ELECTIONS SOFTWARE ENGINEER (SUPPORT TO ELECTIONS DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD)
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required : Arabic English
Expected Duration of Assignment : 6 months with possibility of extension
Background
The project Support to Elections during the Transition Period (SETP) aims to support the Government of Yemen (GoY), and the Supreme Commission on Elections and Referenda (SCER), in particular, in reinforcing the electoral cycle by conducting fair, open and inclusive elections within the terms of the agreed Transition Initiative (signed in Riyadh on 23 November, 2011 by the ruling and the opposition parties). The project adopted a two-phase approach: phase one focused on the early Presidential elections which took place on 21 February, 2012; and phase two, which will focus on electoral legal reforms, supporting the update to the voter registry, technical support to the expected referendum on a new/revised Constitution, as well as post-referendum elections, including support to enhance inclusion and participation in electoral processes. Support to the capacity building of the SCER will be reinforced during both phases.
The political agreement in Yemen is expected not only to put an end to the acute political crisis in Yemen, but also to open a new unprecedented possibility for cardinal change and target-oriented reforms aimed at enhancing the principles of democratic governance, the rule of law, political, economic and cultural development. These changes, however, cannot come over night. The transition period began with the announcement of early elections and the formation of a new Government, which will take important steps, such as the adoption of a new constitution and legislation, formation and smooth functioning of a government of national unity, decentralization and enhancing local governance, socio-economic reforms and considerable empowerment of women and youth. The UN will support the political transition of Yemen through the UN Stabilization Framework and focus on key areas of the transition including electoral support (to include an updated voter registry) and as outlined in the Transition Initiative.
The drastically increased intensity of the electoral events and their significance and importance in the transition requires that a separate Election Support Unit (ESU) be formed to conduct all the necessary preparatory and coordination work in order to meet the tremendous challenge of the transition period in an appropriate and targeted manner. In the 24-month period outlined under Phase II of the transitional process, the role of the elections, including voter registration, implementation assurances and public awareness and education of electoral legal reforms and the administration of a prospective referendum and post-referendum elections will be crucial to the success of the transitional period in Yemen.
The Elections Software Engineer is involved in the development, communication and implementation of the SCER's technology architecture and applications plan, including the components required to support it and in the integration of all information systems. Responsible for: coordinating, administering and supporting activities related to data planning, data recovery and development and related projects, includes all types of IT business architects as well as IT technical architects. Duties and Responsibilities
The Elections Software Engineer Under the overall guidance of the CTA in Yemen and under supervision of the Operations Specialist will be:
• Conducting stakeholder interviews and user testing sessions, creating workflows and schematics, as well as delivering information architecture;
• Existing, in-flight and future projects will be impacted by the role;
• Develop architectural approach to meet key business objectives and studies feasibility of requests;
• Develop architectural diagrams to illustrate architectural complexities and interactions;
• Work primarily with SCER IT staff, lead through business analysis, architecture, and hands-on development.
• Increase SCER IT staff architecture and development capacity through knowledge transmission of both technologies and software lifecycle processes. Supports and develops software engineers by providing advice, coaching and educational opportunities;
• Ensure project successfully implements the designed solution by getting involved in the development stages.
• Conduct vendor analysis and proof-of-concepts for new technologies/solutions;
• Responsible for the design and implementation of the core technologies that the architecture is built on and the tools used to implement the software;
• Lead the design and development of big data storage systems; coach development teams in architecture, design and software engineering best practices;
• Work with the Management team to define and drive technical strategy and architectural direction for the platform for the secure and scalable storage of elections-related data;
• Provide technology leadership in design and development decisions.
As a priority, the Elections Software Engineer will have to focus on:
• The Operations Room Information System;
• The Operators Database;
• The Challenges System. Expected Outputs and Deliverables
• Develop architectural approach to meet key business objectives and studies feasibility of requests;
• Develop architectural diagrams to illustrate architectural complexities and interactions;
• Design and implement the core technologies that the architecture is built on and the tools used to implement the software;
• Lead the design and development of big data storage systems; coach development teams in architecture, design and software engineering best practices. Competencies
Corporate Competencies
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Displays political neutrality.
Professionalism
• Pride in work and achievements;
• Professional competence and adherence to professional ethics;
• Conscientiousness and efficiency in meeting commitments, compliance with deadlines;
• Motivation by professional rather than personal concerns; persistence when faced with difficult circumstances or challenges;
• Calm in stressful situations. Teamwork
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and to adapt successfully to changing circumstances. Communication
• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
• Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
• Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
• Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience;
• Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
• Excellent communication and networking skills. Client Orientation
• Considers all those to whom services are provided to be ‘clients’ and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view;
• Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect;
• Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions;
• Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed of and anticipate problems;
• Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client. Required Skills and Experience
Academic and Other Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering/Mathematics;
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer;
• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator. Experience
• Minimum 7 years as software architect and senior software developer;
• Minimum 7 years of experience with .Net and SQL and related technologies;
• Minimum 5 years with high-scale enterprise software systems for high-availability, high-performance, massive scale data management for structured data, unstructured data and files / documents;
• Previous experience with processes/methodologies like Agile;
• Experience with communications technology solutions such as Internet services and WANs;
• Experience in Elections and knowledge of Elections related information systems;
• Knowledge of GIS programming is an asset;
• Understanding of UN/UNDP programming modalities.
Language Requirements
• English fluency;
• Functional knowledge of Arabic, both written and oral is an asset. Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments
• Daily Fee + DSA;
• Schedule of Payment: upon completion of contract.
Recommended Presentation of Offer
• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services, but may be omitted for support services[Note: this is optional for support services];
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.
Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer
• Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology (if applicable) will be weighted a maximum of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%. Application Process: UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. If you meet the requirements stated above please click here .
NOTE: Applications for this job are not through Yemen HR website. They should be sent to the address mentioned above in the announcement itself. Please review the ad and follow what the "Application process" or the "How to apply" section says. |