ICT Web Application Development / Azure Migration Support
Organizational Context
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) operates globally to eradicate poverty and protect the planet, assisting countries in developing policies, skills, partnerships, and institutions for sustainable progress. In Kenya, UNDP's primary objective is poverty eradication aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and UN principles. A key focus is on Democratic Governance, supporting Kenya's Vision 2030 Political Pillar, which aims to transform political governance through rule of law, electoral processes, public service delivery, transparency, accountability, and security.
Job Purpose
This assignment supports the migration of the REST-GLR Agricultural Finance Ecosystem Mapping Dashboard from Vercel to UNDP-managed infrastructure. The goal is to maintain its public-facing functionality and establish a sustainable system for annual data updates. The volunteer will be responsible for assessing the current static website, migrating it to Azure App Service, and implementing a secure, efficient data management architecture. This includes designing a data update mechanism, establishing a validation workflow, and ensuring compliance with UNDP ICT standards. The role requires coordinating security and branding reviews, documenting operational procedures, and transferring knowledge to UNDP personnel for ongoing maintenance and readiness.
Responsibilities
The volunteer will conduct a thorough discovery and assessment of the existing web application, including its source repository, build requirements, Vercel configuration, and dependencies. This involves inventorying all functions and documenting baseline performance. A key task is assessing Azure App Service compatibility and identifying necessary replacements for Vercel-specific features, leading to the production of a solution architecture, migration runbook, and workplan. Responsibilities include deploying the application to approved Azure environments (DEV/UAT/PROD), configuring secure runtime, domain, and network controls. The volunteer will implement reproducible builds, CI/CD pipelines, and ensure the migration preserves existing user experience and public read-only access. Monitoring, logging, backup, and rollback procedures will be configured, along with documentation of infrastructure dependencies and operating costs. Furthermore, the role involves designing and implementing a secure, staff-only annual data update mechanism, including data templates, validation rules, and a draft-to-publish workflow with an audit trail. Security, accessibility, and compliance with UNDP ICT requirements are paramount, necessitating functional, performance, and security testing. The volunteer will coordinate branding reviews and prepare comprehensive deployment and operational documentation. Finally, the assignment requires delivering all source code, configurations, and documentation, conducting knowledge transfer sessions for ICT support and data stewards, and supporting the production launch and acceptance. A post-launch maintenance plan will be provided.
Work Experience
A minimum of two years of professional experience in web application development, deployment, and maintenance is required. Demonstrated hands-on experience deploying production web applications to Microsoft Azure, preferably Azure App Service, is essential. Experience with modern JavaScript/TypeScript frameworks, APIs, build pipelines, cloud configuration, data ingestion/validation workflows, application security, and access control is necessary. Prior migration experience from platforms like Vercel to Azure, familiarity with geospatial dashboards, and experience within UN agencies are desirable.
Skills
Proficiency in web application development, deployment, and maintenance. Strong experience with Microsoft Azure, particularly Azure App Service. Expertise in modern JavaScript/TypeScript web frameworks, APIs, build pipelines, and cloud configuration. Skills in implementing data ingestion, validation, and publication workflows. Competence in application security, identity and access management, troubleshooting, and technical documentation. Ability to collaborate effectively with ICT and programme teams under tight deadlines. Familiarity with geospatial dashboards and data visualization is desirable.