

INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems.
ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.
Website Architecture and Development Consultant
Vacancy notice no: 2312
Sector: BDT
Department: DNE
Country of contract: Remote
Duty station: Home Based
Position number: [[positionNumber]]
Grade: [[PositionGrade]]
Type of contract: Consultant
Duration of contract: 60 working days
Recruitment open to: External
Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 19 May 2026
ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT
The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is responsible for the organization and coordination of the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union. BDT deals mainly with development policies, strategies, programming, projects, as well as technical cooperation activities to enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs and Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. To effectively and efficiently serve the needs of Member States, BDT is organized into four functional areas:
The Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE) is responsible to assist the Member States, especially the G77 countries, in a wide range of ICT development challenges, as basic connectivity, spectrum management, evolution of current to future broadband networks and technologies, enabling universal and affordable access, and strengthening the security through the cybersecurity support. In addition, the DNE Department provides expertise and needed support for emergency telecommunications and the increasingly important and urgent aspects related to the environment and climate change.
The accelerating digitalization of contemporary society has significantly expanded the online opportunities available to children and young people. At the same time, increased connectivity has introduced complex challenges related to digital safety, making the protection of children in the digital environment a critical global priority.
In response, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), through its Child Online Protection (COP) initiative, has developed a wide range of resources, including guidelines, training materials, policy frameworks, research outputs, awareness materials and digital learning tools. These materials support governments, educators, parents, industry and children in fostering safer digital environments.
To improve the accessibility, usability and global reach of these materials, ITU aims to develop an online COP resource portal and programme repository hosted on the ITU website. The portal will serve as a centralized, searchable and structured directory of COP resources, training materials and programmes developed by ITU and its partners.
The platform will be designed in line with the emerging ITU web architecture, which is transitioning towards a headless web architecture, separating content management, data services and presentation layers, and supporting future integration with AI-enabled search and knowledge discovery tools. This approach will support scalable development, enhanced search and discovery functionalities, and potential future integration with AI-powered search and knowledge discovery systems being developed within ITU.
The portal will function as a global knowledge and learning repository, enabling users to discover and access COP materials through an intuitive and user-friendly interface comparable to modern digital learning platforms. It should support structured navigation, thematic exploration, and resource discovery through search, filters and curated content sections. The portal will accommodate different types of content, including policy guidance, training materials, videos, toolkits and educational resources for different audiences.
The purpose of this consultancy is to support the design and development of the technical architecture, database structure and digital framework for the COP resource portal, ensuring alignment with ITU web standards, headless architecture principles and future AI-enabled discovery tools.
Under the guidance of the ITU Project Manager and in close coordination with the ITU Information Services Department (ISD), the consultant will support the design and development of the technical architecture of the COP portal. This includes the development of the database structure, metadata framework, search and filtering functionalities, and API connectivity. The consultant will ensure alignment with ITU web architecture principles, including the emerging headless architecture model that separates content management, data storage and presentation layers. The assignment will also include structuring and virtualizing existing COP resources, including guidelines, promotional materials, web-page scripts, presentations, videos, audio files, quizzes, learning modules, assessments and other relevant materials, into a dynamic, searchable and filterable digital repository hosted on the ITU website. The virtualization process will encompass both existing and planned COP materials, aligned with the strategic needs and guidance of the International Telecommunication Union. To this end, the consultant will undertake the following activities:
Website Architecture and System Design:
Information Architecture and User Experience:
Portal Development and Content Structuring:
Under the strategic direction of the ITU COP team and informed by consultations with COP experts, contribute to the development of the online portal in coordination with the content development team. This includes:
Search and Discovery:
Development Standards and Technical Practices:
Basic security by design principles aligned with ITU hosting and security requirements. Participation in testing, documentation and knowledge sharing activities to support long term maintainability.
Education:
University degree in instructional design, telecommunication, computer science, engineering, OR education from a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of a university degree in one of the fields above.
Experience:
At least five (5) years of experience in digital knowledge platforms, web architecture or online resource repositories, in particular with WordPress and other similar solutions, including at least one (1) at the international level.
Experience in designing and implementing scalable digital solutions, including platforms operating in resource-constrained environments with the ability to translate functional and business requirements into practical, scalable technical solutions.
Experience in Website development is required.
Experience in developing resources for non-profit projects/organisations is desirable.
Languages:
Knowledge of English at advanced level. Knowledge of another official language of the Union (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) would be an advantage.
USD 330 per working day. USD 19,800 to be paid in lumpsum upon completion and submission of the deliverables.
INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU career website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.