Position: Knowledge Management Officer (Knowledge Engineering)

Job Time: Full-Time

Job Type: Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Application Deadline: June, 22/2023

The Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063.

The mission will be guided by ECA's five new strategic directions which are: Advancing ECA's position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent's problems and take a local solution to the continent; developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure, and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; advocating Africa's position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues.

This position is located in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Economic Affairs Officer reports to the Chief of Staff.

This post is located in the Knowledge Management Services Section (KMSS) of the Publications, Conference and Knowledge Management Division (PCKMD) of the Economic Commission for Africa. The Knowledge Management Officer works under the supervision to the Chief of the Section and overall guidance of the Director, PCKMD.

Duties & Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Knowledge Management Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Leads in the formulation of overall knowledge management/engineering strategy:

Develops institutional policies, procedures, and guidelines for knowledge management and knowledge engineering systems for the organization.

Advises the organization and its information clientele on innovative systems to support knowledge-enabled business processes as well as participate in system process reengineering efforts to satisfy the knowledge needs.

2. Leads is the knowledge engineering systems: - Building large-scale information systems:

Plans, implement and monitors major knowledge systems projects and upgrades of major components of these complex systems which impact critical knowledge operations for large or multiple user groups, ensuring that all design aspects are addressed, controlled, and security mechanisms established.

Analyses the needs of users, translating them into state-of-the-art Information Technology solutions for knowledge management, leading the implementation of the project and ensuring the use of industry standards.

Participates in the development and implementation of the organization's portfolio of business processes, advising requesting units on the most appropriate strategies and approaches for incorporating knowledge management and resolving complex problems through knowledge engineering.

Develops detailed functional specifications, architecture specifications, solutions and user documentation for key knowledge systems, and identifies problems in architecture, information security, integration and linking of systems.

Maintains, upgrades, re-architects or improves existing Knowledge systems; troubleshooting and providing ongoing support to clients, including solving difficult problems, and monitoring transactions to measure the performance and ongoing effectiveness of the knowledge system.

Develops and maintains computer programs that require the integration of many interrelated systems and program elements; ensures data security, architecture compliance and appropriate access controls, considering local and broader issues.

Implements new technologies in knowledge/information management to ensure the users have modern tools for efficient access to knowledge and related information resources.

Organizes and carries out unit test and integration tests; designs and use test bases; assists users in acceptance tests.

Evaluates applications and cost-effectiveness of knowledge services in relation to technology options, and provide reliable, up-to-date research and specifications for information/knowledge management technologies and innovations and prepare data and recommendations for decision-making.

3. Liaison with vendors and procurement services related to information/knowledge systems:

Evaluates the performance of vendors and exchange partners and negotiates charges where necessary and facilitates communications between vendors and section, serving as a coordinator in the development of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for specific IT services or general technical support for the information systems.

4. Supervision, reporting and regional knowledge management initiatives:

Participates in regional knowledge management initiatives applying knowledge engineering solutions to facilitate information discovery and access, collaboration, and networking of users.

Contributes to writing, and operating manuals, training materials, reports and papers on knowledge engineering including systems-related topics, system requirements and best practices.

Participates in the work programme and budget planning and supervises and trains staff.

Performs other duties as assigned 

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of systems design, and development, management, implementation and maintenance of complex information systems. Ability to develop and oversee large centralized or decentralized institutional systems; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Knowledge of a range of computer languages and development paradigms, knowledge of the organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s). Ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives. Ability to advise senior management on complex systems development and related matters of significant importance to the institution; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity to understand information system and business operational issues so as to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical systems matters. Ability to improve processes and approaches; demonstrates adaptability to changing priorities. Knowledge of the organization’s information infrastructure and IT strategy as it relates to user area(s); strong negotiating skills and ability to influence others to reach an agreement on difficult issues. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• Planning& Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

• Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

Managerial Competencies

Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks. Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction. Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.

Job Requirements 

Education

An Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in computer science, information systems, mathematics, statistics or related fields is required. A recognized first-level university degree in the above fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in data analytics, business analytics or data science programs is an advantage.

Work Experience

A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in the planning, design, architecture, development, implementation and maintenance of Information/knowledge systems, computer systems or related areas is required.

Experience in complex system architecture, implementation and operations of large centralized or decentralized knowledge/information systems is required.

Experience in regulatory compliance in relation to information and application security and Agile DevOps methodology and application development in the cloud and advanced Web development is required.

Knowledge of project management methodologies and several high-level programming languages and analysis, including structured and object-oriented design, relational systems, advanced scripting and query languages, hardware and software requirements, system installations and execution protocols, document design and management is required.

Proven contributions in exploring, adapting and applying new technologies and methodologies in knowledge management and library services are desirable.

Certification in PRINCE2 or other project management methodologies is desirable.

Experience with SharePoint and .NET technologies are desirable.

Experience in data analytics or related area is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required; Knowledge of French is desirable. Knowledge of another United Nations official language is an advantage.

How to Apply

Register using THIS LINK