Full Stack Developer (Node, Typescript, Express, React), Multiple positions

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.

Global Portfolios Office (GPO), 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.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) (https://www.unops.org/sustainable-development) 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.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement defined activities in support of the Development Coordination Office (DCO).

In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO assumed managerial and oversight functions of the resident coordinator system under the collective ownership of the members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). Under the UN development system reform, a reinvigorated RC system has been rolled out since 2019 and has created new frameworks, instruments, tools and platforms to support the RC system, and enhance accountability and transparency. UN Country Teams are now developing and implementing instruments at the core of the reform, such as the new generation Common Country Analysis (CCA) and Cooperation Framework. 

To improve development coordination, facilitate data harmonization and demonstrate the UNSDG’s contribution to Agenda 2030, DCO established the online UN INFO system. UN INFO digitizes a standard results framework based upon Cooperation Framework guidance with the ability to adapt to the unique context and user requirements of each UNCT. Accurate data management and analysis of information and data included in UN INFO, and other similar online platforms, is critical for accountability and transparency on the work and results of the UN development system and of the RC system.

UNOPS seeks a skilled and motivated Full Stack Developer (Node, Typescript, Express, React) to support the development, maintenance, and enhancement of digital platforms that drive the efficiency and effectiveness of UN development operations. This role will contribute to building and evolving in-house software solutions, ensuring agile and scalable platforms that align with UN development reform priorities and improve data management, coordination, and decision-making across UN Country Teams (UNCTs).

Purpose and Scope of Assignment 

The Full Stack Developer (Node, Typescript, Express, React) will be a member of the Development Coordination Office (DCO) development team at Headquarters in New York, supporting the enhancement and maintenance of DCO’s software platforms. Working under the guidance of the Lead Developer and in close collaboration with UN Country Teams (UNCTs) and external stakeholders, the incumbent will strengthen DCO’s digital infrastructure to enable more efficient development operations.

Building on an established foundation, DCO is advancing its in-house platforms to respond to evolving policy and programming needs, aligned with UN development reform priorities, including the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

The incumbent will play a vital role in maintaining and improving DCO-managed platforms, developing new features, building APIs, and ensuring integration with proprietary data systems. They will contribute to delivering secure, high-performance applications, supporting testing, deployment, and user experience enhancements. The incumbent will also assist with capacity building and knowledge sharing, helping UN partners effectively use DCO’s digital tools and contributing to continuous improvement of development processes.

The incumbent will work collaboratively with the core development team who are based remotely and also with colleagues in headquarters in New York and the UN Resident Coordinator Offices.

Within a team of front-end and back-end developers, the incumbent will be working on web applications using Typescript, Javascript, Express, Postgres, React JS, Docker, Kubernetes, Azure tools and environments. The project follows the Git workflow model and uses Gitlab for code management and releases. Developers are required to write comprehensive tests for code.

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

The incumbent will be responsible for the following functions.

Development and maintenance of web/database applications:

• Develop and maintain online web/database applications to provide DCO with the suite of data web applications, which covers various aspects of Development Coordination including response planning & monitoring, Resident Coordinator system data management and efficiencies management.
• Assist with enhancing the user experience on the front end of the web apps and propose creative solutions to meet complex user requirements and functional challenges.
• Design, build and maintain stable, high quality back-end systems including public and private APIs, optimised code and queries, software library maintenance, server management and other relevant Dev Ops tasks.
• Plan and design system architecture, database models, implement business logic, testing frameworks and deployment solutions.
• Undertake iterative design and functional improvements for applications once they are launched, working in an Agile manner to meet rapidly evolving user needs.

Project management and team collaboration:

• Work closely with the current developer team to successfully deliver solutions on time and to specification, including planning schedules, quality assurance, brainstorming ideas and solutions, adhering to coding standards, meeting security requirements, and following agreed procedures for deployments and other team activities.
• Communicate and collaborate with business stakeholders and project managers to understand business needs and problems, create solutions and provide accurate time estimates.

Technical documentation and support:

• Provide technical documentation for developers and application administrators to support and maintain the system.
• Provide technical support as needed to application administrators and data managers for content creation, user/permission management, data cleansing, and ad-hoc requests for customised reports.

Collaboration with infrastructure team:

• Work closely with the infrastructure team for code deployments, troubleshooting and other related issues to ensure the technical standards set forth in the UN are met.

• An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in information technology, information systems, information management, web development, database, engineering or in a field related to the post description with two (2) years of relevant experience is required; OR
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) preferably in  information technology, information systems, information management, web development, database, or in a field related to the post description with (4) years of relevant experience is desirable.

b. Work Experience 

Required:

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in  developing with Typescript, JavaScript and JavaScript-based libraries such as Node.JS and ReactJS to build dynamic and data driven websites.
• Experience in software testing including frameworks and techniques such as dependency injection, Jest, Mocha or Cypress is required.
• Experience in developing with SQL-based open-source databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL.

Desired: (The following experience is optional. Candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply):

• Experience with devops, in particular Kubernetes and Docker is desirable.
• Experience with Azure and other cloud services. Azure developer Associate certified would be an asset  
• Experience working on both front-end and back-end is desirable
• Experience with development of web API services and their utilization is desirable
• Experience working with AI (Azure Open AI, Azure AI Foundry) and/or AI scripting languages is desirable
• Experience working as a UX/UI designer is an asset.
• Familiarity with the command line and bash scripts is desirable.
• Experience in code versioning, in particular Git workflow is desirable
• Experience in managing dependencies, deployment and development workflow is an advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in web development projects in a consulting or professional services environment, working with cross-functional teams is an asset.
• Experience working on projects using an agile framework  
• Experience working both independently and in collaboration with remote, geographically diverse teams and  comfortable and competent with working via e-mail, chat, audio/videoconference etc is desirable.
• Experience  in developing web applications in other programming languages is an asset.
• Experience working with the public or not-for-profit sector would be an asset.

c. Language

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required.
• Knowledge of any of the other UN official languages will be considered as an advantage.

• Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
• Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA-1) or Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA-9) - ICS9
• Contract duration: Ongoing contract (subject to good performance, availability of funds, organizational requirements and project duration). 

Even though the level of the position is indicated as IICA-1, depending on the incumbent's personal situation ( candidate with national ID or resident permit), a local fee scale (LICA-9) might be applied in determining the contractor's fee.

Other Requirements

The Candidate must have access to a computer with MAC OS X or Linux based environment for running the necessary development tools, as this will not be provided.

The position is home-based. The incumbent will be expected to take part in several weekly meetings that will be taking place during office hours in the New York time zone. The incumbent should be prepared to work during the hours that reasonably overlap with New York as it requires close and continuous collaboration with the team.

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

• 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.

• 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 

• 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.