Somalia Country Office

Somalia is amid major new political and security developments that will offer a greater possibility for peace and security than the country has seen in over 20 years. The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS), established in 2012, and the international community have driven a process of rebuilding of functioning government institutions and processes through Somalia’s peacebuilding and state-building priorities under the Somali Compact (2013-2016), based on the Busan “New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States” agreement. The Somalia National Development Plan (2017-2019), builds on this foundation laid by the Compact and sets the priorities for national recovery and development in full collaboration with national and regional governments. A landmark electoral process in late 2016 and early 2017 resulted in a peaceful transfer of power to a new President and government, in place since February and March 2017 respectively. The government has set out an ambitious agenda for its term (the period to 2021). At the London Somalia Conference in May 2017, a Security Pact was agreed by Somalia and the international community, which will allow for sustainable, long-term security based on mutual accountability.

The functional objective of UNOPS in Somalia is to deliver projects in an efficient and effective manner, to achieve the development outcomes sought by the Government of Somalia and the donor community. The aim of UNOPS in Somalia is to provide implementation services to the Government of Somalia, the donor community, and partner agencies in the reconstruction and development of the country. In doing so, UNOPS aims to exceed client expectations in the delivery of quality services throughout the country.

Job Specific

The MIS Specialist will provide coordination support to the project and will report to the Head of Programme. She/he will proactively coordinate and liaise with relevant government stakeholders and working group focal points on all biometric registration-related matters, specifically pertaining to enhancing the efficiency on the side of UNHRS19. The MIS Specialist will also work closely with all projects requiring support on the use of systems such as UNHRS19 or other biometric registration and verification activities.**

Purpose and Scope of Assignment :

The purpose of the MIS Specialist role is to:

• Develop and implement all sorts of Project Management Information Systems as per the project’s requirements.
• Maintain contact with field teams to ensure the timely flow of the project data.
• Measure progress according to monthly timelines, identifying gaps in delivery, proposing solutions in collaboration with the relevant Project Managers.
• Troubleshoot & solve problems when roadblocks are encountered at the field level to ensure the delivery of quality information.
• Manage gathering of impact, effect & human interest data from the field, ensure accuracy and quality assure of information;
• Engage in the strategic examination of organizational engagement in Somalia, development revision & monitoring of the strategic plan.
• Ensure linkages to policy, strategy, crosscutting issues & synergies between regional initiatives.
• Assist the PMs in the development of regional, personal & thematic plans to achieve stated goals & objectives, including developing background & contextual components of work plans.
• The MIS Specialist will be expected to manage the duties of the Biometric Registration Mentors and to work in close collaboration with the counterpart staff in the police and military under the general supervision of the UNOPS Head of Programme.
• Support the day-to-day performance and outputs of the biometric system that will ultimately enable efficient and effective disbursement of military and police stipends.
• Manage all systems related functions of the biometric registration system, including regular maintenance and upgrades to the system.
• Ensure timely synchronization of biometric registration and verification kits with the database.
• Undertake full responsibility of all biometric devices, including registration/verification kits and other biometric devices.
• Responsible for asset management of all biometric and ICT devices and machineries.
• Build the capacity of the national counterpart so that they are able to use the HRS system and all hardware and establish the sustainability and future improvement of the systems and databases.
• Conduct necessary training to staff in the management of the systems and databases as related to their work performances and outputs.
• Lead, coach, and mentor the biometric registration and mentoring teams.
• Provide the system with user manuals, including the development of forms and reports.
• Work closely with the FGS and FMS military and police and provide support, updates, and reports when required. This will require regular field missions to all the Federal Member States in Somalia.
• Perform other duties as and when required.

Impact of results

The MIS Specialist has a major role that directly affects the ability of the FGS and FMS (military and police) to effectively and efficiently disburse stipend payments in a timely fashion, which will have a direct impact of the delivery of safety and security services to the broader Somalia.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Master’s Degree in Management of Information System, Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or other relevant disciplines is required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or other relevant disciplines with a combination of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree.
• Software Engineering Certificate with extensive years of MIS experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirements outlined.

  Work Experience

• A minimum of five (5) years’ relevant work experience in the development of Project Management Information Systems in Dot Net Framework that includes systems for Contract Management, Procurement, Asset Management Human Resource Management in desktop solutions, and web applications is required.
• Experience in the implementation of Biometric identity systems and Installing and Supporting Network segments for both LAN & WAN is an asset.
• Knowledge of ISO 27001 security standard and its implementation is an advantage
• Expertise in 24/7 availability to support hosted services in multiple client’s data centers.
• Knowledge of Administration of Databases using Microsoft SQL Server is an asset
• Experience in Key roles in DATA Center Services including SAN, Redundancy, Clusters load balancing, and failover. Antivirus, malware Security system, deployment, and management in networks is desirable
• Strong knowledge and proficiency in Dot Net environment and SQL server databases including programming languages like C#, VB.NET, Javascript, JQuery, Ajax is an advantage.
• Database management including timely back-ups and sync of data is desirable
• Experience of working with Government, United Nations, or aid agencies in conflict and/or post-conflict situations is desired.

  Language Requirement:

• Fluency in written and spoken English Language is required.