Digital Impact Specialist, (P-3), FT, #, Rome Common Services Center (CSC), Rome, Italy
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package. Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
Position Overview
The Rome Common Services Center (CSC) will be newly established following the relocation of several UNICEF HQ Divisions to Rome, where they will be co-located with WFP HQ. The Rome CSC will play a critical role in delivering operational support to all UNICEF Divisions based in Rome as well as coordinating closely with WFP on the services provided to UNICEF. The divisions based in Rome provide global support to country offices and national committees worldwide as well as constituent partners. These divisions have embarked on digital transformation journeys and as such, the organizational context is shaped by the high dependency of these entities on digital environment where technology is integral part of business efficiency and growth. In their respective key areas, such as digital fundraising, digital marketing, digital media, digital collaboration etc.; these entities integrate digital technologies into their business operations, use data as strategic assets, remotely provide global support, and entail robust digital infrastructure with high speed and stable connectivity, require secure digital environment, and expect customer experience focus.
The office in Rome is hosted by WFP and while the physical network infrastructure is provided by the host (WFP), the whole ICT services and support are entirely provided by the UNICEF ICT unit (tier 2), while WFP handles only issues beyond UNICEF control (tier 3). In this context, the UNICEF ICT unit is in charge of managing and monitoring the availability and performance of the technology infrastructure, ensuring security enforcement of the digital environment, managing customer services, providing user support, supporting business operations, and planning future business needs.
Under the supervision of the Chief PFP-ICT (P5) with a dotted line to Operations Manager (P4), the incumbent will act as the crucial bridge between operational ICT support staff and the business, including management, and coordinate the overall ICT services in Rome. It is responsible for directing, supporting, quality assuring, and managing the day‑to‑day performance of ICT services. It ensures systems and systems are available, stable, secure, and aligned with business needs while mentoring ICT staff and managing technical projects.
Key Responsibilities
Operational ICT leadership: leading the ICT team and coordinating the overall ICT services.
Acting as the primary escalation point for complex technical issues, bridging front‑line support with specialist teams.
Acting as focal point for inter‑agency activities and coordinating with other CSC services.
Strategic and technical advice: surfacing business demands and user requirements for digital solutions; advising management on ICT needs, acquisitions, and infrastructure improvements; managing changes arising from incident resolution and opportunities for business value and security improvement.
Team support and performance management: managing workplan, projects, and team capacity; supporting and mentoring ICT staff to improve and maintain performance; organising workload, fostering a collaborative and efficient team environment.
Risk management and disaster recovery: ensuring robust data security, regular backups, compliance with IT policies; maintaining risks register with mitigation measures per standards and best practices; owning the ICT Disaster Recovery Plan as part of the office Business Continuity Plan.
Project delivery and resource allocation: overseeing implementation of new systems, hardware/software upgrades, and managing resource allocation.
Qualifications
Education
An advanced university degree in system information, information technology management, computer science, or another relevant technical field is required.
Alternatively, a first‑level university degree in a relevant field combined with two additional years of qualifying professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Professional and/or university courses related to Project Management, Business Analysis, Data Modeling are assets.
ITIL Foundation Certificate or equivalent customer support certification is required.
Experience
A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience at the national and international level, managing ICT service delivery support teams across multiple office or divisional structures.
Extensive experience with ITIL processes and ITIL v4 Fundamentals certification.
Extensive experience in managing and maintaining cloud services such as Infrastructure, Platform, etc. as a Service.
Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly in verbal and written formats to a range of audiences, including non‑technical stakeholders.
Experience managing data and systems integration using major cloud services such as Azure Integration Services is an asset.
Experience with data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., PowerBI) to monitor solution performance and support decision‑making is an asset.
Knowledge of project and product management methods (e.g., Prince2, Agile) is an asset.
Prior experience in the development sector or UNICEF‑UN system/INGOs and emergency operations is an asset.
Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts is an asset.
Language Requirements
Fluency in English is required.
Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Core Competencies
Nurtures, Leads and Manages People
Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness
Works Collaboratively with Others
Builds and Maintains Partnerships
Innovates and Embraces Change
Thinks and Acts Strategically
Drives to achieve impactful results
Manages ambiguity and complexity
Benefits and Support
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage.
Equal Opportunity & Diversity
UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and must adhere to high standards of integrity.
Medical & Legal Requirements
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IPC positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to vaccination requirements, including against SARS‑CoV‑2 (Covid). Candidates must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption. UNICEF has a zero‑tolerance policy on conduct incompatible with the aims of the United Nations.
Other Considerations
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service. Humanitarian action is a cross‑cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. All staff can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian responses. Government employees considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their positions before taking on an assignment.
Additional Information
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
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