JOB DETAILS: ──────────── Publication for: Partner Partner Name: WHO World Health Organization Position Title: Application Management Lead – Learning Management Platform Job Category: Information and Communications Technology Duty Station(s): Kuala Lumpur Seniority Level: Senior Level ICS Level: ICS 11 Contract Type: ICA - IICA - Regular Contract Level: IICA 3 Posting Start Date: 11-Aug-2026 Posting End Date: 24-Aug-2026 Duration: 1 year contract with possibility of extension JOB HIGHLIGHT ──────────── This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a global initiative aimed at enhancing access to lifelong learning for millions of health workers worldwide. The position offers exposure to cutting-edge learning technologies, collaboration with international organizations, and the chance to make a significant impact on global health education. JOB SPECIFIC CONTEXT ──────────── This position is a Partner Personnel role. The selected candidate will be contracted by UNOPS under its rules and regulations and will be engaged as UN Partner Personnel for WHO and will operate under the effective management and supervision of WHO.UNOPS is supporting WHO as a UN Partner and acting on its behalf to provide recruitment and administrative support for this position.The World Health Organization's Academy ("The Academy") is a lifelong learning institution that aims to enhance training access for millions of health workers around the world. Based in Lyon, France, the Academy Campus offers a wide range of learning modalities, including online, face-to-face, and blended learning. As an integral part of the WHO under the management authority of the Director-General, the Academy’s overall goal is to advance the learning and human development components of WHO's General Programme of Work (GPW) and contribute to achieving health sustainable development targets. The Academy constitutes a global initiative, combining the latest technologies in digital and remote learning with advancements in adult learning science to offer innovative, personalized, and multilingual learning to health policy practitioners, health workers, and the WHO workforce.The Information and Digital Technologies (IDT) department of the WHO manages the learning technology platform for The Academy. This position operates within the Information and Digital Technologies (IDT) department of the WHO, which manages the learning technology platform for The Academy. Reporting to the Head of Operations and Support in IDT, and under the guidance of the Unit Head, the incumbent will be responsible for the following core areas:Team Coordination & Process Management: Coordinate the activities of team members co-located at the Global Service Centre (GSC) and Managed Service Providers. Define, implement, and manage operational processes for services, including but not limited to: Incident management and request fulfilment, Access management and event management, Problem management and user support, Service transitionStakeholder & Business Alignment: Interface closely with Academy and IDT teams, service and application product leads, and business system owners to understand and successfully meet business requirements for the Learning Experience Platform (LXP).Vendor & Provider Management: Interact with external providers to ensure the successful delivery of outsourced services and specific IT tasks. ROLE PURPOSE ──────────── The Application Management Lead will originate and develop new policies, techniques, or standards for the Learning Experience Platform (LXP), innovate and create novel approaches to solve complex or systemic problems, and provide expert advice on the development and implementation of new programs or initiatives. The role will also involve leading and directing substantive teams and junior managers, advocating for new ideas, and driving improvements and transformative change within the learning technology field. FUNCTIONS / KEY RESULTS EXPECTED ──────────── 1. Application Development & DeliveryCoordinate the activities of internal team members and Managed Service Providers to deliver application-layer features that support business needs and enhance the learner experience.Manage the full lifecycle of application development for the Open edX platform, including custom XBlocks/plugins development and platform enhancements.Enforce application-level coding standards using Python (Django), Node.js, and modern JavaScript frameworks such as Vue.js, including performing code reviews and auditing deliverables to ensure compliance with WHO requirements.Ensure compliance with DevOps practices, including image management, secrets handling, automated testing, and adherence to WHO standards and policies.Develop and enforce runbooks, SOPs, and documentation standards.Manage software development processes from requirements gathering through service transition.Design and maintain integration patterns for APIs, identity systems, credentialing standards (LTI, SCORM, xAPI), and downstream WHO systems.Define and maintain data architecture, including conceptual, logical, and physical data models for Open edX and related services.Implement reliability engineering practices, including SLOs, SLIs, capacity thresholds, and error budgets.Oversee observability across all LXP layers, including APM, metrics, logs, traces, and microservices monitoring.Define and enforce both application-level and infrastructure-level security practices, including penetration testing follow-ups, secret management, and hardened images.2. Application OperationsDefine and manage operational processes for services, including incident management, request fulfillment, and access management.Interface with Academy product leads and business owners to ensure user support and event management align with business needs.Oversee the reliability of the application layer to support high availability (≥99.95%) for up to 10 million users.3. Community & Capability BuildingLead the design and operation of open-source learning products based on Open edX, while contributing back to the open-source community.Collaborate with external providers, UN agencies, and academic institutions to advocate for and mobilize resources in learning technology initiatives.Stay updated on emerging e-learning trends, including the integration of AI/ML technologies (CNNs, RNNs) and data analytics within learning platforms. SKILLS ──────────── DevOps, Python, Stakeholder Management, Kubernetes, Microservices, Software Architecture COMPETENCIES ──────────── Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organisation. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organisation. EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS ──────────── Required:Master's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field relevant to the position with 7 years of relevant experience, ORBachelor's degree or equivalent in the above-mentioned areas or related fields with 9 years of relevant experience.Desired:Certifications in Agile Project Management or SCRUM.Certification related to enterprise information technology architecture, such as TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework).Technical certifications related to Microsoft Azure, RedHat OpenShift, or MongoDB. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS ──────────── RequiredRelevant experience is work in software architecture and developmentExperience  in large-scale, cloud-native OpenEdx platforms.Experience in security, compliance, or data governance in enterprise environments.DesiredExperience in microservices, containerization (Kubernetes/OpenShift), and CI/CD automation.Experience with Python (Django), Node.js, FastAPI, Celery, and modern JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js).Proven track record with relational and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB), search/analytics (Elasticsearch, ClickHouse), and caching (Redis).Familiarity with event streaming (Kafka), workflow orchestration (Airflow), and LTI/SCORM/xAPI standards.Experience in EdTech or large-scale learning platformsCertifications in Azure, Kubernetes/OpenShift, or TOGAF.