ICT Senior Analyst - ICT Project Management Retainer

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, in partnership with bilateral donors, national governments, and other UN agencies. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development, and technical management, and provides financial, human resources, and infrastructure-related services. The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, in order to support the response to the current needs and national priorities in the region.

UNOPS has been active in Lebanon since 2015, delivering projects in support of the Government of Lebanon and partners. Since the explosion at the Beirut Port on 4 August 2020, UNOPS has significantly scaled up its presence in the country to support the humanitarian response and both its presence and portfolio have undergone expansion.

The Project funded by the World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF) aims to support the Ministry of Environment (MoE) in Lebanon to reduce Unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants (UPOPs) emissions and to improve solid waste management. The project will address critical barriers for reducing UPOPs emitted from the waste disposal and open burning processes by approximately 12% and minimize the adverse impacts to public health and environmental risks. In addition, the project will contribute to building the circular economy as a pathway for Lebanon’s green growth and sustainable development in the post COVID-19 era.

The Project comprises four components. UNOPS will implement the components 1, 2 and 3. 

Component 1: Strengthen Regulatory Framework and Capacities for Sustainable Waste Management in the Circular Economy which aims to improve the policy framework, build capacity and long-term planning for applying a circular economy model in waste management.

Component 2: Demonstrations on 3R Practices (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and Best Available Techniques/ Best Environmental Practices (BATs/BEPs) at Open Dumpsite in Selected Geographic Zones. This component aims to provide investments to demonstrate: (i) 3R practices to reduce waste entering dumpsites/landfills in selected Solid Waste serviced zones; and (ii) BATs and BEPs to eliminate open burning at selected dumpsites.

Component 3: Project Monitoring and Evaluation: This component encompasses Third Party Monitoring as part of monitoring activities. 

Component 4: Project Management (to be implemented by the MoE).

The Project Management Unit (PMU), (assigned by the MoE) will be responsible for the overall management, procurement, financial and environmental and social management functions to be carried out and will provide needed operating costs associated with day-to-day project management and implementation. 

Given that the PMU will be hosted at MoE, government contributions for this component will be leveraged through office space and other logistics for effective functioning of the PMU. 

Facing the main challenge of lack of reliable data on SWM management at the central level, and in order to improve waste management practices, the project is to support in the development of a National Waste Management Information System (NWMIS). The NWMIS will serve as a comprehensive platform for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating waste management data and information across the country.

In addition, the project is to map out through the establishment of this national unified database (GIS compatible) for solid waste and contaminated sites (including contaminated dumpsites). 

Hence, the system aims to improve waste data management, enhance operational efficiency, promote environmental sustainability, and strengthen environmental governance. By establishing robust data management processes and fostering transparency in waste management practices, the NWMIS will contribute to effective environmental governance initiatives in Lebanon.

The proposed NWMIS will support an Integrated Solid Waste Management approach towards a circular economy in the Solid Waste sector at the national level and will cover all  service zones in Lebanon. 

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Project Manager, and in accordance with UNOPS policies, procedures, and practices, the incumbent will provide technical expertise regarding the specialized Software and Hardware equipment needed for the establishment of a NWMIS (GIS compatible). The incumbent will promote a client-oriented approach consistently and will work in close collaboration with the Project Team, respective units in the Amman Operational Hub, and local stakeholders.

Specific Technical Requirements for the software:

• Design, and develop, a robust waste management information system with the following technical capabilities:

  • Database management for efficient storage and management of waste-related data.

  • User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Design

  • Integration with GIS for spatial analysis and visualization.

  • Reporting and analytics features for generating insightful reports and dashboards.

  • Mobile accessibility for field operations and real-time monitoring.

  • Workflow automation to streamline waste management processes.

  • Security measures to protect sensitive waste data.

  • Scalable architecture and API ready to accommodate increasing data volumes.

Specific Business Requirements for the software:

• Ensure the system meets key business objectives, including:

  • Regulatory compliance with waste management standards and environmental regulations.

  • Cost management through efficient resource allocation and cost tracking.

  • Operational efficiency improvements through process automation.

  • Environmental sustainability initiatives, including waste minimization and recycling.

  • Enhanced customer engagement features for stakeholders.

  • Risk management measures to mitigate compliance and environmental risks.

  • Integration with existing enterprise systems and third-party applications.

1. Functions and Key results expected:

The ICT expert will be responsible for the following tasks:

Summary of Key Functions:

1. Needs Assessment and Determination of Technical Requirements

2. Reporting

• Gather information from stakeholders to understand organizational requirements, challenges, and objectives; Define functional and performance requirements to ensure the software meets organizational goals.

• Analyze existing systems and processes, if any, to identify areas for improvement.

• Provide expert advice on complex systems analysis and design; Ideate on potential solutions and lead on prototypes; develop plans for requirements specification, implementation plans, resources, milestones, and cost estimates.

• Provide expertise, technical knowledge, staff support, and other related overall guidance and advisory when required.

• Understand information system and business operational issues; analyze and evaluate critical systems matters.

• Design and maintain project-related technical documentation and work with other program and technical staff to ensure that project information needs are met. 

• Be an effective technical interface of the UNOPS, PMU, and WB to liaise with partners, with tech companies, and key stakeholders.

• Prepare a technical document for a software tender; develop cost proposals for contractual services and oversee the technical evaluation of proposals received.

• Support on planning, developing, compiling, drafting, and editing information systems documents to be used for donors, partners, and stakeholders. 

• Design information governance policies, risk management plans, and audit and compliance requirements as appropriate.

• Define the needed technical requirements and scope for the project, and support in the implementation of the new selected requirements and solutions. 

• Participate in the planning and preparation of the budget, work program and spending plan.

• Develop detailed technical specifications for the software solution based on the needs assessment.

• Specify integration requirements with existing systems, if applicable.

• Ensure that the technical requirements reflect scalability, security, and usability of the software solution.

• Support in the preparation of tender documents for software development services, through providing technical input and expertise to ensure that tender documents accurately reflect project requirements and objectives and support in determining the qualifications, eligibility and evaluation criteria.

• Participate in responding to inquiries and providing clarifications to prospective bidders regarding the tender documents and technical requirements.

• Participate as a technical expert in the evaluation of proposals received from bidders.

• Assess proposals against technical specifications, performance criteria, and project objectives.

• Provide recommendations and technical insights to the evaluation committee to support informed decision-making.

Throughout the duration of the project, the ICT expert will produce various outputs and deliverables to ensure the successful implementation of the software solution. These outputs and deliverables will serve as tangible results of the expert's efforts and will contribute to the overall project objectives. The following outlines the key outputs and deliverables expected from the ICT expert:

1. Needs Assessment Report

• A comprehensive report detailing the findings of the needs assessment conducted by the expert.

• The report will include insights into organizational requirements, challenges, and objectives identified through stakeholder engagement, data analysis, and other research methods.

• Recommendations for addressing identified needs and achieving project goals will be provided based on the assessment findings.

1. Technical Specifications Document

• A detailed document outlining the technical specifications, functional requirements, and performance criteria for the software solution and hardware components.

• The document will serve as a blueprint for the development process, providing clear guidance to the software development team on the desired features, functionalities, and performance expectations.

• Specifications for integration with existing systems, scalability, security measures, and user interface design may also be included as relevant.

• Detailed disaggregated Bill of quantities, prices schedule along with detailed cost estimates.

1. Other Ad-Hoc Deliverables

• Any additional documents, reports, or materials deemed necessary to support the successful implementation of the software solution.

• Ad-hoc deliverables may include presentations, technical diagrams, user manuals, or project status updates as requested by project stakeholders.

• Participate as a technical expert in the evaluation of proposals received from bidders. And, supervision to the compliance of the deliverables.

• Reception and Inspection Reports.

The incumbent directly impacts on the achievement of project outputs by adhering to the Project Documents and UNOPS procedures, reducing risks, cutting costs and improving success rates. This consequently reinforces the visibility and image of UNOPS as an effective service implementing agency in project services and management, and strengthens its competitive position as a partner of choice in sustainable development and project services.

• Advanced degree preferably in Business Analysis, System Analysis, Information Systems, Information Techncoloay, Computer science, Computer and Communication Engineering, or related disciplines is required.
• A first level univesity degree in Business Analysis, System Analysis, Information Systems, Information Techncoloay, Computer science, Computer and Communication Engineering, or related disciplines, in combination with qualifying experience, may be accepted instead of the advanced university degree. 

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.