National Project Officer

Are you ready to leverage your IT expertise to support the needs of vulnerable populations and enable cross-country cooperation in migration governance? Join us as an IT Application Solution Architect in the European Readmission Capacity Building Facility (EURCAP). Contribute to the development of the Electronic Readmission Case Management System, playing a pivotal role in global migration governance. Collaborate with stakeholders and the development team to shape innovative solutions that directly impact vulnerable individuals and foster international cooperation. This is your opportunity to drive positive change, be part of a groundbreaking IT network, and have the chance to travel and contribute to cross-country collaboration in migration governance.

Context

EURCAP is managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the European Commission (DG HOME). It seeks to enhance cooperation in migration governance between the EU and its partner countries through capacity-building initiatives. Effective communication channels are necessary to ensure that readmission/transit applications are received and processed in a timely manner and that decisions are communicated efficiently. The Readmission Case Management System (RCMS) supports such communication channels and enhances the transparency of readmission and return procedures while ensuring accountability for all involved actors. IOM has developed five RCMS platforms so far for Georgia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, and Bangladesh. Based on the experiences gained and new requirements identified, IOM has developed the e-RCMS platform to standardize and consolidate the existing IT processes' common requirements. EURCAP will use the new e-RCMS in all future support actions with partner countries. The e-RCMS solution will connect all EU Member States to/from partner country authorities through a Front-Processes Segment (FPS) used by the requesting side ("Hosting Country") and a Back-Process Segment (BPS) used by the requested side ("Country of Origin or Transit").

An IT Solution Architect is sought to provide expertise for the Electronic Readmission Case Management System (e-RCMS) application, which is related to support actions under the European Readmission Capacity Building Facility (EURCAP).
An IT Solution Architect is sought to collaborate with major stakeholders and the development team in order to provide a robust solution architecture for the Electronic Readmission Case Management System (e-RCMS) application. The selected candidate will play a crucial role in facilitating and resolving operational challenges, working alongside relevant IT professionals to ensure the successful delivery of the project..
The IT Solution Architect will report to the Programme Manager and work under the overall guidance of the Head of Policy and Programmes Support Division, and the direct supervision of the Senior Project Manager. She/He will closely coordinate with the Project Officer and the Project Management Team, in close collaboration with other relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Electronic Readmission Case Management System and its compliance with GDPR and subsequent European Data Protection Board regulations. She/He will also ensure that the system is adapted to different hosting environments to meet the program's requirements.

The IT Solution Architect will oversee the development and further upgrades of the Electronic Readmission Case Management System, which will facilitate the management of migrants. The incumbent will also have tasks linked to the overall program management, overseeing the administrative aspects linked to the IT related work. She/He will coordinate the work of relevant stakeholders and suggest possible technical solutions to be developed and implemented, ensuring that the system is adapted to the different hosting environments and meets the GDPR and subsequent European Data Protection Board compliance requirements.

Core Functions / Responsibilities

1.

Develop and oversee the implementation of the Electronic Readmission Case Management System, including:

· Designing and implementing solution architecture.

· Contribute to design and/or improving major aspects of the application architecture including components such as user interface, middleware and infrastructure, so to keep it always up to date and in line with the latest technologies requirements.

· Identifying technical requirements.

· Assessing technical risks.

· Providing technical expertise and support to the application development team in relation to security enhancement, database access, messaging mechanisms and integration with other interfaces.

· Supporting design and code reviews, security assessment and validation, suggest debugging procedures in case of failures.

· Upgrading and adapting the system to different hosting environments.

· Mapping and keeping updated all the application requirements that are currently available plus the future requirements that will be collected. Be able to categorize them and tailor a dedicated requirements list for each project so to cater for specific Partner Country needs.

· Supporting the IT provider in the various stages of application integration, maintenance, upgrades and migration, including testing and versioning stages.

· Ensuring GDPR and subsequent European Data Protection Board compliance.

2. Oversee the administrative aspects of IT-related work in the program, such as:

· Managing project timelines and deliverables.

· Creating and maintaining project documentation.

· Documenting application development processes, procedures, and standards.

· Providing regular status reports to the Programme Manager.

3. Coordinate the work of relevant stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the Electronic Readmission Case Management System, including:

· Collaborating with major stakeholders to ensure the architecture is aligned with process requirements, ensuring uniform ICT Application Design standards are maintained

· Coordinating meetings with stakeholders.

· Facilitating communication between stakeholders.

· Managing stakeholder expectations.

4. Collaborate with the Service provider to suggest possible technical solutions to be developed and implemented, ensuring that the system is adapted to different hosting environments, including:

· upgrading and maintaining updated the Application Requirements Document with focus on functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring security, scalability and maintainability.

· contributing to upgrading the Blueprint document with possible architectural options and optimization mechanisms.

· Development of the whole application workflow and set of functionalities, possible scenarios for development, contributing to the relevant technical documentation such as technical set up guidelines, workflow configuration, system customization guidelines, user's manual, etc.

· Supporting and collaborating in the technical activities to configure and release customized versions of the e-RCMS in the production environment.

· Contributing to feasibility assessments and development of specifications, to evaluate the possibility of turning existing EURCAP RCMSs into BPSs.

· Supporting and providing technical advice for the development, customization and related quality assurance work of e-RCMS.

· Collaborating in testing, quality control and commissioning the site for live operations.

· Supporting and providing expertise in relation to the offline components and material related to the operating environment, including training material and user's manuals.

· Participating in relevant technical meetings and contributing expertise to working groups.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

· Masters, post graduate certificate or equivalent academic title in Computer Science, Information Technology or related fields with two years of relevant experience;

or

· Bachelor's degree or equivalent / relevant specialist IT qualification in any of the above fields with four years of relevant experience.

Experience

· Experience in software development

· At least three years of experience as an IT Architect

· At least five years of professional experience with Agile development methodology;

· Experience with Keycloak, Reverse Proxy and similar;

· Experience with relational data bases (PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc.);

· Experience with sensitive data management and data encryption mechanisms;

· Experience with GDPR and subsequent European Data Protection

· Working experience with IOM or other UN agencies is an advantage.

Skills

· Good knowledge of Kubernetes and cloud environments;

· Software development expertise: Proficiency in software development methodologies, languages,

and frameworks to effectively contribute to the development of IT products Knowledge of IT solution for integrated border management, especially identification and verification systems, incl. biometrics;

Languages

OM's official languages are English, French, and Spanish.
REQUIRED: For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). DESIRABLE: Any other official IOM language is an advanctage.

Required Competencies

Values

· Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.

· Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.

· Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

· Courage: demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.

· Empathy: shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators Level 2

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.

• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.

• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.

• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization's priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.

• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competences

• Behavioral indicators –Level 2

· Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization's vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.

· Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.

· Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.

· Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization's goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.

· Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

Other

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment and verification of residency, visa and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable. As part of the mandatory medical entry on duty clearance, candidates will be requested to provide evidence of vaccination against COVID-19.

This post is subject to local recruitment. Only persons holding a valid residence and work permit for Belgium will be eligible for consideration.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications to IOMBrusselsApplications@iom.int by 30 August 2023 23:59 (CET - Brussels time), referring to this advertisement in the subject line (VN 2023-29 IT Solution Architect for Electronic Readmission Case Management System) and including the following documents:

1. a) CV or Personal History Form

2. b) Cover Letter

3. c) Questionnaire on Mandatory Requirements (Page 6)

In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts applications duly completed.

IOM reserves the right to contact shortlisted candidates only.