Consultant on Global Open Access Portal (CI/UAI)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Communication and Information Sector (CI)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Communication and Information

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 16-JUL-2020

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

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

In the framework of UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector Main Line of Action 2 Building knowledge societies through ICTs by enabling universal access to, and preservation of, information and knowledge and its efforts to assist Member States to take measures to promote universal access to information through open and inclusive solutions and innovative use of ICTs for sustainable development, the consultant will assist in the redevelopment of the Global Open Access Portal.

Long Description

Under the authority of the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information of UNESCO, the Chief of the Universal Access to Information Section, and the Programme Specialist in charge of the project and in cooperation with UNESCO field offices, Indian Statistical Institute – Documentation and Research Training Centre (ISI-DRTC), and  Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal (Redalyc, Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, Caribbean, Spain and Portugal), the individual specialist shall:

Long Description

In completing the work:

 

1. Develop the backend of the Global Open Access Portal by:

• Proposing the basic architecture of the Global Open Access Portal;
• Programming and developing functionalities of the Global Open Access Portal;
• Establishing standards and protocols to be followed for the development of the portal and its linked components;
• Developing an Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH);
• Aggregating Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds sourced from different Open Access sources.

 

2. Support the development of a prototype open knowledge aggregator by:

• Creating and configuring OAI-PMH tools;
• Installing and customizing DRUPAL (Content management system) on the dedicated platform;
• Implementing the pre-approved design;
• Extending the open knowledge aggregator with the relevant plug-ins;
• Testing the open knowledge aggregator for final deployment in the Global Open Access Portal;
• Technical maintenance and updating of the e-learning platform.

Long Description

3. The consultant shall consult the UNESCO Secretariat to seek clarification as deemed necessary and shall submit partial or preliminary system in advance of the stated deadlines, for review by the UNESCO Secretariat.

 

4. The Work and all output reports shall be written in English, at native level, in a style corresponding to the largest audience of policy and decision makers, and researchers.
 

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Library Sciences, Computer Applications, or other related field.

Experience

• At least 10 years of experience in development of technical backend of Open Access harvester.
• Excellent understanding of UNESCO’s work on Open Access and Universal Access to Information.
• Expertise in the Open Source Software and Drupal.

 

Competencies and skills

• Excellent analytical and drafting skills;
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) and able to exchange information on complex issues;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in multicultural environment with external and internal partners;
• Excellent organization and planning skills, including the ability to organize own work priorities and deadlines. Discretion and maturity of judgement are required;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Solid computer skills including advanced knowledge of office software such as Word and Excel.

 

Language skills

• Excellent knowledge (written and oral) of English or French. 

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Experience

• Experience with UNESCO and/or the United Nations system and understanding of their functioning and procedures would be an asset.

Language skills

• Working knowledge of other UN languages will be an asset.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should click on “Apply Now”, and or if the button is not visible, look for, download and complete the Employment History form (Word file).  At the end of the Word file, insert extra pages with the following required information:

• A letter indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment and how they think Global Open Access Portal can be revamped and developed (500 words max);
• Personal CV;
• List of relevant publications, if any;
• Competitive fee to be charged for the assignment which should be quoted as  a lumpsum amount  with a maximum amount not exceeding USD5000. 

 

Additional information on work conditions

• The selected candidate will work remotely.
• The duration of the contract will be 6 months between mid July 2020 – mid January 2021.

 

Assessment

• Only applications providing the information requested under application procedure will be considered.
• Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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UNESCO is committed to achieve and sustain gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities, as well as nationals from non-and under-represented Member States (last update here) are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.