United Nations requirements for digital jobs?

How UN organizations digitally transform themselves and leveraging digital tools as drivers of development.

In April 2019, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its new digital strategy “the first of its kind in the UN system”. The strategy focuses on scaling promising digital technology interventions. UNDP senior managers also hope this project will showcase the private sector how blockchain technology for traceability can be leveraged for social outcomes and financial returns across many products and markets. This might also bring new forms of financing for the UN organization. Furthermore, UNDP aims to lead by example and calls this digital strategy a collective ambition, hoping for many more UN agencies to follow and to accelerate progress on the SDGs. The UNDP already collaborated with UNICEF around blockchain as one example.

Various UN agencies believes that digital technologies and innovation offer new means of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing complex global challenges.

Watching the world adapting to this rapidly changing technological environment, the UN eventually has to follow, not only to remain a trusted and effective partner for its Member States and Government counterparts but also to possibly unlock long term and sustainable prosperity for people and planet.

Through digitalization UN Organizations will become committed to increased productivity, higher client satisfaction and reduced workload for staff. This is also the aim of the United Nations Volunteers UNV Digital Transformation project.

What all these digital transformation strategies have in common is the goal to remove inefficiencies, to introduce self-services, full and advanced automation and Artificial Intelligence as well as to improve inclusiveness through better accessibility and usability.

In light of the above, there are more and more digital job vacancies and UN organizations looking for and recruiting tech and digital savvy candidates who are experienced with AI, Big Data and cloud computing and agile working methodologies. Successful candidates will be experienced in supporting change management activities, process and tools and supporting the development and implementation of digital learning strategies. Furthermore, experience in a consulting role will become more and more valuable.

In short, the UN is looking for possible candidates to support not only the use of digital technologies to improve the quality, relevance and impact of the UN organizations work, but also to improve efficiency of operational systems and internal processes.

The United Career Coalition UCC did some research on high demand roles in  digital UN jobs as well as digital technology jobs and found vacant UN posts for the following roles:

• Digital Analyst • Social Media Manager • Social Media and Communications Specialist • Digital Marketing Specialist (Public Information Officer) • Digital Development Specialist • Digital Transformation Analyst • Digital Support Consultant

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