Head of Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity

General Description of the assignment title Head of Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Country of assignment Côte d’Ivoire

Location

Place of workOn ONE premises Expected start date 01/12/2026 Duration 6 months (with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances Sustainable development goal

• 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure Host organizationUNDP Modality On site Taper National UCoS Specialist volunteer category from April 2026 Working hours Full-time Number of assignments 1 Details Mission and objectives In Côte d’Ivoire, the UNDP cooperation programme for the period 2021-2025 (CPD) is aligned with the national priorities of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the United Nations Framework for Cooperation on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). Through this framework, UNDP and its partners are committed to helping restore confidence in institutions, create the conditions for people to live in peace, be resilient to crises and shocks, and reap the benefits of inclusive growth and shared prosperity. Projects and programmes are being implemented to address these development challenges in the country.

Job overview

As part of the Digital Flagship Italy program–Africa (Mattei Plan for Africa), funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), UNDP Côte d’Ivoire and the UNDP Centre in Rome are implementing the project “Executive Feasibility Studies on Climate Resilient Agriculture and Digital Innovation in Côte d’Ivoire”. One component of the project is the feasibility study of the National Hub for Artificial Intelligence and Data Innovation, now called the National Center for Innovation and Artificial Intelligence. This study, entrusted to a multidisciplinary consulting firm over seven (7) months under the supervision of UNDP Côte d’Ivoire, includes a decisive component on the choice of the location (comparison of up to three candidate sites designated by the Ministry), digital and computing infrastructures (GPU / CPU), accommodation, energy supply, cooling, connectivity and cybersecurity, in compliance with strict neutrality vis-à-vis suppliers. In parallel, the project supports the technical framing of a possible first GPU pilot computing node. In order to support the UNDP Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Specialist in the scoping, technical follow-up of the study and monitoring of the GPU pilot, UNDP Côte d’Ivoire is recruiting a UN National Specialist Volunteer as a Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Officer. The main objectives of the volunteer will be:

• Support the collection and verification of technical data relating to existing infrastructure and candidate sites;
• Contribute to the technical follow-up of the study firm’s three deliverables on the “Site, Infrastructure, Computing and Cybersecurity” component;
• Support operational monitoring of the technical and security requirements of a possible GPU pilot computing node;
• Contribute to the preparation of technical meetings with the Ministry, ARTCI and national operators. Description of the task Under the direct supervision of the Component Manager at UNDP Côte d’Ivoire, and in close collaboration with the UNDP Digital Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Specialist, the volunteer will perform the following tasks: Support data collection on infrastructure and candidate sites
• Administer the Infrastructure, Computing, Hosting and Cybersecurity component of the UNDP mapping questionnaire to public institutions, universities, research centres and technical operators, and maintain the relevant database related to the Digital and Data Innovation Officer;
• Support the logistical organization and technical secretariat of the field visits to the candidate sites designated by the Ministry (up to three sites) and document the technical findings (power supply, backup, cooling, fibre connectivity, buildings, physical security);

Education / Qualifications

• Gather the national technical and regulatory documentation applicable to data centers, cloud and information system security (ARTCI standards, energy efficiency, WEEE e-waste management). Contribute to the monitoring of the "Site and infrastructure" component of the feasibility study
• Support the verification of the consistency and completeness of technical data produced by the firm in its three deliverables: (1) Startup and Diagnostic Report, (2) Options Report, and (3) Final Feasibility Report;
• Contribute to the compilation of technical feedback from UNDP and national counterparts on the site comparison grid, architecture and hosting scenarios (on-premises, colocation, cloud, hybrid), cybersecurity architecture and cost estimates (CAPEX/OPEX/TCO);
• Support the monitoring of the technological neutrality of the functional and performance requirements of the first investment batch (checking for the absence of unjustified proprietary references). Support technical monitoring of the driver GPU compute node
• If the deployment of a pilot GPU demonstrator is approved, maintain the check-list of technical and security requirements of the host site (energy, air conditioning, connectivity, access control, logging, backups);

Experience

• Collect and compile the technical indicators of use, availability and incidents of the pilot node to feed feedback for the feasibility study. Technical exchange support and knowledge management
• Participate in the preparation of meetings of the Technical Working Group and three validation workshops (start-up, review of options, final validation) on infrastructure and cybersecurity aspects; prepare technical reports;
• Produce technical summaries, comparative tables and support diagrams at the request of the project team. In addition, UN Volunteers must:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteering by reading relevant UNC and external publications and actively participating in UNV activities (e.g. at events marking International Volunteer Day);
• Be familiar with and develop traditional and/or local forms of volunteering in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary actions they undertake, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute to and submit articles/articles on field experiences for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV camaraderie program for new UN volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use UNV’s online volunteering service wherever possible. Eligibility criteria Âge 18 – 80 Experience required 3 years Nationality The applicant must be a national, legal resident or have refugee status in the country of assignment. Requirements of assignment Relevant experience 3 years Languages French, Level: Fluent, Required English, Level: Working knowledge, Desirable Level of training required Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Information Systems, Digital Economics or related field Skills and values

Responsibilities

Responsibility Adaptability and flexibility Building trust Customer Orientation Commitment and motivation Commitment to Continuing Education Communication Creativity Empowerment of others Ethics and values Integrity Sharing knowledge Performance management Planning and organization Professionalism Respect for diversity Self-management Awareness of technologies Vision Teamwork Skills and experience

• At least 3 years of professional experience in the deployment, operation, audit or monitoring of IT infrastructure (servers, storage, virtualization, networks, data centers or cloud) and/or information systems security;
• Practical knowledge of cybersecurity fundamentals (access management, network segmentation, logging, backup, business continuity) and physical hosting constraints (power supply, cooling, connectivity);
• Mastery of office tools and data analysis (Advanced Excel, technical schematization tools);
• Excellent writing skills in French (technical notes, reviews, summaries) and ability to read and use technical documents in English;
• Rigor, sense of organization, respect for confidentiality and neutrality vis-à-vis technology providers;
• Ability to work inclusively within a multidisciplinary team;
• A good awareness of safety. Strengths:
• Knowledge of shared computing, containerization or accelerated computing (GPU/HPC) environments;
• Knowledge of the telecommunications ecosystem, data centers and regulation (ARTCI) in Côte d’Ivoire;
• Technical certification in networks, cloud, security or IT service management (CCNA, Comp-TIA Security)+, ISO 27001, ITIL, AWS/Azure or equivalent);
• Experience with the UN, an international organization or a public administration;
• Participation in a feasibility study or digital infrastructure project. Field of expertise Innovation, foresight, change management, information technology and telecommunications, data science, information management, artificial intelligence Driving licence Other information Volunteering is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken voluntarily, for the common good, without financial reward being the main motivator. Living conditions and remarks As this is a national United Nations Volunteer assignment, the United Nations Volunteer will be responsible for organizing his or her own housing and other essential elements of life. This position is based in Ivory Coast Abidjan. . .National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance scheme. National UN Volunteers must be culturally sensitive and adapt to the dominant culture and traditions. Conditions of service of National United Nations Volunteers The contract has a validity period for the period indicated above with the possibility of extension subject to availability of funds, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, the assignment is not expected to be renewed. The applicable volunteer living allowance is paid monthly to cover housing, utilities and current living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependants) – with the exception of United Nations Community Volunteers), as well as final repatriation (if applicable). You can check all the rights to https: Declaration of inclusivity

Other information

The United Nations Volunteers programme is an equal opportunities programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care and protected characteristics. As part of their commitment to UNV’s values, all UN Volunteers are committed to combating all forms of discrimination and promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or any other status. Note on vaccination requirements Covid-19 Candidates selected for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), in accordance with the applicable host entity policy. Warning of fraud The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interview, test or other fees as part of the application or recruitment process. If you receive a request for payment of any fee, please do not take this into account. In addition, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. You are therefore advised to exercise great caution when communicating personal information on the web.

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