Consultancy: Digital Public Goods Technical Adviser (Startup Support & Infrastructure Development), Office of Innovation, 18 months (remote)

Consultant Programme & Policy Innovation

Overview

Support digital public goods development to aid youth entrepreneurship.

You have:

• An advanced university degree (master's or higher) in computer science, engineering or another relevant field.
• A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in full-stack software development.
• Strong knowledge on various programming languages and frameworks such as React JS, Vue JS, Angular JS, Node JS, ES6, TypeScript to build full-stack mobile and web applications.
• Extensive experience with system integration, interface design, API development.
• Experience working with large sets of data and databases.
• Proven expertise in open-source platform development, version control systems, and pull request best practices.
• Strong working experience with continuous integration and deployment pipelines / DevOps.
• Knowledge of the environment in which UNICEF operates and understanding the constraints of working in a developing-world environment.
• Extensive experience in technical open-source support for young tech entrepreneurs and startups in UNICEF Country Office context.
• Ability to align technical goals with UNICEF strategic goals.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

Worldwide, we innovate to tackle the most pressing problems faced by the most vulnerable children. We take a systematic approach to innovation, applying skills and energy across new tools and technologies, products, innovative financing, and new ways of working to boost our impact.

The Office of Innovation (OOI) is a creative, unique, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, the tools, the know-how, and the partners that turn ideas and energy into scalable solutions for children. We pursue a better future for children.

Digital Public Goods (DPGs) are defined in the UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap published June 2020 as open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards and open content that adhere to privacy and other applicable best practices, do no harm by design and are of high relevance for attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

OOI is seeking a DPG Technical Adviser to support its various platforms, as well as young entrepreneurs and startups, that aim to develop DPGs.

The winning candidate will join a small, dynamic DPG team within OOI. They will seamlessly cruise through back-end and front-end to deliver production-ready digital infrastructure; have the ability to prototype simple solutions to a wide array of humanity’s greatest challenges; enjoy creative exploration of innovation and technology; and continuously investigate opportunities that come with frontier technologies.

In addition, this role requires strong community-facing, interpersonal, knowledge-transfer skills, as the individual will provide technical support to young entrepreneurs and startups who develop innovative, open-source, often market-driven products and solutions that address complex challenges impacting the well-being of children and young people, across many geographies.

For every child, innovate.

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.

The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the startup thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

UNICEF's Office of Innovation creates opportunities for the world's children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:

● Connecting youth communities (or more broadly -- anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant, and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children.

● Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach -- in a traditionally risk-averse field -- to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.

● Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private and academic sectors in order to deliver fast, and lasting results for children.

The Office of Innovation specifically looks to form partnerships around frontier technologies (like drones and UAVs, blockchain, 21st century skills, urban technologies, new banking tools, wearables and sensors, or 3D-Printing) that exist at the intersection of $100 billion business markets and 1 billion person needs – and to identify how they can grow and scale profitably and inclusively.

How can you make a difference?

The DPG team is dedicated to supporting young people in building digital solutions that address local and global development challenges. You will work closely with youth tech entrepreneurship initiatives led by UNICEF Country Offices and provide their participants with technical support, mentorship, and guidance on open-source culture, best practices, and DPGs. By doing so, you will help these innovators take their ideas from concept to launch, contributing to their growth as social impact technologists, and to the growth of the DPG ecosystem. Additionally, you will develop and maintain open-source repositories and digital infrastructure for UNICEF’s open-source projects and explorations. Finally, you will support UNICEF’s Emerging Tech team in open-source explorations, including in the space of Web3 and blockchain.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Provide technical support, mentorship, and capacity building to young tech entrepreneurs and startups through code contributions, presentations, and demos.
• Contribute to the exploration of various frontier open-source projects through architecting and developing web and mobile applications.
• Provide technical assistance and input to cross-functional teams, including UNICEF’s Venture Fund team and UNICEF Country Offices
• DPG advocacy to external and internal audiences; participate in technical conferences, meetups, and other convenings to speak about the DPG Registry, DPG Standard, and the DPG nomination process.

• Provide technical advice and maintenance support to Digital Public Goods Alliance's digital infrastructure, including the DPG Standard, DPG GitHub Repository, and the DPGA website.

  Please access the full ToR and related information here DPG Technical Adviser_V02.docx

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

• • An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in computer science, engineering or another relevant field.
  • *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
  • A minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in full-stack software development
  • Strong knowledge on various programming languages and frameworks such as React JS, Vue JS, Angular JS, Node JS, ES6, TypeScript to build full-stack mobile and web applications.
  • Extensive experience with system integration, interface design, API development
  • Experience working with large sets of data and databases.
  • 'Proven expertise in open-source platform development, version control systems, and pull request best practices.
  • Strong working experience with continuous integration and deployment pipelines / DevOps.
  • Knowledge of the environment in which UNICEF operates and understanding the constraints of working in a developing-world environment. This should include experience developing low-bandwidth applications in challenging work environments.
  • Extensive experience in technical open-source support for young tech entrepreneurs and startups in UNICEF Country Office context
  • Ability to align technical goals with UNICEF strategic goals — that will always mean UNICEF's mission over any particular technology.
  • Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Travel

• Consultant will need to travel internationally three times during this contract:
  • Two open-source relevant DPG advocacy events in one of the UNICEF programme countries (one in 2023, one in 2024). Each trip will require 2 days of physical attendance per conference in addition to travel time.
  • One Annual OOI Meeting in Europe (2024) – requires 3 days of physical attendance.
• The consultant is responsible to arrange his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance.

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
• Consultant is responsible for his/her own health and travel insurance.
• Consultant is eligible for standard DSA for all work-related travel.
• Interested applicants are requested to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee.

How to apply:

● Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee.

● Financial proposal must include travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance

● Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.

Please find attached the financial proposal template Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org