Thursday, October 6, 2016

Document Management Assistant, G-4. UNJSPF, New York. Open until 9 October 2016

Posting Title: DOCUMENTS MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT
Job Code Title: DOCUMENTS MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT
Department/Office: UNITED NATIONS JOINT STAFF PENSION FUND
Duty Station: NEW YORK
Posting Period: 03 October 2016 - 09 October 2016
Job Opening Number: 67680
Staffing Exercise N/A
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
                                    


Special Notice
Duration: This position is available for six months, with possibility of extension, and the selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible. All posts are subject to availability of funds.

This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to staff rule 4.4 of the United Nations Staff Rules. All staff in the General Service and related categories shall be recruited in the country or within commuting distance of each office, irrespective of their nationality and of the length of time they may have been in the country. A staff member subject to local recruitment shall not be eligible for the allowances or benefits exclusively applicable to international recruitment.

Passing the Global General Service Test (GGST) is a prerequisite for recruitment consideration in the General Services and related categories in the United Nations Secretariat. Applicants who have not passed the GGST at the time of application may be invited for the test after submitting an application. Having passed the Administrative Support Assessment Test in English at the United Nations Headquarters, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, United Nations Office at Geneva, United Nations Office at Vienna, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda or International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; or the United Nations Accounting or Statistical Assistant Examination at the United Nations Headquarters may be accepted in lieu of the GGST.

The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) is an independent inter-agency body established by the United Nations General Assembly. The applicable human resources procedures are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Fund and the UN Secretariat.

Any candidate from a member organization of the UNJSPF applying for this post is considered as an internal candidate provided he/she has been appointed through the appointment and promotion procedures applicable in his/her respective organization.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Notes:

• A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position. A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further “stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…” Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.

• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.

• The expression “Internal candidates”, shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.

• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.

• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Pension Fund Records Management and Distribution Unit (RMDU) of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF). The incumbent reports to
the Chief, Client Services, Record Management and Distribution Section through the Chief of Unit.
Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Chief, Client Services, Record Management and Distribution Section through the Chief of Unit, the Information Management Assistant assists
with the following duties:

• Reviewing the daily incoming correspondence and communications received by the Fund which can be written in various languages, open, batch
and prepare them for scanning and then indexing in the Fund's electronic file system;
• Selecting and codifying, according to the nature of the communication and for each piece of correspondence, from various work flows and ultimately creating a new case file or adding to an existing one;
• Indexing incoming correspondence with the participant's pension number or the pensioner/beneficiary's retirement number and for all the Unique ID number; cross-referencing and name searching by using the Fund's Integrated Pension Administration System (IPAS). Assigning the destination of each piece of correspondence for action to the appropriate supervisor in one or more areas of the Fund secretariat on the basis of the type of action required, also assigning order of priority, i.e., death notices, separation notifications, payment instructions, etc.
• Maintain the Fund's paper-based central filing system which calls for monitoring of the up-to-date records of the Fund's off-site storage facilities, and registering the Fund's incoming and outgoing records in the Fund's database system.
• Ensure all hard-copies are sent to the Fund's off-site storage facility, as soon as they are scanned and indexed to the IPAS system. In addition, send for archiving other items such as paid checks, various pension booklets, annual letters, etc.
• Participate in Special Projects such as the annual Certificate of Entitlement (CE) project.
• Perform other duties/special projects as required.
               
Competencies
Professionalism: • Knowledge of employee benefit scheme related to pension administration. Ability to maintain accurate records, interpret and analyse a wide variety of data.• Ability to
identify and resolve data discrepancies and other problems.• 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.

Teamwork:• Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals;• Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others;• Places team agenda before personal agenda;• Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position;• Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Technological Awareness:• Keeps abreast of available technology;• Understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office;• Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks;• Shows willingness to learn new technology
               
Education
High school diploma or equivalent.
                
Work Experience
A minimum of three (3) years of experience in archives management, electronic record management or related area is required. Experience in record keeping and information management is required. Experience in pension fund record management is desirable.
               
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
               
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
United Nations Considerations
According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity, including but not limited to, respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to, whether they have committed or are alleged to have committed criminal offences or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The screening and evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Applicants are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate information at the time of application: no amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Consultant to update the concept on Digital Archive. UNDP, Chisinau. Open until 7 October 2016

Consultant to update the Concept on digital archive

Location :Chisinau, MOLDOVA
Application Deadline :07-Oct-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :English   Russian  
Duration of Initial Contract :up to 30 working days
Expected Duration of Assignment :October 2016 – December 2016



Background
The UNDP project “Strengthening Parliamentary Governance in Moldova” (SPGM) is designed to address the main needs of the Parliament of Moldova in the areas of legislation making, oversight and representation during the on-going process of domestic reform spurred by closer relations with the EU. The project is also assisting in making the Parliament’s legislative activity more open, transparent and participatory through establishing tools and mechanisms for the engagement with the Civil Society, professional associations and general public. Project interventions will offer and encourage equal opportunity for male and female participation.
The World e-Parliament Report noted that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become essential tools in supporting the work of legislative bodies throughout the world.[1] The advantage of automation within parliaments is threefold: more information and documents on the website; increased capacity to disseminate information and documents; and more timely delivery of information and documents to members.
In this context, to increase the level of transparency of legislative process, the Permanent Bureau approved the e-Parliament Concept in 2015. With UNDP support, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (PRM) has already initiated the process of developing the e-Parliament Information System. The audit and analysis of ICT performance and capacity to implement e-Parliament Information System is currently ongoing. Ultimately, the goal is to commence the introduction of the e-Parliament modules across different parliamentary processes in 2016 and 2017. The Parliament is also working to finalize its new website.
One of key elements of a well-functioning e-Parliament Information System is the digital archive and preservation. The digital technology opens up totally new perspectives, when the electronic storage and digital conversion of non-digital materials (paper documents) is now possible and can imply considerable qualitative improvements to the daily work of the Parliament.
Currently, all registers of recorded documents of the Parliament are maintained manually due to the lack of an automated system. The use of ICT instruments is very limited. For instance, in order to distribute a working document created electronically, a large number of hard copies have to be prepared. This leads to waste of time and materials, while in the case of an electronic document the distribution and archiving processes would be cheaper and more efficient.
Parliament’s archive is a functional compartment from the Secretariat of Parliament. It keeps the institutional memory of the Parliament. In its activity, the Parliament’s archive is guided by the Law no. 880-XII from 22.01.1992 on the archive capital of the Republic of Moldova; the Decision of the Government no.352 from 27.05.1992 on the approval of the archive capital of the Republic of Moldova; the Regulation no.15 from 16.06.2015 regarding the organization and functioning of the Archive of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. The Division on Information and Analytics of the Secretariat of Parliament is ensuring the integrity and security of documents kept in the Parliament’s archive. Currently, the parliamentary archive includes 2800 files, each file containing 250-300 pages.
In line with the applicable legislation, all main documentation of the Secretariat is stored for a number of years (up to 75 years). The documents that have national value are handed over to the National Library. The internal, outgoing and incoming electronic correspondence are kept during five years at the work place, without being archived.
Currently, archiving and preservation of parliamentary documentation in accordance with best practices and international standards is one of areas where the Parliament of Moldova requires support. The damages to the parliamentary building in the 7th of April 2009 demonstrations resulted in loss of basically all the parliamentary archive. In 2011, with UNDP support, a draft Concept on Digital Archive of the Parliament of Moldova was developed. However, due to political instability, the Concept was not finally approved. Since the standards and technologies in this area are still very much evolving, the Concept needs to be thoroughly revised and updated.
Therefore, the reasons for creating a digital archive emerge from the need of the Parliament to:
  • increase the access to stocks of documents, by providing online access to information held on paper;
  • improve searchability of needed documents and records;
  • ensure easier and more productive way of using digital documents instead of those held on paper;
  • reduce wear and tear on highly important records; and
  • reduce the storage space and printing costs.
At the same time, challenges related to long-term preservation of electronic documents, threats of technical obsolescence of the digital environment, uncertainty about both the legal status of electronic documents and future costs of preservation of such documents, copyright and transmission of documents outside the archiving system needs to be overcome.
[1] http://www.ipu.org/pdf/publications/eparl16-en.pdf


Duties and Responsibilities
The Project intends to contract an experienced ICT consultant to revise and update the Concept on Digital Archive of the Parliament of Moldova, provide substantive input and strategic advice aiming to support the implementation of a full digital archiving solution within the Parliament of Moldova.
The following key issues, but not only, shall be considered when developing the digital archiving and preservation solution:
  • Ensure that an appropriate and well-structured digital archiving facility or collections repository is described. Thus, digitalized printed documentation, as well as existing electronic records shall be safely deposited and properly accessed, curated, and maintained for the future;
  • Ensure that digital archive is in compliance with existing national legislation and policies (Law on Personal Data Protection, Decision of the Government no. 618 of 05 October 1993[1] , Rules and Procedures of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (Law no. 797 of 02.04.96) and other related national provisions);
  • Ensure that digital archive follows existing international standards and guidelines on how data should be structured, preserved and accessed:
    • ISO 14721:2012 – Open Archival Information System (OAIS), which provides a high-level framework for designing a preservation organization[2];
    • ISO 18492: 2005 – Long-term preservation of electronic document-based information, which includes technology-neutral guidance on media renewal, migration, quality, security and environmental control;
    •  ISO 15489:2016 – Information and documentation – Records management for defining the roles, processes and methods for a digital preservation implementation where the focus is the long-term management of records. This standard outlines a framework of best practice for managing records to ensure that they are curated and documented throughout their lifecycle while remaining authoritative and accessible.
    • Standards relating to file formats, including XML, CSV, PDF, JPEG, TIFF and others;
    • Other related international standards and guidelines;
  • Ensure that digital archive is flexible and able to handle many types of documents –  digitized and electronic documents, media, pictures and files;
  • Ensure that digital archive is able to capture both “official” as well as “unofficial” documents and to separate confidential records from non-confidential ones;
  • Ensure that the principles of non-disclosure, copyright, data protection and security are in place. 
In order to achieve the stated objective, the Consultant will have the following responsibilities:
Prepare a detailed work plan to be applied for respective assignment:
  • Carry out a desk review of the following documents:
  • The Concept on e-Parliament Information System, approved by decision no. 19 of 18.11.2015 of the Standing Bureau of the Parliament;
  • Report on the ICT needs of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, drafted with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, June 2011;
  • Strategic Development Plan of the Integrated Information Space of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova for 2011-2015, approved by decision no. 13 of 27.07.2011 of the Standing Bureau of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova;
  • The draft Concept on Digital Archive of the Parliament of Moldova;
  • Current national legislation and available policies on archiving processes and requirements;
  • Best practices, as well as international standards and guidelines on archive digitization and preservation;
    • Get acquainted with existing infrastructure of the Parliament, thus understanding the legal and institutional environment for operational flows of the PRM work;
    • Analyse the World e-Parliament conferences reports and other relevant publications. Ensure that the main principles are considered in the process of conceptualizing the digital archiving information system.
    • Conduct initial meetings with relevant parliamentary staff, concept’s author, ICT experts currently performing the audit and analysis of ICT performance and capacity to implement e-Parliament Information System and specialists from other entities (i.e. E-Governance Centre).
Based on desk review and initial meetings findings, review and prepare amendments for updating the existing Concept on Digital Archive of the Parliament of Moldova. This activity should include, but is not limited to, the following:
  • Check if the scope and objectives are clearly formulated;
  • Check if all of the roles and functions of a typical digital archive are well described;
Check if all the business processes are well defined;
  • Check if the proposed ICT architecture responds to the Parliament’s needs and is compatible with the design of e-Parliament Information System;
  • Check if the copyright and data protection aspects, as well as proposed information security requirements are in line with national and international standards;
  • Check if the estimative costs and cost-benefit analysis to implement the digital archive are defined;
  • Advise if the scanning to be done in-house or by a contractors;
  • Indicate what is the timescale for producing the digital assets;
  • Check what resolution is required for scanning, and what impact does this have on the amount of IT storage space needed;
  • Check the referencing system to be used for the images;
  • Advise on how long will the digital asset be required for;
  • Check if the risks and mitigation measures for well-functioning and sustainable digital archive are well described;
  • Update the infrastructure requirements.
Develop a Roadmap with milestones towards implementation of a full digital archiving solution proportionate to Parliament’s needs. The Roadmap shall specify concrete steps with tentative timelines to enable detailed planning and implementation of the archiving solution. The document shall address, but is not limited to, the following issues:
  • Legal issues (new policies and regulations to be developed and approved, if necessary);
  • Technical and infrastructure requirements;
  • Internal institutional arrangements;
  • Action Plan with estimative budget and tentative timelines for software development and acquisition period;
  • Security and data protection issues;
  • Digitization and post-digitization issues;
  • Training requirements (users);
  • Testing phase and integration with e-Parliament Information System etc.
Provide other programming related tasks required by the Secretariat of Parliament.
The consultant will have to undertake two missions to Moldova (tentatively) during the period October-November 2016.


INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNDP Parliament Specialist for substantive aspects of the assignment, and under the guidance of the Senior Project Officer – for administrative aspects. The consultant will report to the Parliament appointed representative and the Parliament Specialist of UNDP SPGM project.
The Parliament will provide consultant with working space, access to Internet, a printer and a telephone line.


Timeframe
The timeframe for this assignment is planned tentatively through October – December 2016. The Consultancy should involve about 30 days of work. The exact schedule of mission in Moldova shall be coordinated in advance.


Language
All communications and documentation related to the assignment will be in English. Before submission of the deliverables, the consultant will discuss the draft documents with the parties involved (i.e. Parliament, UNDP and other stakeholders) so that the final products reflect their comments.

[1] http://lex.justice.md/viewdoc.php?action=view&view=doc&id=303445&lang=1
[2] http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=24683



Competencies
  • High level of familiarity with major development trends in ICT, and the ability to innovate electronic systems for the Archives;
  • Knowledge of ICT policies and regulatory framework of the Republic of Moldova will be an advantage;
  • Knowledge of metadata regimes for discovery, recordkeeping, and data management;


Required Skills and Experience
Academic Qualifications:
  • Master's Degree or equivalent (5-year university degree) in IT management, Computer Sciences, computer engineering or other relevant discipline;
Work experience:
  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing and embedding electronic records and archive ICT management systems;
  • Previous experience of designing and implementing enterprise level ICT systems (SAP, Oracle, SAYLT, Open Source etc.) at government or private sector;
  • Proven certifications in IT programming area is an asset;
  • Working experience with Parliament and/or government institutions is a strong advantage.
Language:
  • Fluency in English;
  • Knowledge of Romanian and Russian will be an advantage.
DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
  • Cover letter with description of relevant previous experience, as well as of proposed methodology for undertaking the current assignment not exceeding 5 pages;
  • Financial proposal (LUMP SUM) in USD, specifying requested amount per day (fee) and all related costs (e.g. DSA, travel, phone calls etc.);
  • Duly completed P-11 form with three references. 
EVALUATION
Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:
  • Master's Degree or equivalent (5-year university degree) in IT management, Computer Sciences, computer engineering or other relevant discipline;
  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing and embedding electronic records and archive ICT management systems;
The short-listed individual consultants will be further evaluated based on the following methodology:
Cumulative analysis
The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
* Technical Criteria weight – 60% (300 points);
* Financial Criteria weight – 40% (200 points).
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 210 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.


Technical evaluation scoring:
  • Master's Degree or equivalent (5-year university degree) in IT management, Computer Sciences, computer engineering or other relevant discipline – 20 pts;
  • At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in designing, implementing and embedding electronic records and archive ICT management systems - up to max. 50 points;
  • Previous experience of designing and implementing enterprise level ICT systems (SAP, Oracle, SAYLT, Open Source etc.) at government or private sector - up to max. 40 pts.;
  • Proven certifications in IT programming area is an asset - up to max. 30 pts.;
  • Working experience with Parliament and/or government institutions is a strong advantage - up to max. 30 pts.;
Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular, respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.