International Technical Specialist– Software Development – Consultant – (2300525) – Dhaka, Bangladesh – FAO

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Organizational Setting

The FAO Country Office in Bangladesh (FABGD) is responsible for leading FAO’s response to country priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO’s priority activities in the country. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the country and, in collaboration with the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), Divisions, Offices and Centres at FAO Headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO’s strategic response to these priorities. Through its Country Programming Framework (CPF), the Country Office supports policy dialogue on food security, agriculture and rural development issues, at country level and facilitates the emergence of country partnerships, and supports capacity development and resource mobilization for food security, agriculture and rural development in the region.

The tasks envisaged for this consultancy are to be carried out through the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD), which is currently implementing several projects in various countries in Asia & Pacific. Within the ECTAD framework, the Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) is closely working with the Emergency and Resilience Division (PSE) under the Strategic Program 5 to support various aspects of the animal health programme of FAO, including the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSP) Programmes.

Reporting Lines

Under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative (FAOR) in Bangladesh, the direct supervision of the ECTAD Country Team Leader, and in close collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and implementing partners supporting the development and maintenance of GoB Bangladesh Animal Health Intelligence System (BAHIS), the incumbent will perform the following duties:

Technical Focus

Provide coordination, project management and software programming support for continued software development of BAHIS.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Revise the project management toolkit used to coordinate the maintenance and development of BAHIS. Suggest improvements and foster closer collaboration with government partners.
• Coordinate work of the in-country team on revising the server application of BAHIS, including developing version 3 of the system.
• Review the current software infrastructure of BAHIS and identify key issues and main points of concern. Suggest a modular architecture allowing for a gradual movement of all BAHIS modules into a more sustainable codebase.
• Prepare a new, normalized database schema and scripts for migrating previous data (including static version 1) into BAHIS.
• Provide technology review to find available library and tools for data collection and reporting parts of the system.
• Revise the essential specification requirements of BAHIS based on interviews with stakeholders.
• Prioritize the necessary changes to BAHIS infrastructure and develop a work plan
• Ensure regular weekly updates on BAHIS work via virtual team meetings
• Oversee testing of the pre-release of version 3 of BAHIS by the DLS and FAO BAHIS support team
• Provide expert guidance for software development and bi-weekly coding sessions to supervise in-country team development work.
• Guide the FAO National Technical Advisor – Health Information Systems on project management and design on version 3 of BAHIS
• Perform other related duties as required.
• Prepare and submit an end-of-assignment report highlighting tasks undertaken and progress achieved as mentioned above.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Science, or related field.
• At least five years of relevant experience delivering in data and software science, including data-driven public health insight and Data Visualization solutions and services
• Proficient in Python and SQI
• Related work experience in Bangladesh preferred

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Good knowledge of data science, software development
• Demonstrable proficiency with Data Visualization tools
• Extent and relevance of experience delivering Data Visualization solutions and services
• Good knowledge of the UN work system and ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural backgrounds
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, planning, and problem-solving skills, as well as gender-sensitive and cross-cultural competency
• Excellent interpersonal skills to collaborate and influence across different levels and diverse teams in and out of the Organization

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/
For more information, visit the FAO employment website
Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT

Consultants in the UN

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