Consultant (12 months, home-based): Product Strategy Consultant, Individual Giving, Division of Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP)

Contract

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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, hope

Individual Giving (IG) forms part of the organization and is responsible for the fundraising operations amongst individual donors (with donations below the USD10k threshold). IG is a significant contributor of funding for UNICEF and coupled with the unrestricted nature of such income makes IG success in delivering on its revenue targets vital to the whole organization. The IG business model relies on a number of key products to deliver the income. There is scope and opportunity for growth and development both at global and markets level. Currently each markets adopts its own product strategy and performance manages the portfolio. There is an opportunity to link business model, product portfolio and innovation thinking in markets, strengthening the portfolio offer and putting the income stream on a more sustainable footing. This would also serve to address some industry and donor behavior shifts that pose a risk to the overall income stream.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Assignment:

The UNICEF Individual Giving product strategy is facing challenges from developments in the market, changes in donor behavior and need for a future proof business model. From an organizational point of view the product function needs definition of product, proposition development process, product & category structure, and organizational design. This needs to be developed and work within the context of the role of global product team, regional teams, and markets. In addition, markets require guidance on product strategy and portfolio management which helps them make choices on what revenue streams to prioritize and what products to invest/retain/divest from.

This post leads the development of product strategy for UNICEF’s giving program with individuals. Elements of the product strategy the consultant would need to focus on are:

1) Business model including definition of product, our value proposition, core categories and commercial model.

2) Product portfolio including existing and potential areas.

3) Product operations & organizational design.

4) Product strategy and/or mix for each market .

5) Roadmap to sequence the activities in the most efficient and pragmatic way.

Scope of Work:

The role sits within the PFP Individual Giving Team and reports to the IG Marketing Manager. The role also collaborates with other marketing streams (e.g., segmentation), IG functions (e.g., Legacies team) and works in collaboration with Digital Strategists and Country Focal Points to identify growth opportunities and engage key stakeholders to test products in their market.

UNICEF has conducted several consultations internally and externally with partners and outlined 4 key phases to the product strategy work.

Stage 1

• Initial Assessment and Discovery: Understanding UNICEF’s current state, challenges, processes, and practices. This would include understanding of donors, markets, current product portfolio, performance, and organizational set-up.
• Product portfolio assessment and Optimization: This stage would include a Strategic Alignment Workshop to align leadership on a shared vision and actionable OKRs that reflect new business model and approach to product strategy. It also needs to define the business model and design clear value propositions as well as provide portfolio guidelines and recommendations on optimisation of current portfolio.

Stage 2

• Product management framework and product portfolio design: A product management framework a structured approach to portfolio design (informed by the business model and value propositions) to inform product portfolio that delivers on the business objectives.

• Calibration pilots with markets, experiments, and potential trials to test assumptions, learn and optimise the framework.

Stage 3

• Product Innovation and customer-centric design: create a process that embeds understanding of customer needs into UNICEF’s product and service design processes.

Stage 4

• Organisational design and Cultural change: design an appropriate organizational structure, with view to capabilities, resources, training, and elements of change management that are required to make the new product strategy successful.

Moreover, the Product Strategy consultant will provide ongoing support on product strategy and innovation queries from markets and IG functional teams.

This could include:

1) identifying and qualifying growth opportunities in markets in collaboration with Digital Strategists and Country Focal Points

2) utilise the marketing framework and segmentation model to refine the positioning of products, proposition and messaging

3) monitor, benchmark, and review products across UNICEF, inside and outside category, keeping track of trends, developments, and commercial opportunity.

Work Assignments Overview :

- Business model exploration

- Business model creation

- Product management framework and product portfolio design

- Research and validation

- Market pilots

- Product Innovation and customer-centric design

- Organisational design and cultural change

Deliverables:

• Stakeholder interviews and summary of findings
• Commission product strategy agency and agree scope of work and deliverables
• Product archetypes and category proxies
• Strategic Alignment Workshop with key stakeholders
• Business model definition and propositions
• Product portfolio optimization and recommendation for existing products
• Roadmap for activities and revised view of stages 2-4 of the project (based on audit learnings)
• A product management framework – a structured approach to portfolio design (informed by the business model and value propositions) to inform a product portfolio that delivers on the business objectives.
• Deliver product validation research
• Calibration pilots with markets, experiments, and potential trials to test assumptions, learn and optimize the framework.
• Create a process and toolkit for customer-centric proposition design and product development process
• Design an appropriate organizational structure, with a view to capabilities, resources, training, and elements of change management that are required to make the new product strategy successful.

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

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) in Marketing, Business/Management and/or other related discipline is required. A first-level university degree, with an additional 2 years of relevant professional work experience will be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in marketing, sales and product management is required. Commercial role experience is highly desirable.
• This includes a minimum of 5 years' experience in product management or commercial/P&L capacity.
• Experience in product and portfolio planning is essential.
• Experience in proposition development is highly desirable.
• Experience working in subscription (or recurring revenue) products is highly desirable.
• Experience working in global organizations and projects crossing multiple geographies is desirable.
• Knowledge of the United Nations or other international aid or NGOs is desirable.
• The experience below will be considered an asset:

o Product innovation

o Marketing planning either client or agency side

o Insight and customer understanding

Other Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships with internal and external partners is required
• Ability to manage multiple projects under time pressure with strict attention to detail is required
• Excellent communication skills, (both written and oral)
• Strong analytical skills and a problem-solving mindset an asset.
• A passionate and energetic team member with a genuine interest in working in the international aid and development sector is an asset.
• Excellent relationship management and communication skills are essential
• Proven strong project management capability with experience delivering through others required
• Ability to work across multiple projects, with multiple stakeholders and moving deadlines highly desirable

Language: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN language or a local language is an asset.

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.

Remarks:

Please indicate your all-inclusive (lump sum) fees in USD against the deliverables listed above. If there is a need for business travel, the travel costs will be covered by UNICEF separately. The office selects the individual based on the best value for money.

Payment of professional fees will be based on 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.

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.

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.