitioners.
• Teamwork – Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organisational goals; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision.
• Planning and Organising – Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; operates in compliance with organisational regulations and rules; supports subordinates and peers, 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; designs solutions and basis recommendations on the principles of usability; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; 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.
• Judgment/Decision-making – Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision. 
• Commitment to Continuous Learning – Demonstrated history of keeping abreast of new developments in the field plus a commitment to continuous learning.
• Technology Awareness – Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the Office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:  12 January 2018

Applications received after this date will not be considered.

Women are encouraged to apply