Developer

The consultant shall report to the Head of Web Platforms, who is responsible for work planning, prioritization and overall delivery oversight.

The consultant will:

• Analyse technical requirements and identify appropriate implementation approaches, dependencies and potential risks.
• Develop, maintain and enhance UNEP Drupal websites, including modules, content models, configurations and custom functionality.
• Implement, enhance and maintain reusable templates and components for the corporate website, Starter Kit and other UNEP web platforms.
• Implement technical requirements for migration of child, campaign and project websites to common UNEP templates and technical standards.
• Implement and enhance hybrid or decoupled Drupal functionality using React, Next.js and related technologies where appropriate.
• Develop and maintain APIs and integrations that support content and data exchange between UNEP web platforms and external systems.
• Develop, enhance and optimize search and content-discovery functionality, including OpenSearch, indexing, ranking, relevance configuration and semantic search. 
• Implement and improve AI-supported search and content-discovery capabilities to increase relevance, accuracy and user experience, in accordance with approved technical standards and organizational guardrails.
• Develop and maintain multilingual website functionality, including templates, components, CMS translation workflows and related integrations.
• Maintain Drupal core, contributed and custom modules, themes and dependencies, including implementation and testing of security and technical updates.
• Apply Git-based development, code-review, testing and CI/CD deployment workflows.
• Test and troubleshoot website functionality, integrations, performance and deployment issues, including support for major releases and migrations.
• Apply UNEP requirements and accepted web-development standards for security, accessibility, performance, responsive design, interoperability and maintainability.
• Review code and technical implementations and contribute to technical quality assurance across the web portfolio.
• Provide technical input to vendors and other developers working on UNEP web platforms.

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree master’s or equivalent in computer science, information systems, software engineering , or related field is required.
• A first-level university degree, combined with two 2 additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• At least two 2 years of professional experience in web development, including substantial experience with PHP and Drupal is required.
• Strong experience with Drupal architecture, themes, modules, templates, configuration, custom functionality and reusable components is required.
• Experience with website migrations and modernization of enterprise web platforms is required.
• Strong experience with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and modern JavaScript frameworks, preferably React and Next.js is required.
• Experience with relational databases and with developing and integrating RESTful APIs and other web-platform integrations is required.
• Strong experience with Elasticsearch, OpenSearch or similar enterprise search technologies, including indexing, query configuration, ranking and relevance optimization is required.
• Experience developing or integrating semantic search, AI-supported search or other AI-enabled content-discovery functionality is required. Strong knowledge of Git, code review and CI/CD deployment workflows is required.
• Experience applying security, accessibility, performance, responsive design and maintainability standards to web platforms is required.
• Experience troubleshooting complex web-development, integration and deployment issues is required.
• Ability to evaluate and apply AI technologies with appropriate consideration of accuracy, security, performance and responsible use is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining complex websites or multi-site digital platforms is desirable.
• Ability to document technical systems and communicate technical issues clearly to technical and non-technical colleagues is desirable.
• Experience implementing multilingual websites and CMS-based translation workflows is desirable.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multicultural and international environment is desirable.