Functional Application Specialist

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background, and culture
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented member nations, and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct and to uphold our values. FAO has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and FAO, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination
• All selected candidates, therefore, will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality
• The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

Organizational Setting

The post is located in the Shared Services Centre. The Shared Services Centre (SSC) recommends and administers process management and procedures that need to be executed effectively; ensure the management of quality assurance activities associated with the transactional processes and implementation of service delivery; continuously improve the satisfaction of its customers, internal or external, while pursuing a continuous improvement agenda that will drive up service excellence while driving down the costs of service delivery through process standardization, process automation and self-service capabilities

Reporting Lines

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Continuous Improvement Unit, the application specialist leads the business requirements gathering process details business process flows, and develops implementation plans for specific projects with the Procurement and Logistic business units of FAO.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Head of the Continuous Improvement Unit, the application specialist leads the business requirements gathering process details business process flows, and develops implementation plans for specific projects with the Procurement and Logistic business units of FAO. The main focus of this assignment is to coordinate inputs to key procurement and supply chain management projects/work streams under the ERP Programme of Work, in particular:

• Provide advice and project management assistance to Procurement and Supply Chain Management (SCM) initiatives within FAO, introducing clearly defined processes, automating and streamlining the current manual process.
• Work closely with Finance (CSF), Logistic and Procurement (CSL) and IT Division (CSI) Functional and Technical leads to further improve the use of the Oracle ERP capabilities and well as self-service functions and to ensure compliant definition of internal processes
• Coordinate collection, analysis of data utilizing a variety of techniques, including BI Tools, to gather information about the current state, best practices standards, and desired future processes.
• Provide support in designing and maintaining BI queries and reports to support project activities.

Liaise with FAO’s IT Division (CSI) and Oracle to follow up on project activities and ensure that they are implemented in a timely manner.

• Identify opportunities for improvement and recommend solutions (as prioritized by management), and work with process owners and other subject matter experts to identify scope of processes to be examined, define business requirements, establish success criteria, etc.
• Identify improvements and develop recommendations/solutions in the area of P2P and SCM that allow senior management and process owners to make decisions about strategies and projects as well as recommend/facilitate quality improvement efforts and new best practices to ensure realization of improvements.
• Coordinate creation of process maps – as is/to be – with insights from cross-functional team members, to identify opportunities/dependencies, and then use this data to make recommendations to improve processes.
• Prepare testing plans and scripts for functional requirements and coordinate testing activities with stakeholders and concerned business units and collect information on validation of results.
• Develop project plans, provide timely and accurate status reports/updates designed to track achievements and raise risks/issues with management and partners.

Facilitate communications and change management.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in business administration, project management, computer science, IT systems management, or other related field;
• Oracle certification(s) (e.g. Certified Implementation Specialist) or track record of Oracle E-Business suite large scale implementation.
• Minimum of 5 years of Oracle support/ development experience;
• Working knowledge (C level) of English and limited knowledge (B level) of a second UN language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese or Russian) required. For PSA.SBS working knowledge of English will be sufficient.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Experience in supporting /developing Oracle Purchasing and SCM solutions and technical design documents from business requirements;
• Experience of Oracle 12.2.10 version Upgrade and Patching will be of added advantage;
• Strong ERP and systems design experience is desired;
• Experience with Oracle Business Intelligence development tools would be an asset (OBIEE 11/12c, Answers, BI Publisher)
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI is desired.
• Experience in working with multicultural teams in business transformation efforts;
• Understanding of the United Nations is essential, and previous experience in FAO or other UN Agencies preferred.

Knowledge/Experience highly desirable to have:

• Cross-functional knowledge of procure-to-pay and logistics processes in the context of complex ERP systems
• Experience with Workflow Management applications (including third-party) and their system/platform integration with Oracle EBS or Cloud infrastructure in the area of Procurement and SCM
• Experience with application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics and digital process automation
• Mind-set to leverage digital technology in line with modern procurement and supply-chain best practices
• Knowledge of best practices in the area of Procurement and SCM, preferably in UN system

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency