Solution Architect - Senior Software Engineer Consultant - Req. #581737
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Job no: 581737
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: New York
Level: Consultancy
Location: United States
Categories: Social Policy
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
For every child, HOPE!
Consultancy Title: Solution Architect - Senior Software Engineer Consultant
Section/Division/Duty Station: Social Policy Team - Programme Division, NYHQ
Duration: 25 August 2025, to 30 October 2026
Home/ Office Based: REMOTE
About UNICEF
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For over 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.
BACKGROUND
Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:
To achieve better results for children, in a more efficient and effective way, UNICEF has initiated the mainstreaming and scale up of the humanitarian cash transfer (HCT) modality across the organization. This has become a priority area of work under UNICEF’s strategic plan, as well as UNICEF’s agenda to increase the resilience of households, communities, and systems.
As part of its HCT scale-up plan, UNICEF has developed an integrated software called HOPE - Humanitarian cash Operations and Programme Ecosystem. HOPE is UNICEF’s humanitarian cash transfer management information system. HOPE can (i) collect beneficiary data, (ii) associate data with cash programmes, (iii) create target population (iv) manage payment lists (v) send them to Financial Service Providers (FSP), (vi) reconcile payments, (vii) triangulate payment verification information directly from beneficiaries, (viii) handle grievances and feedback, as well as (iv) reporting.
HOPE enhances the quality of programmes implementing Humanitarian Cash Transfers (HCT) by increasing compliance with UNICEF guidance and tools and ensuring accountability and traceability of the information managed.
UNICEF is looking for a competent Senior Software Engineer consultant to develop additional functional and technical features to be implemented to enhance the beneficiary data management experience for UNICEF Country Offices.
Technology
HOPE utilizes Python as a programming language and Django as a framework for its admin interface. React is used for front end development. As HOPE continues to scale as a system and scope, UNICEF will be seeking engagement with technology partners to develop new features for the roadmap above.
In this engagement, the consultant shall be participating in relevant vendors meetings required for the completion of his/her tasks.
Accountabilities:
Under the direct supervision of the PG SPSP HCT team data manager, and in close collaboration with the ICTD Core Solution Unit IT Manager, the consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:
1. Complete the front end and backend HOPE refactoring coupling within one Docker, Move from Graph QL to Django Rest Framework, ensure Code Coverage ~95%
2. Implement technical measures to pull out grievances’ modules from HOPE stack in order to benefit from independent maintenance across modules.
3. Support the development of a biometrics solution for registration/deduplication and beneficiary authentication, utilizing Voice and Face Photo information.
4. Support the Development of the Country workspace, a system enabling the manipulation of registration data before uploading into HOPE.
5. Refactor deduplication by removing data husband elastic search and enable programme specific deduplication rules
6. Complete Country Report features to allow users to have granular access to HOPE data
7. Achieve HOPE distributed architecture by defining and implementing a technical solution to have different databases (e.g.: per group of time zones) to optimize maintenance time slot and performance
Under the above-mentioned high-level activities framework, the modality of implementation of the above mentioned deliverables will be jointly determined with HOPE team beneficiary data manager and IT manager in an agile way and are outlined in summary with the activities below. The consultant will directly interface with the HOPE team beneficiary data manager in Programme Group Social Policy Social Protection in concert with the HOPE IT Manager. Upon successful completion of deliverables, the HOPE team beneficiary data manager will certify completeness and quality of work for payment.
The scope of some deliverables may evolve as these are implemented and informed by technical consideration jointly agreed between consultant and UNICEF. To achieve the abovementioned deliverable the consultant will have to perform the following activities. Bidders should include in their financial proposal an USD amount for each deliverable which should include all costs assessed to achieve such deliverable.
Activities:
• Software development and testing activities
• Contribute to requirement specification processes
• Develop enhancements and improvements to HOPE and related systems
• Add / improve code organization and documentation
• Write test scripts / bug fixes as needed
• Conduct code reviews as needed
• Collaborate with project team members to ensure all requirements are met
• Participate in conference calls, webinars, and correspondence as needed
• Create project specific documentation and artifacts as per UNICEF’ standards. Create technical documentation on completed work.
• Act as mentor and assist in building internal capacity and expertise within the team. Ensure knowledge transfer and technical handover to UNICEF staff.
• Document and improve overall technical architecture
• Maintain documentation libraries of any developed artifact
• Advise on Python and Django best practices
Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:
Architect the refactoring of the entire ecosystem to ensure maintainability and performance.
- Roadmap with proposed architecture changes and their justification to be planned for Q1 – Q3 2026
15 September 2025
Support the enhancements and bug fixing of Country Workspace based on Users feedbacks
- Country Workspace enhanced version documented on https://unicef.github.io/hope-documentation/
30 September 2025
Conceive the architecture and support the development of a Data Subject Self access with secure authentication to access personal information and assistance records
- Data Subject Self access feature is documented and development by vendor started https://unicef.github.io/hope-documentation/
15 November 2025
Technical oversight of Kellton and Valor Vendor compliance with HOPE workplan between November 2025 and February 2026 to cover as OIC for Technical Project manager
- Kellton and Valor certification of technical compliance with workplan requirements
28 February 2026
Architect a Risk and Financial Anomalies Detection artifact based on existing open source documentation suitable to fulfill HOPE workplan requirements (including the use of Object Character Recognition)
- Risk and Financial Anomalies Detection artifact beta version deployed in a staging environment
30 March 2026
Enhance aurora online registration platform to work as a Progressive Web Application offline (PWA)
- Aurora online registration platform PWA is available
30 January 2026
Object Relationship Model (ORM) refactoring
- Make HOPE Object Relationship Model ORM reusable, to be used country workspace
28 February 2026
Conceive the architecture and support the development of a Cross programme consolidation feature to automate merging of identities existing in HOPE across programmes
- Cross programme consolidation feature is available and documented open source on https://unicef.github.io/hope-documentation/
30 April 2026
Include open data protocols allowing to portray live updates from HOPE dashboard to https://www.unicef.org/hope-hct/
- https://www.unicef.org/hope-hct/ fetches live updates from hope.unicef.org
30 June 2026
Plug a Language Model to HOPE documentation website to create a HOPE documentation BOT
- HOPE Documentation Bot live on https://unicef.github.io/hope-documentation/
30 September 2026
Qualifications
Education:
University degree in Software Engineer ; Software Architecture; Information Technology
Work experience:
• Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:
1. A minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible work experience in software architecture, software engineering, systems integration, product lifecycle, information security, data protection, software quality assurance, systems monitoring.
2. A minimum of 12 years of agile project management in a multi-stakeholder environment.
3. Deep knowledge of Agile Methodologies, and the following technologies: Python (Django/Flask/Pyramid) Phyton PHP (Zend Framework/Laravel/Symfony) Node.js .NET Framework Front-end technologies* React Vanilla JavaScript PostgreSQL – PREFERRED
MongoDB Elasticsearch Kubernetes Azure, Celery
Redis FactoryBoy RabbitMQ DockerActive memberships in Open-Source projects
4. Software design, systems integration and system architecture experience, with a focus on information systems designed for confidential or proprietary data, as well as proficiency with software development best practices, including source code management and continuous integration solutions such as GitHub, CircleCI/Travis, Jenkins etc.
5. Sharp analytical and interpersonal communication skills, attention to detail. Ability to translate business needs into technical requirements.
6. Excellent Ability to foster positive work relationships, build alliances with key stakeholders and find compromise between competing views.
7. Strong ability to work with multiple stakeholders inside and outside the organization.
8. Understanding of mathematics and cryptography in theory and in practice. Knowledge of privacy-preserving approaches like differential privacy, zero-knowledge proofs, and secure multiparty computation.
9. knowledge of tactics, techniques, procedures associated with malicious insider activity, organized crime/fraud groups, as well as state and non-state sponsored threat actors.
10. Prior experience with field deployment/implementation in developing countries or complex security contexts is highly desirable.
11. Ability to stay abreast of new technologies and their ability to support the Humanitarian Cash Transfer Management Information System to improve efficiency and effectiveness of business units.
12. Prior experience working with a multilateral or UN organization is highly desirable.
13. Prior experience working in the financial industry, cash transfer is desirable.
Requirements:
Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and
- Upload copy of academic credentials
- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :
o the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
o travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
o Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
o Indicate your availability
- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
U.S. Visa information:
With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).
To view our competency framework, please visit here.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
Remarks:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.
The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.
Advertised: Eastern Daylight Time
Deadline: Eastern Daylight Time