Individual Consultant – Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Digital Public Goods (Open to Non-Ghanaian nationals only), Accra, Ghana

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, Innovation

UNICEF is advancing several prospective pathways for meaningful, innovative, and shared-value partnerships with the business sector in Ghana that can leverage results and resources for children and young people. This includes several opportunities to work across the technology sector and related startup ecosystem. Through the UNICEF Startup Lab (USL), UNICEF is actively engaged in supporting a growing portfolio of social-impact startups working on innovative, digital, solution-oriented businesses in areas impacting children, young people, and communities, and provides a six-month programme for founders featuring business acceleration, prototyping, networking, mentorship and investor engagement opportunities. Ghana also participates in the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) as a Pathfinder Country. The USL provides support for the discovery, development, use of, and investments in DPGs of high relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the integration of the DPGs within national digitalization initiatives. Such initiatives also provide entry points for wider business sector engagement and investment for young people, including through policy commitments and scaled investments. UNICEF is also leveraging the global GIGA initiative to accelerate school connectivity in Ghana, with a school mapping exercise underway.

How can you make a difference?

The overall purpose of the consultancy is to strengthen the contribution of UNICEF to advance youth entrepreneurship, innovation, and DPG-related opportunities in Ghana, using the USL as a focus point, and to accelerate the development, management, and implementation of partnerships with key stakeholders. This supports the acceleration of GIGA in Ghana through building partnerships with telcos and exploring innovative financing models.

The consultant will serve as a resource for UNICEF on the USL, DPGA, and GIGA and will support UNICEF to implement a related development project with KOICA entitled “Accelerating entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana”.

Scope of Work: The consultant:

• Provides coordination and technical support to UNICEF’s work on entrepreneurship, social impact, innovation, digitalization and DPGs, including DPG and GIGA-related initiatives and ensures that it is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of the programmes that UNICEF’s supports.

• Maintains and expands UNICEF’s network and relationships with the technology sector, and other relevant constituencies. Develops and supports implementation of relevant partnership engagement and investment strategies, in coordination with UNICEF’s partnership function.

• Identifies DPGs that could be developed and/ or leveraged for country programme priorities, such as remote learning, connectivity, financial services, and digital skills. Defines needs and requirements for scale, including technical specifications, feasibility/ pilots and compatibility with existing systems. Works with the UNICEF Office of Innovation and through the DPGA to facilitate inter-country connections.

• Supports relevant national authorities in Ghana to adopt and adapt DPG solutions, fostering relevant partnerships and facilitating relevant cross-border and inter-organizational learning.

• Monitor and advises on the effective operation of the UNICEF StartUp Lab, including the adequacy and quality of support delivered to the portfolio of startups in-training and alumni, and the implementation of related innovation strategies, including its respective partnerships. Actively participates in and advances the development of the USL cohorts and alumni network. Supports UNICEF management in the further development of the USL.

• Engages with the entrepreneurship ecosystem with technical assistance to increase the startup portfolio and the pool of DPG candidates through the UNICEF StartUp Lab. Leverages calls for proposals by the UNICEF Venture Fund (and others) to seed fund relevant startups to further engage the startup ecosystem. Identifies and guides the candidacy of at least 3 DPGs from Ghana through USL.

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

• An Advanced university degree (masters or higher) in international development, international relations, social policy, communication, management science, business administration or another related field. At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience is required, preferably in enterprise support, venture capital investment, public-private sector engagement, strategy development, partnership building, external relations and/or leveraging resources.
• Experience in technology related partnerships and engagements, with entrepreneurship ecosystems and in the social impact space is preferred. Knowledge of the landscape for Ghanaian startup ecosystem in the technology sector is also an asset.
• Demonstrated strategic, planning, communication, research experience and very strong writing and editing skills. Demonstrated ability to plan and implement projects in coordination with multiple stakeholders. Adept at turning complex projects and concepts into easy-to-understand, accessible content. Experience and familiarity with a range of financial instruments.
• Familiarity with emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital connectivity is a strong asset. Solid understanding of the role technology plays in the development and humanitarian sectors is critical.
• Proven experience effectively engaging partnerships and/or developing an effective “pitch”/ advocacy message; a track record working with the business sector. Good networking and inter-personal communication skills are essential.
• Fluency in English is required. High-level ability in written English, with a reader-friendly style and demonstrated ability to translate complex information into simple and accessible text for a wide audience. Candidates may be asked to provide writing samples such as publications, articles, and/ or policy briefs.
• Strong self-management, supervision and leadership skills required. Demonstrated capacity to prioritize and manage a diverse range of partners, projects and activities. Project management skills including task prioritization, workflow coordination, and results-driven strategies
• Developing country work experience is considered as an asset.
• 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 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.