[Hiring] Senior Telecommunications Specialist @World Food Programme

Role Description

The Senior Telecommunications Specialist will support Emergency and Surge projects, on site, reviewing current security telecommunications support services, and provide or implement recommendations on the design, establishment, upgrading or maintenance of connectivity and security telecommunication services. The incumbent is required to be deployed for long-term field missions, often in hardship duty stations.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities

• Lead the country-based UN security networks assessments on the basis of connectivity, applications and security procedures, coordinating with inter-agency heads of agencies, partners, UN Country Teams and UNDSS;
• Review the UN security networks and provide observations and recommendations, present the findings to the Designated Officials, Security Management Team and UN Country Teams on site, in a comprehensive mission report, to pursue their support;
• Lead working groups on the standardization of Security Telecommunications solutions;
• Identify solutions related to new technologies, while presenting the realities of field situations and constraints;
• Coordinate local telecommunications-related working groups and activities, including the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, the Security Telecommunications project (TESS), Inter-Agency teams (ICT Working Groups), support the relationship with the Host Government on licensing and import permissions;
• Design, install or supervise VSAT, microwave, point-to-point or point-to-multipoint networks;
• Build local capacity in the area of telecommunications, for WFP or other humanitarian agencies;
• Provide technical advisory, specifications and inspections for procurement and reception of goods and services within the area of expertise;
• Design and identify the training needs of local personnel and TDY on the domain of expertise;
• Design, budget and plan communications systems/equipment/services in designated areas;
• Provide reports, with support from external resources, within the area of expertise and on humanitarian activities within the operation;
• Design, install, or supervise installations or upgrades of VHF networks, ranging from simple single (isolated) repeaters to complex repeater network linked via IP (Point to Point microwave connections), including end user equipment (mobile and/or handheld equipment);
• Contribute in prototyping new solutions based on VHF technology (or mixing VHF-satellite-IP solutions);
• Perform any other related duty as required.

Deliverables at the End of the Contract

• Project(s) implemented, handed over or closed in the field;
• Mission reports completed within 10 days of each field mission / activity;
• Proposal for continuous improvement or enhancement of TECF’s and TESS communication standards shared;
• Support the change management approach in the transition and/or implementation of security telecommunications implementations in the field;
• Lead the implementing team when delivering services in complex operations for telecommunications projects.

Qualifications

• University degree in Technology, Business Management in relevant field and minimum 6 years of experience in relevant field or relevant post-secondary education with extensive relevant practical field work experience.

Technical Knowledge & Skills

• Ability to design, plan and execute projects in the field, and specifically in emergency situations;
• Ability and willingness to operate in hard, at times extreme, living conditions, to respond and travel to emergencies within 24 hours, to operate in distributed / decentralised teams and to engage with and support partners;
• Ability to work independently through appropriate personal initiative and regular follow-ups;
• Highly developed written and oral communication skills with the ability to influence and adapt communication styles to different situations and individuals;
• Collaborative hands-on team member and relationship-builder with a facilitative nature and strong business partnering skills towards colleagues and stakeholders;
• Highly developed Cognitive Capacity;
• Behavioural Flexibility.

Language

• Fluency (level C) in English language.
• Intermediate knowledge (level B) of a second official UN language: Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and/or WFP’s working language, Portuguese is desirable.