Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Nairobi
Grade: Mid level – P-3, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Innovations for Sustainable Development
Closing Date: 2024-11-13
Reporting to the Business Analyst, Digital Solutions & Innovation, the overall responsibility of this position is to provide Technical Assistance, Oversight, Capacity Building, and Partnerships for regional and country office T4D and innovation initiatives. This function supports the Regional T4D Business Analyst on Digital Innovation, PPM on Data Innovation, Supply Team on Product Innovation, PPP on Innovative Partnerships, and the Regional Senior Management Team and Advisors on Programme Innovation, as well as respective CO structures in corresponding areas.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, hope.
For more information about our programme, please visit our website:www.unicef.org/esaro/
How can you make a difference??
Summary of the key functions, accountabilities and related duties or tasks include:
1. Policy and Strategic Development for Digital-enabled Programming,
2. Manage the Innovation function and provide technical and programmatic support,
3. Engage and maintain partnerships and networks,
4. Knowledge Management,
5. Capacity Building.
1. Policy and Strategic Development for Digital-enabled Programming
1.1. Digital Transformation and Innovation Strategies
Provide leadership to development of DX and innovation strategies at RO and CO level; including governance and management, Innovation Portfolio approaches, partnerships and resource mobilization, assessment of gaps, opportunities and scale-up strategy in support of CO priorities.
1.2. Participation in programme and management processes
Integrate innovation into the programme planning lifecycle. Align with programme priorities (e.g. AWP) and attend planning meetings (PCM) to exercise functional accountabilities.
1.3. Leadership and Quality Assurance
Oversee development and quality assurance during planning and deployment of innovation initiatives; participate in establishing and maintaining standards, documentation and support mechanisms.
2. Manage the Innovation function, and provide technical and programmatic support:
2.1. Business Relationship Management
Manage Business and Programme Relationship services to define high-level requirements; document and match requirements and guide the design, development and deployment of appropriate Innovative solutions.
2.2. Portfolio Coordination
Lead deployment of the Innovation portfolio approach to solutions prioritised for UNICEF programming
2.3. Support and assist design of Innovation interventions
Provide support and technical assistance to the Country Office in the identification, selection, concept design, deployment and sustainability of Innovation interventions to address bottlenecks towards the achievement of programme results.
2.4. Identify and assess new Innovations
Assist programme sections to identify and assess new initiatives, or new phases of on-going initiatives, with immediate potential to improve UNICEF programming.
2.5. Solution procurement and evaluation
Assist the review of technical solutions to ensure UNICEF standards are followed; contribute to project management processes, generation and review of terms of reference and vendor selection.
2.6. Deployment advice and support
Advisory and assistance with implementation strategy, including technical oversight, troubleshooting and the documentation of challenges and resolutions.
2.7. Design thinking
Support human/user-centred design methods to enable user-acceptance testing, evaluation, documentation and analysis.
3. Engage and maintain partnerships and networks
3.1. Engage and maintain partnerships and networks
Develop partnerships and networks with local solution providers, innovators, NGOs, cultural and religious organisations, the private sector, local media and academia to build and provide a space to nurture and test innovative initiatives and build local capacity.
3.2. Advocacy and communications
Represent the country office in external, inter-agency or partner forums on Innovation.
3.3. Proposal and partnership development
Identify opportunities for resource mobilisation and new partnerships and lead proposal and partnership development efforts in close collaboration with other Regional Offices, where applicable.
3.4. Provide advice and support to programme partners
Provide technical and operational support to a wide range of stakeholders and partners on UNICEF policies, practices, standards and norms.
3.5. Standards and procedures for ownership
Work with stakeholders to help develop standards, procedures and partnerships for Innovation interventions and their transition to relevant Government and Civil Society Institutions.
3.6. Transfer and skill-sharing for programme partners
Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing and transfer of knowledge, skills and tools to foster and facilitate innovation-enabled programming.
3.7. Document localized partners and profiles
Develop a catalogue of potential country specific Innovation partners and their profiles/areas of engagement to promote and enhance UNICEF goals for outcomes for children
4. Knowledge Management
4.1. Share lessons learned
Identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned from Innovation for integration into broader knowledge development planning, advocacy and communication efforts.
4.2. Landscape mapping
Maintain an inventory of Innovation interventions, assets, resources and networks.
4.3. Monitoring, evaluation and learning
Work with PME to ensure documentation and clear monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for innovation including baseline data collection, on-going monitoring, as well as first phase data collection and analysis.
4.4. Contribute to Peer Support Networks
Contribute, share and collaborate with Office of Innovation, with regional and global innovation networks and activities.
5. Capacity Building
5.1. Data analysis for evidence generation
Build capacity of programme staff in analysing the large amounts of data generated through innovation initiatives including the use of data visualization techniques and analytics tools.
5.2. Co-create appropriate solutions
Work directly with section chiefs to co-create strategies on how innovation can support the country programme.
5.3. Provide training to stakeholders and end-users
Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies, capacity and knowledge within the programmes; train UNICEF staff, partners, government counterparts and other end users in innovation approaches and methodologies.
5.4. Build awareness around Innovation & Frontier Technology
Develop capabilities within Country Office on appropriate use of frontier technology and innovations such as UAVs, wearables, IoTs, mobile money, blockchain etc.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education : Advanced university degree in International Affairs, International Relations, International Development, Business Management, Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, or related practical experience
Work Experience: A minimum of five years of professional experience in ICT management, business analysis or similar, in a large international organization and/or corporation.
Experience with Programme, Digital, Product and / or Data Innovations in low bandwidth settings is required.
Experience identifying, designing, and implementing solutions for large-scale projects with technical components – including supervising external vendors; responsibility for business analysis, budgets, contracts, project management and procurement is required.
Desirables
Experience with Innovation methodologies, including Human Centered Design and Agile / Iterative programme planning is desirable.
Experience with Open Source, Open Standards and Open Data is desirable.
Experience with Innovating on-top of mature Digital Public Goods, including RapidPro, DHIS2, ODK and other technologies is desirable.
Field experience, including working with Government and Implementing Partners at national level is desirable.
Experience with developing partnerships and resource mobilization is desirable.
Exposure to UNICEF, UN or other INGO programmatic areas, including (but not limited to) health, nutrition, child protection and/or education, and experience in applying technical solutions to address programmatic issues is desirable.
Language Proficiency [ III ]
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. AtIn UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.