ICT Specialist - Scaling and AI Product

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.  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.  With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it.  By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.

East Asia and Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO)

The South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. In 2024, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 80 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.  

The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.

Project Background

UN Global Pulse (UNGP) is the UN Secretary-General’s Innovation Lab. UNGP serves as a cross-pillar lead and hub for experimentation and digital innovation. We have a globally distributed team in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The teams work with digital innovation, strategic foresight, real-time data and artificial intelligence to further sustainable development, humanitarian and peace outcomes. Our vision is ‘A world in which responsible and inclusive digital innovation serves to empower people and protect the planet’. 

DISHA (https://disha.unglobalpulse.org/) aims to accelerate ethical and responsible access to data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to unlock social impact at scale. By facilitating the availability of reusable data through reliable models, standardised approaches and frameworks, DISHA enables the creation and expansion of actionable insights. These insights are designed to support more effective and inclusive efforts in humanitarian work, peacebuilding and development.

UNOPS has signed an agreement to operationally support the implementation of the UN Global Pulse's Data Insights for Social and Humanitarian Action (DISHA) project. The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

UNOPS is seeking an ICT Specialist – Scaling and AI Product for UN Global Pulse’s Data Insights for Social & Humanitarian Action (DISHA) project.

The Scaling and AI Product Specialist will be a key supporter to the scale-up, product delivery, platform monitoring, and day-to-day coordination across DISHA’s expanding AI solutions portfolio. The incumbent will play a pivotal role in supporting the growth, measurement, and operational delivery of DISHA’s platform and high-impact solutions. 

Working under the supervision of the DISHA Product Lead and in close collaboration with the technology team teams, and implementation partners, the Specialist will support the effective scaling of existing tools like Damage Assessment and Socio-Economic Mapping by coordinating partner onboarding, tracking usage and adoption, and supporting solution readiness across regions and stakeholders. As part of this, they will support the measurement and continuous improvement of the DISHA platform by helping define and track key performance indicators, capture user insights, and communicate DISHA’s impact through dashboards and reporting. The incumbent will also provide flexible product management and coordination support across workstreams, ensuring timelines are met, activities are documented, and solutions are delivered efficiently and inclusively.

The Scaling and AI Product Specialist will also play a key role in the scoping, early prototyping and business model development for new features and new use cases. 

This is a home-based position, requiring regular collaboration across time zones from East Asia (Jakarta) to East US (New York), with a balanced working pattern throughout the week.

Under the supervision of the DISHA Product Lead, the ICT Specialist will support scaling, product delivery, and continuous innovation across DISHA’s AI solutions portfolio. 

Summary of functions:

1. Provide scale-up support for existing DISHA solutions (Damage Assessment, Socio Economic Mapping) across stakeholders 

2. Provide Strategic Inputs and Run Rapid Prototyping for future products and features 

3. Support Product Development including through Monitoring & Evaluation of Product Performance  

• An advanced University Degree (Master’s or equivalent) or higher degree, preferably in computer science, social sciences, business analytics, economics, or related field. 

• First-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in the above-mentioned fields with an additional two (2) years of relevant experience can be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in managing multi-stakeholder projects in technology, innovation, or data-driven humanitarian/development contexts, or related fields is required.

• Experience in growing adoption of advanced data/AI solutions, including translation between client and technical teams and product refinement, is an asset.

• Proven track record of designing and implementing data-driven tools, dashboards, and analytics methodologies is an asset. 

• Experience with designing and executing evaluation frameworks, including data visualizations or dashboards is desired. 

• Experience with satellite imagery, remote sensing, and geospatial analytics is desired. 

• Experience with data/AI initiatives for social impact is an asset. 

• Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams is an asset.

• Full working knowledge of English is required;

• Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

1. Contract type: International Individual Contractual Agreement (IICA)
2. Contract level: ICS 10 / IICA 2
3. Contract duration: Ongoing ICA – ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

• 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. 

• 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.

• 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.