Senior IT Operations and Service Manager (Paris, France) contract

Post Number : DBS 103

Grade : P-5

Parent Sector : Bureau for Digital Business Solutions (DBS)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Computer Sciences / Information Technologies

Type of contract : Fixed Term

Duration of contract : 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 01-MAY-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

The position is located in the Bureau of Digital Business Solutions in the Sector for Administration and Management.

Digital technologies play a key role in the fulfilment of UNESCO’s mandate and the delivery of its programme. To support and enable the strategic transformation agenda, new digital technologies are being implemented across the Organization. The Bureau of Digital Business Solutions (DBS) plays a key role in this implementation. DBS serves as the Secretariat for the Organization’s digital transformation governance, facilitating the development and evolution of the One-UNESCO Digital Strategy.

As a key partner in the implementation of this strategy, the Bureau’s work includes the design and deployment of coherent and integrated corporate solutions to support the delivery of UNESCO’s programmatic outputs, while ensuring that all digital/IT services remain functional and operational at all times, and information management, digital/IT risk mitigation and cybersecurity measures are in place.
The objectives and outputs of the Bureau are highly service oriented, requiring business engagement, customer focus and innovative digital solutions. New ways of working are needed that provide both effectiveness and efficiency in solution delivery, built on best in class principles of user experience design and digital/IT architectures.

Reporting to the Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO), the  Senior IT Operations and Service Manager supports the delivery of the Bureau’s outputs and digital transformation as a whole, and is responsible for directing the system operations of UNESCO’s core digital platform UNESCORE, as well as leading the provision of resilient global services, including email, network and customer-centric service delivery. The incumbent heads the IT Operations and Service Section and directs a team of operations, service support, network, systems and multimedia technology staff.

The key responsibilities of the role are as follows:

• Serve as an operations programme leader in the provision of continuous service to internal UNESCO staff and programmes and external stakeholders. Maintain stable platform(s) and work horizontally with development teams to provide a service-based delivery model and a high quality user experience for customers.
• Lead the management of the on-premise technology infrastructure and external cloud environments used to support customers and internal staff.
• Lead the design, development and maintenance of all core infrastructure, systems and applications and overall monitoring of UNESCO’s technology environment.
• As the infrastructure operations and service manager, ensure services are being delivered as per service agreements at the highest quality for the lowest cost, lead a responsive and solution-oriented Service desk and ensure enhanced operational support for both headquarters and the field. Oversee service management and customer facing support services.
• Strategically analyze, assess, monitor and review consumption, anticipate and identify trends and ensure responses and action lead to improvements.
• Provide authoritative technical and policy advice, and clear and concise responses to senior managers and strategic stakeholders both internally and externally on the delivery of responsive and effective customer focused and business outcomes, service trends and outcome measures to support informed decision making, and the performant workplace technology environment.
• Formulate, implement and evaluate innovative strategies, policies and frameworks for continuous improvement and support the operations team’s ability to achieve and exceed service standards and performance indicators.
• Drive consumer-centric values and approaches, ensuring the provision of an innovative and high quality service catalog and the implementation of strategies, approaches and processes that guarantee user satisfaction at all times with the products/services purchased.
• Exercise strategic human and financial asset management. Prepare, monitor and assess the budget, work programme and spending plan of the Section, direct and empower a team of Section staff, plan and manage work assignments, coach, mentor and evaluate team and staff performance using metrics and data analytics among other mechanisms, and substantively participate in recruiting, selecting and building the capacity of staff.
• Serve as a member of the DBS Management Team and deputize for the CITO as required.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Education

• Advanced University degree (Masters or equivalent) in the field of computer science, information systems, or a related field.
   

Work Experience

• At least ten (10) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in the field of computer science, information systems, including demonstrated management experience in digital enterprise operations and customer-centric service delivery, of which preferably five (5) years acquired at international level.
• Commercially and financially astute with proven experience successfully operating and providing consistent value to rapidly changing digital business environments which operate globally.
• Extensive experience in prioritizing and handling complex service requests.
• Proven experience in managing/coordinating large and diverse working groups or teams, and providing policy advice and guidance on enterprise architecture and digital business solutions.

Skills & Competencies

• Knowledge of and commitment to UNESCO’s mandate, vision, strategic direction and priorities.
• Institutional leadership capacity, high sense of objectivity and professional integrity, diplomacy, tact and political astuteness.
• Proven skills in administration and the management of financial and human resources.
• Demonstrated strategic planning and management abilities, including capacity to administer extensive programmes, financial resources and exercise appropriate supervision and control.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills, including in establishing plans and priorities, and in implementing them effectively, as well as in devising implementation plans.
• Ability to interact with a wide range of high-level partners, as well as demonstrated building and maintaining partnership development.
• Capacity to provide intellectual leadership to guide staff, as well as ability to build trust, manage, lead and motivate a diversified body of staff in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity, exercise supervision and control, as well as ensure continuous training and development of staff.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively and to build and maintain partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and representational skills, and demonstrated ability to advocate, and negotiate with staff and a wide range of stakeholders/partners at all levels within and outside the Organization.
• Sound judgement and decision-making skills.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English or French, and good knowledge of the other. 

Education

• Business Management or Business Operations degree is desirable.

Work Experience

• Experience or a propensity for running or managing IT for a business.
   

Skills & Competencies

• Familiarity with the work and general functioning of internationalorganizations and/or the United Nations system.

Languages

• Knowledge of other official languages of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish).