Consultant Information Technology

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website:  and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Senior Network Consultant
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultant level 2
UNIT/DIVISION: TECM Foundational Technology Services
DUTY STATION (City, Country): Rome, Italy
DURATION: 11 months

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Under the direct supervision of the Team Leader for Network/Telco operation and the general supervision of the
Head of the Unit, the Consultant will be a critical team member supporting the HQ Local Area Network (LAN)
and the WFP Wide Area Network (WAN). The Consultant will play a crucial role in visioning and implementing
new network technologies that will improve WAN performance and enhance Network Security within the
organization. The Consultant will also be responsible for managing core network infrastructure, implementation
of new architectures for both LAN and WAN as well planning for network changes. He will also perform
monitoring and prepare technical reports for the Capacity Planning team. Furthermore, the Consultant will
participate in activities related to the delivery of managed connectivity services.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Design, implement and maintain data link redundancies for WFP WAN infrastructure.
2. Fine-tune the current infrastructure to optimise network performance over the WAN/LAN.
3. Complement IT security teams to provide high-level network guidance and support for prevention and
mitigation of threats and abuses on the WFP core network.
4. Sustain corporate guidance, SOPs, standards, and roadmaps on LAN, WAN, satellite and wireless
technologies, SD-WAN and WAN optimizations.
5. Provide high-level expertise on routing, VPN, QoS, integration of WFP WAN with external providers and
other network-related policies.
6. Periodical QoS review, design and implementation to prioritize and improve the performance of WFP
critical business applications.
7. Consolidation, fine-tuning and integration of Netflow traffic statistics into the WFP Corporate Network
monitoring system to better assess field capacity requirements.
8. Collect, and analyse data of trends on new technologies including applications development testing for
network resiliency and bandwidth capacity planning.
9. When required provide technical support on PBX integration into existing WFP SIP and Secure SIP voice
infrastructure for HQ and Field Offices.
10. Provide high-level support for HQ Webcast Service, core Poly (ex-Polycom) Video Conferencing
infrastructure meeting rooms and endpoints and improve quality and integrate it with standard UC
solutions. Migrate VC from SIP to MTR globally.
11. Provide 2nd level support to the IT Service Desk
12. Work together with teams in TECM to seek better ways to optimise network infrastructure and
performance over the WAN/LAN. Participate proactively in proof of concepts and roll-out activities of
approved projects.
13. When required act as a focal point to work or oversee, at the technical level third-party network and
telecommunications vendors and service providers related to ongoing activities.
14. Produce documentation for installation, network topology and troubleshooting of systems and
infrastructure.
15. Support the remote offices through field missions.
16. Occasionally available and/or on-call outside of regular working hours.
17. Be physically present at HQ when required for on-site support.
18. Perform any other duties that as required.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

1. As part of the continual optimisation of the HQ and global WAN infrastructure, work as part
of the team with different branches in TECM to review current infrastructure and recommend
alternative solutions for both core and edge solutions.
2. Provide high-level support toward the continuous improvement of HQ Audio video
conferencing infrastructure and high-level recommendations.
3. Maintain HQ / WAN technical infrastructure in optimum condition and redundancy.
4. Play an active part in the current Secure SIP implementation of WFP PABXs Globally.
5. Provide support in the rollout and support of new SD-WAN technology to the field.
6. Complete review of HQ Audio video conferencing infra and high-level recommendations.
7. Develop a plan to integrate selected WFP standard UC environment into the current
infrastructure and implement it.
8. Participate in the implementation of new architecture design of HQ LAN components.
9. Participate in the decommissioning of discontinued services in LAN and WAN.
10. Maintain HQ / WAN technical infrastructure in optimum condition and redundant state.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education: Post-secondary school educational qualifications/training and relevant experience or
University degree, Cisco CCNP Certified, Fortinet NSE 4.
Experience: A minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience, in providing IT services/solutions,
Knowledge & Skills:
Strong interpersonal skills
Network planning, implementation and debugging (LAN, WAN and datacentres).
Switching and routing based on various Cisco platforms (29xx, 39xx, Nexus,9xxx
and others)
VPN technologies (IPSEC, DMVPN, SSL)
Strong knowledge of information Systems Security (Cisco ASA/FIREPOWER,
Fortinet, HP Tipping point)
Network Access Control (Cisco ISE)
Wireless LAN technologies (Cisco, Ruckus, Meraki, Ubiquiti)
WAN technologies (Cisco, Fortinet)
WAN acceleration (Riverbed and Cisco WAAS)
Network Performance Measurement (IXIA, Agilent).
Network Monitoring such as Nagios, WhatsUP Gold, Solarwinds, IP Monitor, Fluke
VPM, Ntop.
VoIP – Cisco Unified, Skype for Business, Polycom, Unified communication.
Secure SIP PABX (Mitel, CUBE, Ribbon)
Languages: English, and other UN languages are desirable

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, please contact: 

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.