Background Information – Job-specific

United Nations Member States have decided to fundamentally transform the development coordination system to support countries in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopting General Assembly resolution A/RES/72/279 for a reinvigorated Resident Coordinator (RC) system, empowered and impartial to be fully dedicated to coordinating the development activities of UN entities as of 1 January 2019.

Member States subsequently endorsed the transformation of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat to manage and oversee the RCS under the collective ownership of the UNSDG, an internal mechanism that comprises United Nations agencies, funds and programmes working on development issues.

In this capacity, the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO) manages and oversees the RCS under the collective ownership of the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), an entity that comprises all UN agencies, funds and programmes working on development issues. DCO supports the Chair of the UNSDG and the RCS in overseeing the global UNSDG website in the six official languages and more than 130 websites of UN country teams (UNCTs) around the world, including the DCO website and the UNCT eReports. Therefore, DCO is looking for a skilled Global Digital Consultant to support the content production and work with a vendor in the area of development and maintenance of the sites.

The position is located in the Communications and Results Reporting Section of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) Headquarters in New York and is for a period of seven (7) months with the main responsibilities to support with backend infrastructure and the stability of websites backend while working with external vendors. This role will also contribute to content strategy and production.

Functional Responsibilities

The incumbent reports to the Communications Digital Strategist and is under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Communications and Results Reporting Section. The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:

Website Management and Development:

• Coordinate with external vendors to ensure the Drupal-based content management system (CMS)/websites have smooth integration with proprietary data systems (UN INFO and IMS), with an eye on backend operations, addressing any issues that arise and facilitating timely resolution.
• Monitor the performance of technical components and collaborate with vendors to implement updates, security patches, and performance optimization, including design and UI/UX.
• Assist in the integration of technical components (backend) with front-end development and editorial teams.
• Document backend processes and vendor communications for internal reference.
• Ensures the sites meet transparency and inclusiveness requirements using integrated open data systems and platforms.

Technical Liaison and Governance:

• Liaises with vendors for website enhancements, hosting, maintenance as needed including providing quality assurance on updates and maintenance requests.
• Assists in creating and maintaining institutional governance documents (e.g., SEO policy, accessibility standards).

Project Management and Oversight:

• Manages the interactive transparency and accountability data portal for the Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF).
• Manages changes to project scope and mitigates potential risks.
• Ensures technical and design enhancements for the annual interactive UNSDG Chair Report on DCO (eReport) and the System-Wide Contributions to the SDGs.

Content Creation and Quality Assurance:

• Performs editorial and technical quality assurance tasks.
• Supports the production of communications products, including interactive electronic reports.

Monitoring:

• Regularly assesses KPIs related to visitors, engagement to help inform strategic decisions related to the SPTF, E-Report and any other digital products as necessary.
• Stays informed about industry trends and best practices in backend support and content creation.
• Identifies issues and trends.
• Proposes management on appropriate action and updates.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The results of the services provided will be measured by the following deliverables on a monthly basis:

Technical Liaison and Governance:

• Reports on vendor interactions, including updates on website enhancements, hosting, and maintenance activities.
• Assessments of institutional governance documents, such as the SEO policy and accessibility standards, highlighting any revisions or updates made.

Project Leadership and Oversight:

• Progress reports on the interactive transparency and accountability data portal for the Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF), detailing milestones achieved and any challenges encountered.
• Reports of project scope changes and risk mitigation strategies, with recommendations for adjustments as needed.
• Technical and design assessment and recommendations on enhancements for the UNSDG Chair Report on DCO (eReport) and System-Wide Contributions to the SDGs, evaluating effectiveness and user feedback.

Content Creation and Quality Assurance:

• Updates on editorial and technical quality assurance tasks completed, including any issues identified and resolutions implemented.
• Report of the communication products produced, with an emphasis on interactive electronic reports, showcasing improvements and user engagement metrics.

Monitoring:

• Analytic Reports of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to website visitors, engagement levels, and user feedback, providing insights for strategic decision-making.
• Reports on industry trends and best practices in backend support and content creation, along with recommendations for implementation.
• Continuous monitoring and identification of emerging issues and trends, with real-time updates and proposals for management action as necessary.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

a. Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in communications, information technology, or similar field is required.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with an additional two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

b. Work Experience:
Required

• A minimum of 5 (five) years of progressively responsible experience in public information, journalism, computer science, information technology, digital marketing, or related areas.
• Experience managing websites in content management systems and backend operations is required.

Desired:

• Experience working with external vendors and developers to track website requests on platforms such as GitHub or Gitlab is desirable.
• Experience writing and editing content is desirable.
• Excellent communication and people skills.
• Experience working with the UN System, or another international organization is desirable.
• Experience in project management concepts (e.g., agile, PMP, PRINCE2, etc.) is desirable.

c. Language:

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required.
• Knowledge of one or more official UN languages is desirable.
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat.