UNDP Jobs - 26250- Consultant: Information architecture and functiona

Consultant: Information architecture and functional specifications (web) expert

Location :

home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

28-Oct-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated November 2011

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

approximately 20 working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Bratislava Regional Centre provides technical and advisory support for 25 UNDP offices in the region of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). One of the central means for ensuring effective technical and advisory services is the incorporation of knowledge management principles, such as the development and support of communities of practice, regional and global knowledge networks and real time content creation. The Centre is proactively promoting social media as a way to increase its engagement with online audiences.

UNDP recently adopted new branding which has to be also deployed to its regional online presence, which includes the UNDP in Europe and CIS main site (http://europeandcis.undp.org), social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Blog) and third-party services (Flickr, Slideshare, Issuu).

The web team in the regional center is seeking a consultant to help in the process of planning the redesign of its online presence to comply with the new corporate requirements as well as improve its usability and better meet the needs of its audience. In addition, the team is planning to achieve a closer integration between its social media channels and its website (which at the moment are only loosely integrated) in a way that provides greater added value for its audience.

The consultant will report to UNDP’s Knowledge Management Advisor and work closely with the web editor and the web analyst, as well as with other internal stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

The information architecture and functional specifications expert will:

1) Draft functional specifications for the redesign of the UNDP in Europe and CIS website through an in-depth analysis of UNDP in Europe and CIS online communication needs, comparing the current web site with the new (existing) design templates and suggest recommendations. In detail, he or she will

Consult with the Knowledge and Innovation team to understand the intended scope of the rebranding and the anticipated technology (for example: Flash, HTML) and human requirements (for example: designer, developer, manager);
Help develop personas for the redesigned website
Determine what information from the existing web site matches the new web site template (designs have been already developed for most pages) and what parts should be redesigned or removed, and create an infomap for the transition to the new template;
Ensure the functional requirements capture the essence of the rebranding exercise and integrate social media platforms and external services - ensuring easy sharing across social media platforms and services, and smooth visual navigation across platforms
Recommend additional features to enhance the platform’s capabilities;

2) Prepare an action plan for integrating social media and external services (see above) with the web site.

Under the guidance of the Web editor and Web analyst, determine which existing platforms need to be integrated with the UNDP web site;
Identify which social media platforms and external services could be rebranded using the new template and to what extent. We would like to create an integrated user experience for all components and third-party services of our online presence, which should be customized in a way that provides clear linkages between different systems as well as consistent look and feel with new UNDP branding
Lay out a set of guidelines and specific steps to implement the rebranding for each specific platform or service.

These plans will help UNDP’s web team to implement all of the steps necessary to move to the new design and to have a streamlined presence across all platforms. The functional specifications and action plan will also be shared with a technical specialist(s) so they can implement the necessary technical steps.

Competencies

Excellent technical writing skills (functional requirements)
Ability to communicate with both technical specialists and non-technical interlocutors;
Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to deliver projects within deadlines;
Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to take initiative;
Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment, especially remotely.

Required Skills and Experience

Relevant background and a minimum of -5-7 years experience with information architecture and information management tasks in a web 2.0 environment;
Demonstrated experience writing Functional Specifications for complex IT platforms
Proven experience working on web redesign projects
Excellent understanding of usability principles
Previous experience integrating social media channels with traditional web-sites;
Outstanding communication skills in English
Knowledge of UNDP regional activity, organization and structure is a plus;

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

Criteria A (communication skills) – max points: 5
Criteria B (Experience with the functional specifications writing for similar projects) – max points: 10
Criteria C (Experience with social media channels integration) – max points: 10
Criteria D (Informational architecture skills) – max points: 10

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees
(blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days, travel, per diems and any other possible costs).
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...).

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.
Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.