ICT Specialist

Organizational Context

The role is situated within the UNOPS Madagascar Project Office, which collaborates with the Government of Madagascar on sustainable development across health, energy, agriculture, and infrastructure. This office operates under the North Africa Multi-Country Office (NAMCO) and the UNOPS Africa Regional Office, contributing to project delivery, essential service provision, and local economic growth in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Job Purpose

The ICT Specialist's primary purpose is to lead the planning, technical oversight, quality assurance, and implementation of information systems for the Single Maritime Window (Guichet Unique Maritime) project in Madagascar. This involves managing the entire lifecycle of IT solutions, from comprehensive requirements analysis and strategic procurement of hardware and software to their meticulous installation, configuration, and commissioning. The role is critical in ensuring the robust performance, stringent security, and long-term sustainability of these vital digital platforms. By effectively coordinating with various internal and external stakeholders, defining resilient system architectures, and ensuring strict compliance with international standards, the specialist contributes significantly to enhancing maritime trade facilitation, improving public service delivery, and supporting Madagascar's national development priorities through advanced technological solutions and efficient data exchange mechanisms.

Responsibilities

The ICT Specialist will be responsible for the comprehensive planning and coordination of information system activities, including developing technical programs, updating project management tools, and ensuring multi-vendor intervention coherence. This involves close technical coordination with relevant institutional IT services (APMF, Customs) for integration and data exchange, while integrating cross-cutting issues like gender and digital accessibility. Key duties include technical supervision and quality control, such as defining and validating system architectures (networks, servers, databases, applications) for the Single Maritime Window and Research/Industry platform, emphasizing interoperability with national systems. The specialist will oversee software development, system implementation, functional and integration testing, load testing, and cybersecurity audits, ensuring compliance with specifications and international standards for critical infrastructure. The role also encompasses IT equipment procurement, involving needs analysis, drafting technical specifications for hardware and software, evaluating offers, and supervising delivery and installation. Furthermore, the specialist will contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and risk management by developing dashboards, tracking key technical indicators (service availability, performance, security), and maintaining the project's risk register and technical documentation. Finally, the specialist will provide crucial support for adoption and skills transfer, offering technical assistance for user training, preparing technical content, and facilitating knowledge transfer to partner institutions' IT teams to ensure the long-term sustainability and maintenance of implemented solutions post-project closure.

Work Experience

A minimum of 7 years of experience (5 years with a Master's degree) in the design, implementation, and technical supervision of large-scale information systems is required, including at least two years in integrating heterogeneous systems. Desirable experience includes change management and technical skills transfer to public institution IT teams, procurement and management of IT equipment for distributed sites, and knowledge of the Malagasy or African institutional context. Proven experience in IT quality control, technical specification drafting, vendor supervision, and familiarity with international data protection and business continuity standards for critical infrastructure are also highly valued, as is experience with internationally funded projects.

Skills

Capacity Building, International Security, Quality Assurance, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, System Architecture, System Integration Testing, Testing

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