Programme Specialist

How can you make a difference?? 

Under the leadership of the Venture Fund Innovation Manager, the Programme Specialist will coordinate the Ventures’ team engagements with UNICEF Country Offices. This role entails establishing and coordinating systems to support country offices for use of frontier technology solutions, acting as a focal point for country level activities and maintaining a tracking system to monitor and coordinate the Ventures team and broader Office of Innovation (OOI). Focusing on cultivating strategic partnerships and enhancing country engagement, they play a pivotal role in driving the adoption of frontier technology solutions within UNICEF. Engagements can comprise any of the following:

• Investments provided by the Venture Fund to Country Offices for pilots of early-stage technology solutions
• Facilitating access for Country Offices to promising frontier technology solutions from the Venture Fund’s portfolio
• Pathfinding activities supported by the Digital Public Goods Alliance and executed by Country Offices, including engagement with accelerators and ecosystems, sourcing of new DPGs, advocacy with national government partners
• Acting as focal point for other country-level activities supported in close collaboration with other Divisions

Overall, this position is responsible for:

• Supporting implementation of pathfinding activities in close collaboration with country offices, including documenting and sharing lessons learned, facilitating access to technical resources etc.
• Supporting engagements at country level to strengthen local ecosystems and improve pipelines for new DPGs
• Coordinating the process for country offices to access funding from the Venture Fund, including support to approved projects
• Establishing and coordinating systems and support to country offices for use of promising frontier technology solutions, including by managing relevant LTAs, coordinating country pilots and links to the Venture Fund’s growth funding
• Acting as focal point for any other relevant country level activities and maintaining a system to track and coordinate across the Ventures team and broader OOI

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced University Degree in technology, social sciences, development sciences, public relations, business administration and management or related field.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of five years progressively responsible professional work experience in technology project management, some of which should be in an international setting. Seven years of experience in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Experience in facilitating engagements with UNICEF Country Offices and UNICEF Divisions, including experience working with UNICEF at country level required.
• Engagement with stakeholders from national entrepreneurial ecosystem is required.
• Knowledge of open licensing and digital public goods required.
• Proven experience in translating and clearly presenting complex ideas from various fields into unified, clear messages, including for successful partnership development is required.
• Strong writing and communication skills and the aptitude to handle competing messages and priorities with multiple audiences is required.
• 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.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/577014