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General Information

Position Title
ICT Associate
Job Category
Information and Communications Technology
Duty Station(s)
Valencia
Seniority Level
Associate
ICS Level
ICS 06
Contract Type
Staff - GS - FTA
Contract Level
GS-6
Posting Start Date
21-Apr-2026
Posting End Date
05-May-2026
Duration
One year renewable subject to positive performance, availability of funds and project needs

Job Highlight

Under the overall supervision of the UNOPS Senior Programme Manager, this position is in the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Facility (UNICTF) in Valencia, Spain.

The incumbent will work under the guidance of Chief, Data Management Unit and direct supervision of ICT Senior Officer – GIS (UNOPS) or designated officer.

The incumbent of this position will be a staff member of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

**** THIS IS A LOCAL POSITION FOR WHICH ONLY APPLICANTS WHO ARE SPANISH OR EUROPEAN UNION CITIZENS OR APPLICANTS WHO POSSESS A VALID RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT IN SPAIN ARE ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION****

About the Region

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

About the Country/Multi-Country Office

Not Required - part of GPO/NYPO

Job Specific Context

The Department of Operational Support (DOS) is responsible for the delivery and maintenance of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, systems and software applications in support of the operational requirements of Peacekeeping Missions, Special Political Missions, as well as Department of Peace Operations (DPO) and DOS at Headquarters.

 

United Nations Global Service Center (UNGSC) under the Department of Operational Support (DOS) is responsible to provide critical Logistics, Geospatial, Information &Telecommunications Technologies services and Training to all Secretariat Entities, Peacekeeping and Special Political missions, Agencies, Funds and Programmes of the UN system worldwide.

 

UNGSC is comprised of three core Service areas:

• Supply Chain Service (SCS)

• Service for Geospatial, Information and Telecommunications Technologies (SGITT)

• Central Service (CS)

 

The SGITT at the UNGSC provides a critical role as the resilient operational hub for the support and delivery of technology services and solutions to field operations and a broad range of Secretariat and United Nations system clients. As a unified, singular service provider, SGITT provides reliable, resilient and innovative, geospatial, communications and information technology services, including centralized connectivity, hosting and monitoring support, ensuring that staff members in field missions and at Headquarters have access to critical enterprise systems.

 

The Client Solutions Delivery Section (CSDS) within SGITT serves as the primary interface for the design and delivery of client-oriented digital geospatial solutions, ensuring that geospatial, data, and technology services are aligned with operational needs across UN field missions and partners. Within CSDS, the Data Management Unit (DMU) is responsible for the governance, engineering, and delivery of geospatial, and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled data services across UN operations. The unit manages end-to-end data pipelines, from data acquisition and integration to quality control, standardization, and publication, ensuring reliable, decision-ready data for UN systems. DMU plays a central role in advancing the Unite Field Remote Infrastructure Monitoring (FRIM) ecosystem, enabling the integration of IoT sensor data with analytics to support operational monitoring, resource management, and situational awareness. Through strong data governance frameworks, quality assurance processes, and scalable data architectures, DMU ensures the availability, integrity, and interoperability of mission-critical data across the UN system.


CSDS relies on expanded resource base in order to address the rapidly increasing projects and activities and to cope up with the ever-increasing demand of new services from clients, especially when adapting to new technologies and support the existing set of solutions.


UNOPS has signed an agreement with UNGSC-SGITT to provide and support Geospatial services for the Secretariat, Agencies, Funds and Programs, support for centrally hosted solutions for Field Missions and support solutions for UNGSC.

Role Purpose

The ICT Associate - Geospatial Data Engineer contributes to the delivery of reliable, timely, and quality-controlled geospatial and IoT data to support operational systems and decision-making across UN field missions. The role ensures that data pipelines, datasets, and services are accurate, consistent, and fit for purpose, enabling downstream applications, analytics, and enterprise platforms.

Functions / Key Results Expected

With the delegated authority, the ICT Associate – Geospatial Data Engineer’s key functions are:

 

Summary of Key Functions:

1.          Analysis and Data Engineering

2.          Innovation and Data Integration

3.          Data Quality, Maintenance and Reporting

 

  1. Analysis and Data Engineering

  • Assists in designing, developing and maintaining end-to-end geo-enabled IoT data pipelines, including ingestion, transformation, integration, and delivery across multiple data sources. 

  • Supports in developing and managing data models, datasets, and repositories (data lakes/lakehouses), ensuring scalability, performance, and alignment with enterprise architectures. 

  • Helps in processing and integrating  large-scale structured, semi-structured, and time-series IoT data, including data from industrial platforms (e.g., PI System or equivalent). 

  • Support in applying spatial and temporal analysis techniques to detect patterns, anomalies, and operational insights from geo-enabled IoT datasets. 

  • Helps in ensuring that datasets are properly structured, geo-referenced, standardized, and documented in line with established data models and governance frameworks. 

  • Assists in delivering reliable, analytics-ready datasets and data services to support operational systems and decision-making.


2. Innovation and Data Integration

  • Helps in implementing and optimizing ETL/ELT workflows and data integration pipelines to enable efficient, automated, and scalable data processing. 

  • Assist teams in iterating real-time and near real-time IoT data streams into enterprise geospatial and data platforms. 

  • Works with teams in applying automation, scripting, and data engineering best practices to improve performance, reliability, and maintainability of data pipelines. 

  • Supports the evolution of modern data architectures (data lake, warehouse, lakehouse) in cloud or hybrid environments. 

  • Collaborates with cross-functional teams to design and enhance data solutions, ensuring interoperability between IoT, geospatial, and enterprise systems.



3. Data Quality, Maintenance and Reporting

  • Implements and enforces data quality management frameworks, including validation rules, monitoring mechanisms, and data quality indicators (e.g., accuracy, completeness, timeliness, consistency). 

  • Monitors and troubleshoots data pipelines and datasets to ensure data integrity, reliability, and operational continuity. 

  • Maintains and updates datasets, databases, and data services in compliance with governance, metadata, and security standards. 

  • Supports the delivery of trusted data products, including dashboards, reports, and geospatial services based on curated and governed data. 

  • Prepares and maintains technical documentation, data workflows, and standard operating procedures. 

  • Contributes to quality assurance and peer review processes to ensure high-quality data outputs and services.

  • Perform other duties as may be reasonably required and in line with the incumbent’s scope of services above.






Skills

Business Analysis, Data Management, Engineering, IoT infrastructure
Respect
Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organisational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.
Collaboration
Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles.
Partnerships
Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role).
Excellence
Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries.
Adaptability
Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements.
Decision-making
Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving.
Communication
Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Education Requirements

Required

  • Secondary school (or equivalent) with 6 years of relevant experience OR

  • Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any discipline with 2 years of relevant experience.


Desired

  • Industry-recognized certifications in data engineering, cloud data platforms, or data architecture (e.g., Microsoft Azure Data Engineer, AWS Data Analytics, Google Professional Data Engineer). 
  • Certifications or training in data quality management, data governance frameworks, or geospatial technologies are a strong advantage.

Experience Requirements

Required


  • Relevant experience is defined as experience in the field of data engineering, data pipelines, and data platform management, including modern data architectures. 
  • Experience designing and maintaining end-to-end data pipelines (ETL/ELT) and working with data lake, warehouse, or lakehouse architecture. 
  • Hands-on experience with geo-enabled IoT data, including near real-time or streaming data processing, and industrial time-series platforms such as AVEVA PI System or equivalent. 
  • Proficiency in Python, SQL, and data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark or equivalent). 




Desired

  • Experience with geospatial data engineering, including spatial databases and GIS platforms (e.g., ArcGIS Enterprise). 
  • Experience with streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka, Event Hubs, or similar). 
  • Experience applying data governance frameworks, metadata management, and data catalogues. 
  • Familiarity with UN or large-scale operational environments, supporting mission-critical systems. 
  • Experience supporting analytics platforms, dashboards, or data services consuming engineered datasets.
  • Experience delivering scalable, performance-optimized data solutions in cloud or hybrid environments
  • Strong experience in data quality management, including validation, monitoring, and data quality dimensions (e.g., accuracy, completeness, timeliness).

Language Requirements

LanguageProficiency LevelRequirement
EnglishFluentRequired
FrenchFluentDesirable
SpanishFluentDesirable

Additional Information

  • Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
  • Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
  • Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. 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. 
  • UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse 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. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
  • For more details about the contract types, please click 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.