Description
The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, education, public health, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.
The Operations and Management Directorate (OMD) provides corporate services to all SPC Divisions and Programmes. It consists of three key departments: Finance, Human Resources and Information Services. OMD is focused on improving the effectiveness of systems, policies and management to provide high-quality customer-oriented services.
The role – Solution Architect (Business Systems) will provide technical leadership in the design, development, and delivery of enterprise-wide digital solutions aligned with SPC’s transformation roadmap. The role serves as the lead application developer within the Digital Transformation team, guiding solution architecture, mentoring junior developers, and ensuring the integration of modern development practices across SPC’s core systems.
The key responsibilities of the role include:
Technical Leadership and Solution Architecture
- Lead the design and development of scalable, secure, and integrated application solutions.
- Provide architectural guidance and ensure alignment with SPC’s digital transformation strategy.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption where appropriate.
Strategic Development and Delivery
- Oversee development lifecycle for major digital initiatives, ensuring alignment with OneSPC programme goals.
- Collaborate with project managers and business analysts to translate requirements into technical solutions.
- Ensure code quality, documentation, and testing standards are upheld
Mentorship and Capacity Building
- Mentor junior developers and contribute to team capability development.
- Lead technical workshops and contribute to internal knowledge sharing.
Stakeholder Engagement and Requirements Analysis
- Engage with internal stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into technical specifications.
- Provide expert advice on solution options, trade-offs, and implementation strategies.
Support and Continuous Improvement
- Provide tier-3 support for critical applications and lead root cause analysis for complex issues.
- Drive continuous improvement through feedback loops and performance monitoring.
- Participate in the review, development and deployment of direct or indirect technical ICT support to SPC member countries and partners in support of enhanced ICT services in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs).
For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.
Key selection criteria
Qualifications
- Post graduate qualification in computer science, software engineering or related field or equivalent body of knowledge and experience.
Technical expertise
- At least 10 years of experience in project management, preferably in the development sector.
- Experience in monitoring and evaluation, including the development of theories of change, logical frameworks, performance indicators, monitoring and reporting against progress, and facilitating reflection, learning and adaptation with project stakeholders.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in enterprise application development, including leadership roles.
- Proven expertise in solution architecture, cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS), and modern development frameworks (NET Core, Power Platform, CI/CD).
- Experience leading technical teams and mentoring developers.
- Strong understanding of digital transformation principles and enterprise integration.
Language skills
- Excellent English communication skills (oral and written) with a working knowledge of French being an advantage.
Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness
- Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive and equitable environment.
Salary, terms and conditions
Contract Duration – 3 years – subject to renewal depending on funding and performance.
Remuneration – The Solution Architect (Business Systems) is a band 11 position in SPC’s 2025 salary scale.
For Noumea – a starting salary range of 4,397–5,400 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately XPF 642,655–789,288 (USD 5,848–7,182; EUR 5,385–6,614).
For Suva – a starting salary range of 3,245‒4,057 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately FJD 9,768–12,211 (USD 4,316–5,395; EUR 3,975–4,969).
An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. Remuneration of expatriate SPC staff members is not subject to income tax in Fiji; Fiji nationals employed by SPC in Fiji will be subject to income tax. SPC salaries are not presently subject to income tax in New Caledonia.
Benefits for Staff in a position advertised internationally (EPAI) whose duty station is Noumea or Suva – SPC provides housing support in Noumea or Suva.Establishment and repatriation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave travel, health and life and disability insurances and education allowances are available for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 working days of annual leave per annum and other types of leave, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a 10% contribution).
Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.
Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.
How to apply
Application procedure
Closing Date: 26 October 2025 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)
Job Reference: TT000119
Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/
Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.
For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:
- an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
- a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
- responses to all screening questions
Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
For international staff in Fiji, only one foreign national per family can be employed with an entity operating in Fiji at any one given time. SPC may assist on a case-by-case basis with submissions to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their consideration and final approval. SPC cannot and does not make any guarantee whatsoever of approval for such applications to Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs and where an application is approved, the spouse or partner will subject to such terms and conditions as may be set from time to time by the Ministry.
SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.
Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):
- Please describe your experience in designing and delivering enterprise-wide application solutions. What approaches have you used to ensure your solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with organisational strategy?
- Give an example of how you have led or mentored a technical team to deliver a complex digital initiative. What challenges did you face, and how did you ensure knowledge sharing and capability development within the team?
- How do you approach stakeholder engagement and requirements analysis for large-scale digital projects? Please provide an example of how you have translated business needs into technical specifications and managed competing priorities or trade-offs.