ICT Senior Assistant - Cybersecurity

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their Peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP). It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

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.

Our UN partner has requested the assistance of UNOPS in providing various ICT services. UNOPS has entered into a service-oriented agreement with the UN ICT partner to deliver support in various ICT domains. The objective of this function is to support our partner in executing the activities outlined in this TOR.  The ICT Senior Assistant – Cyber Security will carry out his/her tasks at Valencia, Spain. 

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

Under the overall supervision of the UNOPS Senior Programme Manager, this position is located in the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Facility (UNICTF) in Valencia, Spain. The incumbent and will work under the guidance of Chief of Cyber Security Service (CSS) and direct supervision of ICT Senior Manager- ICT Security.  

With the delegated authority, the ICT Senior Assistant - Cybersecurity key functions are:

Summary of Key Functions:

1. Security monitoring and Threat detection

2. Incident Response

3. Threat intelligence and Tooling

Details of Duties: 

1. Security monitoring and Threat detection: 

• Performs continuous monitoring and revision of security events.

• Supports in analyzing alerts and correlates events from multiple data sources and tools.

• Participates and contributes to threat hunting campaigns proactively searching for anomalies and evidence of compromise across the Secretariat.

• Assists in developing and fine-tuning detection rules, aligning use cases with the business and organizational requirements.

• Supports in developing advanced detection and mitigation strategies against persistent threats and threat actors.

• Participates and contributes to the Secretariat's global incident response team.

• Responds to information security incidents and provides assistance during the entire lifecycle of the incidents. Analyses root causes of the security incidents and proposes preventive controls and mitigations.

• Assists in the coordination of escalation, response, and remediation efforts liaising with local IT focal points, and operational teams to ensure timely resolution of security incidents and implementation of the required countermeasures.

• Contributes to and performs digital forensic analyses.

• Supports in the creation and improves incident response playbooks, processes, and procedures.

• Contributes to the formulation of the policy and other supporting documents including procedures and guidelines.

• Contributes to the cyber threat intelligence program through the collection, correlation and analysis of events and threat information from various sources to identify artefacts and patterns of suspicious activities, and methods used by adversaries.

• Tracks and monitors threat actors relevant to the organization.

• Performs research of innovative and effective information security technology solutions, their configuration and integration into the organization’s existing ICT landscape.

• Contributes to the maintenance of internal security tools and related infrastructure.

• Assists in the development and improvement of internal tools, integrations, and automation of processes.

• Completion of Secondary education is required.
• University degree or professional diploma from a recognized institution preferably in computer science, information systems, information security or related field may substitute for some of the required years of experience. 

• Certifications in Information Security (such as certifications issued by organizations including ISC2, GIAC, ISACA, and Offensive Security) are an advantage.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• 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. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.

• 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.

• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types. 

• This position is stationed in Valencia, Spain which is a family duty station.

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. For more information on a retainer contract 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.