INFORMATION SYSTEMS ASSISTANT/WEB DEVELOPER (Temporary Job Opening)

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Communications and External Relation Section in the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The web developer reports to the Chief of the Section.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Web Developer will be responsible for the following duties:

• Participates in the development, programming, testing, debugging and implementation of new web application systems releases, modules and functionalities.
• Develops, tests and implements simple web application systems and programs using UN established standards for IT technologies, programming languages and tools.
• Serves as team member in the planning, specification, design, development, implementation and support of web application systems; independently liaises with users to define and specify requirements.
• Installs webapplication systems according to specifications; monitors web applications systems using appropriate web application frameworks, tools and techniques.
• Prepares training materials and conducts technical presentations.
• Maintains functional specifications for web application systems, programs and procedures developed and/or modified.
• Provides support for the development of web sites, tailored content sites and intranet pages and performs ongoing maintenance for optimal delivery. including version management,; performs ongoing reviews with users and developers and responds to users requests.
• Optimizes the user experience making the website and intranet easier to navigate and more intuitive.
• Creates, mantains and enhance Drupal content management system (CMS) using authoring tools.
• Drafts communications, including work plan revisions and other related issues, as well as prepares unit contributions on web related matters.
• Serves as focal point for coordination and technical monitoring of application systems development of web projects, involving extensive liaison with diverse organizational units to initiate requests.
• Keeps abreast of developments in the field; performs benchmarking and proposes new acquisitions.
• Provides guidance to new/junior staff.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Competencies

• Professionalism: Knowledge of organizational information infrastructure, including hardware, software and application systems. Knowledge of relevant programming language(s) including JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3. Ability to use programming skills to develop websites and information content systems. Knowledge of system development workflow and document flow processes, ability to conduct research and gather information from a wide variety of standard and non-standard sources. Ability to respond to changing requirements and assignments, ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given. Ability to design and develop websites focusing on trade and macroeconomic issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of work.
• Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• Technological Awareness: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent. Formal training or studies in programming, web development, computer science, IT, engineering or related area is an advantage.

Work Experience

Seven years of experience in information systems analysis and programming, systems administration and maintenance, software development, technical writing or related area is required. The minimum years of relevant experience is reduced to five (5) for candidates who possess a first-level university degree or higher.

Experience in Drupal (versions 10 and higher) building and maintaining websites using core, contributed and custom modules, including production deployment and lifecycle management, is required.

Experience in full-stack development covering both server-side (PHP, object-oriented programming, REST APIs) and client-side technologies (JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3), is required.

Experience developing websites and digital platforms focused on transforming trade and macroeconomic data into accessible, visually engaging, and user-friendly public information products, is desirable.

Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based version control and modern deployment workflows (e.g., Azure DevOps), is desirable.

Experience integrating third-party services and APIs (e.g. Mailchimp, OpenAI, statistical data APIs) into content management platforms, is desirable.

Experience in user interface and user experience design, including accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA), is desirable.

Experience in an international organization is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Either Spanish or French or Arabic or Russian or Chinese (Mandarin) is desirable.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which will be followed by a competency-based interview.