Contract Manager (Connectivity Solutions), (P-4), Office of Innovation (Giga), Geneva, Switzerland, #130369 (Temporary Appointment 364 days)

The Contract Manager’s effectiveness in strategic procurement and contract management will directly impact Giga’s ability to improve governments’ access to high-quality, affordable connectivity solutions for their schools. This role will ensure that procurement strategies are scalable, data-driven, innovative, and aligned with UNICEF’s mission, ultimately contributing to improved educational outcomes and equitable access to digital resources for children globally.

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, Connectivity

The Office of Innovation (OoI) is a critical driver of UNICEF’s mission, leveraging expertise and resources from across the organization and its partners to address key challenges facing children worldwide. By continuously ideating, testing, and scaling the most impactful solutions, the OoI plays a pivotal role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals related to children.

Giga (giga.global), an initiative launched in 2019 as a joint effort between UNICEF and ITU (itu.int), seeks to connect every school in the world to the internet, thereby addressing the growing digital divide. With over 75 years of experience in delivering emergency assistance, technical advice, and building systems in health, education, and child protection, UNICEF, through Giga, aims to provide children with access to information, opportunity, and choice. The initiative not only focuses on connectivity but also uses schools as community hubs, creating broader economic and social opportunities.

The Giga team (https://giga.global/about-us/) has experience and background in building technology products, finance and investment, design, and infrastructure. It’s a global team, with two “centres of gravity” (in Barcelona, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland) with many team members located around the world.

Giga works across three main areas: Mapping, Finance, and Market Influence and Procurement. The Country Engagement Team supports the initiation and implementation of all three areas of Giga’s support in countries. The Mapping team maps schools and their connectivity, creating a real-time display of access and need on Project Connect (https://projectconnect.unicef.org/map). The Finance team works to create the financing (grant, loan, and investment) for connectivity. The Market Influence and Procurement team works closely with UNICEF Supply Division to support governments through public procurement processes for contracting sustainable, high quality and affordable school connectivity. There are also cross-cutting teams that support on communications, partnerships, staff wellbeing, and operations.

Giga is building a Global Connectivity Marketplace. The marketplace is envisioned to operate at the intersection of a carbon credits market and a universal service/access fund, serving as a catalyst for incentivizing connectivity in individual countries by issuing tokens for companies connecting rural areas, underserved populations, and public facilities. This system is currently being piloted at a country level using existing financial incentives from national governments; the Connectivity Credits Marketplace seeks to create liquidity and attract further financing at a global level.

The team functions similar to a tech start-up, but within the United Nations. We aim to have agility and flexibility in how we work, and to be driven by real time data about what we are doing. We also work within the political and global framework of the UN, which means that we can collaborate with policy makers and regulators, governments, civil society, and of course, most closely with our 135 country offices, in everything we do.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the general guidance of the Programme Manager, Giga Procurement Section, and with matrix reporting to UNICEF Supply Division’s Service Contracting Center Chief, the Contract Manager will be responsible for:

Strategic Leadership and Management:

• Lead a team of supply professionals including a Contract Specialist, a Technical Specialist (Connectivity Solutions), and a Quality Assurance Specialist.
• Develop and implement procurement strategies based on market intelligence and evidence, ensuring alignment with Giga’s objectives.
• Monitor team performance, provide guidance, and evaluate achievements.

Procurement Strategy and Execution:

• Develop global & regional sustainable procurement strategies for school connectivity solutions, leveraging Giga and partners market knowledge UNICEF Supply Division’s expertise and resources.
• Manage the procurement of school connectivity services, including proposal of supply strategies and methods of purchase, LTAs, contract implementation, analysis and evaluation of procurement requests and appropriateness of Terms of Reference/Scope of services.
• Ensure all procurement activities comply with UNICEF’s Financial Rules and Regulations and other applicable procedures.
• Oversee the finalization of contracting processes, including negotiation of terms and conditions.

Secondary Bidding:

• Lead and manage secondary bidding processes, including the evaluation of proposals, contracting, and management of contracts.
• Ensure that the secondary bidding process is transparent, competitive, and in compliance with UNICEF’s Financial Rules and Regulations and other applicable procedures.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to design and implement effective secondary bidding strategies.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of secondary bidding exercises and make recommendations for improvement.

Contract Management:

• Monitor supplier performance to ensure compliance with Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) and contractual terms (Service Level Agreements) leveraging Giga open-source real-time monitoring and contract management tools.
• Address any issues related to contract execution and seek support from the Legal Office as necessary.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration:

• Contribute to the development of institutional policies, procedures, and tools for procurement and contracting of school connectivity.
• Design and conduct training programs to enhance procurement capacity within UNICEF, governments and partner organizations.
• Provide technical advice on procurement and contracting of connectivity to HQ Divisions, Regional Offices, and Country Offices.

Policy Development and Capacity Building:

• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for senior management, highlighting procurement achievements and challenges.
• Conduct impact assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of procurement strategies and their contribution to Giga’s goals.
• Contribute to the development of institutional policies, procedures, and tools for procurement and contracting of school connectivity.
• Design and conduct training programs to enhance procurement capacity within UNICEF, governments and partner organizations.
• Provide technical advice on procurement and contracting of connectivity to HQ Divisions, Regional Offices, and Country Offices.

Reporting and Impact Assessment:

• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for senior management, highlighting procurement achievements and challenges.
• Conduct impact assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of procurement strategies and their contribution to Giga’s goals.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Procurement, Contract / Commercial Law, Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in procurement/contracting, with a focus on high-value, high-risk contracts.
• Demonstrated experience in contract management and procurement of connectivity services in the public and private sectors will be required for this role. The candidate must have a strong understanding of market dynamics and procurement strategies.
• Previous experience in procuring internet connectivity services in developing (or LMIC/MIC) countries, preferably in Africa, will be considered a strong asset.
• Knowledge and experience of the UN procurement rules and regulations, as well as UNICEF’s programmes, policy, and principles are an asset.

Skills:

• Proven ability to work collaboratively with teams across different locations, within various UNICEF country offices, and possess different technical skills sets is essential.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local 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 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

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.

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.

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.