Website & Database Associate (National Position) - Level (ICS-7) - Jerusalem/OCHA oPt (# 2016-008)

 

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 WDA will be expected to work closely with the Information Management, Research and Analysis, Protection, Advocacy, and Field Coordination Units. The WDA 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 WDA will also contribute to strengthening and creating new relationships with partner agencies and NGO’s. Finally, the WDA will ensure that all procedures and processes under his (her) responsibility are properly documented.

The Website and Database Associate (WDA) 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:

• Website Development
• Website Management
• Clusters Website Development and Management
• Database/Application development
• 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 (web content management system drupal)

Conceptualize 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. Website Management

Resolve day-to-day questions in relation to the production process for web pages. 

Research original and/or new UN documents and humanitarian materials that may be appropriate for a particular page of the UN OCHA website. Improve the content of the website to support the humanitarian community.

Ensure correctness of entries and make corrections as required; cleaning, editing and updating document databases as needed for optimal access by search engines; oversee the linking of documents and determine appropriate categorization;

Troubleshoot problems as they arise, consulting, as necessary, with the IMU manager, Research and Advocacy Units.

Analyze monthly statistics on web page usage and report trends. 

Maintain website visibility, accessibility  and visibility and availability for all browsers, operating systems and computer settings( date, language etc)

3. Clusters Website Development and Management

Development and management of the clusters website (Humanitarian Response Portal) to include tools to support coordination e.g. meeting calendar , searchable contact list

Upload of documents and other materials provides by clusters on the website

Updating the contact list and meetings calendar

Extend and add new functionalities to the website based on analysis of clusters/sectors needs/requirements.

Maintain and upload data repository, common operation datasets and functional operational datasets

Maintain a client-oriented approach in understanding requirements

Train Information Management focal points on the use of the portal and promote the use of the portal among the humanitarian community

4. Database/Application development

In collaboration with GIS experts in the IMU, Develop interactive mapping applications for the UN OCHA website based on Google Maps, ArcGIS web mapping API and/ or other available technologies

Develop interactive multimedia applications for the web, combining text, graphics, animation, and sound to create dynamic multimedia products for humanitarian advocacy.

5. Other responsibilities

Provide tutoring to staff in the use of remote posting.

Monitor and train OCHA staff involved with maintenance and enhancement of the website.

Assist in selecting photos to accompany UN OCHA oPt’s publications and revise photo captions for website posting.

Promote the adoption of OCHA Information Management tools and techniques by OCHA­oPt staff

Contribute to the application of OCHA Internet Publishing Policies and Record-Keeping Policies, including but not limited to the application of metadata standards, project documentation standards and document management conventions.

Maintain a client-oriented approach that ensures the IMU provides high-quality information management services and products to the OCHA office and to members of the humanitarian community;

Together with the other relevant staff of the Office, develop and implement a dissemination strategy for all information products (e.g. reports, data, maps) through, for example, hard copy, stand alone executable programmes, CD-ROMs and websites; Any other duties as may be requested by the OCHA Head of Office and IMU Manager.

Education:

Secondary Education. University Degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Management, Management Information Systems (MIS) or related field would be desirable but it is not a requirement.

Experience:

5 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) Experience in online (web-based) mapping (GIS) using Google Maps Web API or ArcGIS Web API.

(2) Programming knowledge and experience of database management and administration.

(3) Practical knowledge of standard software packages (MS Office – Access – Visio – Adobe)

(4) Proven experience in designing databases and interfaces using MS Access integrated with MS-SQL Server.

(5) Practical knowledge developing web pages using MS Visual Studio, Adobe Dreamweaver and other web development tools. 

(6) Knowledge and experience in data security

(7) Experience in using RAD controls in .NET programming (Telerik)

Working experience in a development or humanitarian environment is preferable.  Working experience in developing websites using Drupal CMS , or programming using Sencha touch for iPhone is an asset.

Language requirements:

Fluency in the UN and national language of the duty station

Competency:

• 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. 

Women are encouraged to apply