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Web Developer (PSA)

Organization Name: The United Nations University (UNU)
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Apply email: Not Specified
Start Date: 20-November-2021
Closing Date: 18-December-2021

Job description

About UN University

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on the pressing global problems of human survival, conflict prevention, development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 13 countries, UNU’s work spans the full breadth of the 17 SDGs, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

United Nations University Campus Computing Centre (C3)

The Campus Computing Centre (C3) serves as the technology arm of the United Nations University, providing, responsive, user-focused and cost-effective information and communications technology (ICT) solutions that assist UNU and its institutes in successfully achieving their respective missions. In fulfilling this responsibility, C3 is committed to guiding the University’s strategic technology direction and overseeing the coordination and support of ICT infrastructure, resources and services in alignment with the University’s mission and goals.

The Position

As part of the Software Engineering team, working in Agile sprint iterations, the web developer will deliver high-quality software solutions to support and enhance UNU’s operations and intranet ecosystem. The successful candidate also will have the opportunity to contribute to the evolution of the development tools and processes to ensure releases of new functionality. For the right candidate, the possibility of remote work may be considered.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the position include:

• Design and develop high-quality, performant web applications to support UNU’s operations and processes in an Agile environment where collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement are key aspects of the team culture
• Take end-to-end ownership of source code throughout all phases of the software development lifecycle
• Collaborate with different business units to gather requirements and develop requirement specification documents
• Provide estimates for development timeline and resourcing needs
• Work with the team to build, maintain, and improve new and existing intranet/extranet web applications following coding standards and secure-by-design principles
• Provide end-user support to applications deployed to production
• Identify opportunities and effective ways to automate now-manual business processes to improve efficiency
• Understand and influence the journey to solutions by considering both off-the-shelf and bespoke alternatives
• Identify decision support enhancement opportunities by leveraging available data from different sources
• Participate in collaborative software projects across departments and institutes which create value for the entire University
• Document source code and all development processes, configurations, and solutions
• Deliver end-user training and share knowledge with internal team members
• Stay current with the latest development paradigms and technologies, and provide recommendations regarding changes to current practices and solutions as appropriate
• Undertake other duties and specific projects as directed, which may include researching new technologies and developing innovative approaches to new challenges

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion - Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.
• Integrity - Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.
• Humility - Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.
• Humanity - Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate - Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and Plan - Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop - Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate - Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways

Qualifications

Requirements and qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related fields
• Hands-on experience with LAMP/LEMP
• 2+ years of experience in web application development using PHP and Laravel framework
• Proficiency with HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Bootstrap or other CSS frameworks
• Knowledge of MySQL or other relational databases
• Practical understanding of application and database performance optimisation
• Familiarity with Agile development tools, processes and principles
• Familiarity with DevOPs practices, tools, and environments, including CI/CD (e.g., Jenkins, Bitbucket Pipelines)
• Comfortability with Git
• Knowledge of test driven development
• Experience with consuming and building RESTful APIs
• Knowledge of web security
• Strong interest in working with data analytics and visualisation
• Excellent problem-solving skills, critical thinking abilities, and willingness to learn new concepts, methods, and technologies
• Good communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present technical solutions to non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to write technical documentation, including processes, procedures, and workflows
• Passion for learning new technologies

Knowledge with the following skills is highly advantageous:

• Infrastructure services (e.g., AWS, Azure)
• Design patterns in development and platform architecture (e.g., microservices, CQRS)
• Content management systems, such as Drupal 9 or WordPress
• Javascript frameworks, such as Vue.js, Node.js, Angular, or React

Remuneration

The successful candidate will be employed under a local PSA contract and no relocation allowances apply. UNU offers an attractive compensation package including an annual net salary, commensurate with the experience and qualifications of the candidate. Benefits include 30 days annual leave and a health insurance scheme.

PSA holders are required to enroll in Japan’s national social health care and pension insurance systems.

UNU is not liable for any taxes that may be levied on the remuneration you receive under this contract. Payment of any such taxes remains the sole responsibility of PSA holders.

Duration of contract

The duration of the initial contract is 1 year. This is Personnel Service Agreement (PSA) contract with UNU, with the possibility for renewal subject to requirements and satisfactory work performance. The combined duration on a PSA contract with UNU may not exceed six (6) years. The mandatory age of retirement for PSA holders is 65 years.

Expected start date: As soon as possible.

How to Apply:

To apply to UNU, you will not need an account. Instead, we ask that you:

• Apply via the link below;
• fill out the UNU P11 form (https://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/page/24952/UNU-P11-PHP-Personal-History-Form-FINAL.docx) (please avoid using similar forms provided by other United Nations organisations);
• provide a motivation statement (in the P11 form); and
• answer a few questions that are tailored to the position.

You may wish to refer to the UN Values and Behaviours Framework (https://i.unu.edu/media/unu.edu/page/24952/Values-and-Behaviours-Framework_Final.pdf) for more information.

Application Deadline: Open until filled.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview, background checks and references.

Special notice

UNU does not sponsor a working visa for this position.

PSA holders do no hold international civil servant status nor are they considered a “staff member” as defined in the UN Staff Rules and Regulations.

UNU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply and become part of the organization. Applications from developing countries, and from women are strongly encouraged.

UNU is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its personnel. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

UNU has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNU, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.
Information about UNU rosters

UNU reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNU.

Scam warning

UNU does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

Apply at: https://careers.unu.edu/o/web-developer-psa/c/new