Consultancy - Voices of Changes: Innovation Project Support, Office of Innovation, Remote, 11.5 months (100 days ~ 9 days per month)

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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.

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.

The Global Innovation Strategy 2.0 strategy and aims to achieve critical shifts in the way UNICEF currently works on innovation, building on what has been successful, while also addressing lessons learned and capitalizing on new opportunities. These critical shifts are:

1. Setting global priorities based on the needs of children and young people, focusing on those areas with the largest need
2. Focusing on scaling innovations
3. Catalysing inventions where no known solution exists
4. Connecting the organization and convening critical stakeholders to solve the most pressing challenges facing children and young people

These shifts will be enabled by:

1. Establishing a portfolio management approach
2. Innovative funding and financing and the application of financial engineering
3. Ensuring rapid learning and fostering collaboration
4. Building innovation culture and competence across UNICEF.

How can you make a difference?

This role within the Portfolio, Culture & Scale team will support the project “Voices of Change” (VoC) implemented in six countries across two regions. VoC is developing and implementing a suite of communication channels for affected populations through which people can raise complaints, report misconduct and abuse (special focus on SEA), or give feedback on the services provided by the humanitarian actors in a given location.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Under the management of the Portfolio Manager (Youth Innovation)[1] this role will support:

1. Global innovation project management:
2. Engage with all stakeholders: 6 COs, MENARO, and HQ divisions to develop a joint roadmap, milestones, and streamline goals and deliverables

3. Coordinate progress reports; financial and narrative from all stakeholders, for the whole Voices for Change project

4. Work with all key project stakeholders, particularly technical experts within PSEA and AAP, to build a global scaling and deployment strategy for VoC

5. Production of a “Global Deployment Package” including content produced by relevant COs/RO/HQ divisions; case studies, research, technical guidance
6. Support development of capacity building within UNICEF and partners to adopt and deploy the VoC Global Deployment Package in new countries. This could be through e.g. the development of webinars or capacity building workshops
7. Lead on developing internal and external communication tools for the project, including coordinated SharePoint platform; partnership materials; supporting global comms opportunities (both internal and external), working to showcase the project to support lessons learnt and future scale up
8. Provide ad hoc support and advice around humanitarian innovation to the Portfolio, Culture and Scale team

[1] Please note this reporting line may change as the new Office of Innovation structure is put in place.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Social Science or Humanities, Innovation-related field, International Relations, International Development, Business Administration, or another relevant technical 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.
• At least 5 years of experience supporting and coordinating project activities across a large organization and with other international development organizations.
• Experience of working within humanitarian response.
• Progressively responsible professional work experience in relevant field, some of which should be in an international setting.
• A strong understanding of UNICEF programmes, policy, and principles, at HQ, Regional Office and Country Office level, including knowledge of communication, technology, and human centred design
• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with UNICEF Country and Regional Offices, programmes and partners, including government, universities, UN organizations, NGOs and the private sector.
• Proven experience in designing and delivering innovation programmes for and with children and young people at scale
• Proven skills in communication, networking, strategic thinking, advocacy and negotiation, and ability to relate this to children and young people.
• Proven capacity to work with teams across different locations and with different technical skills
• Proven experience of delivering international, multi-stakeholder training and capacity building
• Strong writing and communication skills and the aptitude to handle competing messages and priorities with multiple audiences
• Experience working within UNICEF
• Experience working in complex, resource poor contexts is a plus
• Fluency in English is required.

Payment details and further considerations

• Monthly payment, based on monthly tasks and progress reports, approved upon monthly review with supervisor.
• Consultant is responsible for his/her own health and travel insurance
• Consultant is eligible for standard DSA for all work-related travel

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The competencies required for this post are:

• Communication (verbal and written) (L 2)
• Working with People (L 2)
• Drive for Results (L 2)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.