Website Architecture and Development Consultant

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:

• Operations Coordination Department (Office of the Deputy to the Director) (DDR)
• Projects, Partnerships & Digital Skills Department (PPS) 
• Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE) 
• Digital Knowledge Society Department (DKS)

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.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

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.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

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:

• Design and support the implementation of the technical architecture of the COP portal in alignment with ITU web standards and the organization’s headless web architecture, separating content management, data services and presentation layers.
• Develop the database structure and data model required to host COP resources and programme information.
• Define the metadata and tagging framework required to categorize resources (e.g. topic, age group, language, target audience, pedagogical format, region).
• Contribute to the definition of a WordPress based headless CMS architecture, including content structures, Custom Post Types (CPTs), metadata models and content relationships.
• Define and support API based content delivery using REST and/or GraphQL approaches to enable integration with frontend applications and other ITU digital platforms.
• Ensure that the architecture supports scalability, maintainability and future integration with AI-enabled search and knowledge discovery tools under development within ITU.
• Collaborate closely with the ITU Project Manager and project team to design and implement features that enhance content filtering, navigation and overall user experience across the portal.
• Convert and adapt relevant COP materials into appropriate digital formats to ensure seamless integration and accessibility

Information Architecture and User Experience:

• Design the information architecture and content taxonomy of the portal to enable intuitive navigation and discovery of resources.
• Structure content categories and navigation paths for different user groups, including policymakers, educators, parents, children and industry stakeholders.
• Propose front-end content structures such as resource catalogues, thematic collections and featured content sections to improve accessibility and usability.
• Ensure the portal provides a modern, responsive and user-friendly interface comparable to contemporary digital knowledge platforms.

TERMS OF REFERENCE (continuation)

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:

• Designing a main homepage with intuitive navigation to key sections.
• Developing dedicated layouts for various media content types.
• Designing and implementing a structured database with search and filtering capabilities based on metadata and tagging frameworks.
• Developing reusable content templates and page structures for resources, programme entries and thematic content pages.
• Enabling functionality for resource downloads and uploads.
• Incorporating any other relevant features as required.
• Provide advice on technical and design solutions aimed at optimizing the portal’s simplicity, usability and accessibility for diverse audiences.

Search and Discovery:

• Design and implement search and filtering functionalities enabling users to locate resources through keywords, metadata and thematic browsing.
• Ensure that the content structure and metadata framework support future AI-powered search, recommendation and discovery systems.
• Collaborate with ITU technical teams to ensure alignment with enterprise search and discovery standards.

Development Standards and Technical Practices:

• The consultant will ensure that development follows modern software development practices, including:
  • Version control systems (e.g. Git).
  • Familiarity with CI/CD concepts and development lifecycle best 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.

CONCRETE DELIVERABLES

• Technical architecture blueprint for the COP portal.
• Database schema and metadata framework for COP resources.
• Structured migration plan for COP materials currently stored in SharePoint and other repositories.
• Search and filtering system design for the resource database.
• Prototype structure or wireframes illustrating the portal layout and navigation.
• Submission of technical documentation including system architecture, API structure and recommendations for long-term maintenance.
• Submission of periodic work reports summarizing key observations, meetings and progress updates (via email, online meetings, or written progress reports).

COMPETENCIES

• Expertise in modern web development technologies and database-driven digital platforms, developing knowledge platforms or digital resource repositories, designing API-based content systems and headless CMS architectures, or WordPress.
• Strong understanding of search, metadata and content discovery systems.
• Familiarity with modern web development practices including DevOps, CI/CD and DevSecOps. 

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

 

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.  

REMUNERATION INFORMATION

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.