Innovation Assistant

Volunteering Admin Communications & PR Innovation

Overview

Support innovation and collaboration in development projects.

You have:

• 2 years of experience in innovation, business, consultancy, or relevant programs.
• Excellent oral and written skills in Russian and English, Kazakh is an asset.
• High accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.
• Strong interpersonal skills, culturally sensitive, ability to work collaboratively.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team and in challenging environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and familiarity with data visualization tools.
• Self-motivated and able to work with minimum supervision and tight deadlines.
• Interest in volunteerism and local development.

Contract

This is a UNV National University contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National University contracts.

This United Nations Volunteers (UNV) assignment is part of UNDP Kazakhstan’s Accelerator Lab project that has been functioning since the end of 2020 as the country office’s research, development, and innovation arm. Accelerator Labs are a network of innovation teams established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of its efforts to address complex development challenges. The purpose of Accelerator Labs is to enhance the UNDP's capacity to innovate, experiment, and adapt its approaches to development in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They serve as a platform for identifying and scaling up innovative solutions and approaches that can contribute to development outcomes.

The UNDP Accelerator Labs aim to: 1) Innovate: They foster a culture of innovation within the UNDP and collaborate with partners, including governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector, to identify and test new solutions. 2) Learn: They continuously learn from the experimentation and adaptation process, capturing insights and knowledge that can inform future development efforts. 3) Scale: They aim to scale up successful innovations and approaches to address development challenges effectively and sustainably. 4) Connect: They actively engage with local communities, stakeholders, and global networks to tap into diverse perspectives and leverage collective intelligence. 5) Enable: They support the UNDP and its partners in navigating complexity and addressing development challenges through innovation. Accelerator Labs within UNDP are dedicated to driving innovation, learning, and collaboration to address development challenges and achieve the SDGs more effectively. In Kazakhstan, the Accelerator Lab team works closely with the local government agencies, startup community, youth, and universities.

Read more: https://www.undp.org/acceleratorlabs/undp-kazakhstan-accelerator-lab

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Accelerator Lab Heads (Head of Exploration, Head of Solutions Mapping, Head of Experimentation) or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer will:

 Provide exceptional day-to-day support to the AccLab team in successful integration of innovative methods inside UNDP through driving innovation, learning, and collaboration;  Brainstorm, suggest ideas, and contribute to the practical testing of innovative experiments related to UNDP core programmatic areas (governance, energy and environment, gender);  Provide administrative and logistical support for the organization of events, workshops, meetings, trainings and conferences;  Assist the AccLab Team on administrative and programmatic tasks (preparation of concept notes, proposals, reports, and analysis);  Provide research, writing and editing support related to AccLab’s ongoing work, including the tasks related to social media and communication activities, preparation of newsletters, blogs, e-discussions or any other knowledge products;  Support building relationships with, but not limited to partners from innovation ecosystems (startups, NGOs, social enterprises, private companies, universities);  Design reporting and communication materials (posters, booklets, brochures, etc. for social media and other communication channels); support with the compilation of project reports using digital platforms for more effective visualization, such as PowerBI, Canva, and other similar tools;  Assist the preparation of minutes of meetings in Russian/English and translate short documents from English to Russian (and vice versa) and provide interpretation at meetings when necessary;  Other relevant tasks as deemed necessary by the supervisors.

 Accountability  Adaptability and flexibility  Creativity  Innovation  Judgement and decision-making  Planning and organising  Professionalism  Self-management

n/a.

 Innovation, business, consultancy, civic engagement, or other relevant programmes; experience working with start-ups/ civil society organizations is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization;  Excellent oral and written skills in Russian, English; Kazakh will be an asset; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting, facilitation skills;  Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;  Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;  Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;  Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; Familiarity with data visualization tools (Canva, Figma, Photoshop, etc.) will be an advantage.  Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;  Soundsecurityawareness;  Strong motivation to look for non-traditional options, out-of-the box solutions;  Have affinity with or interest in local development, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in Astana. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions.

As of July 2023, National UN University Volunteers in Astana, Kazakhstan receive USD 580/month as a Volunteer Living Allowance.

Other benefits include: • Entry lump sum: USD 400 (one-time payment) • Volunteer living allowance (as mentioned above): USD 580/month • Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources • Annual leave: 2.5 days per month • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life and malicious acts for the UN Volunteer • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment)

You can check full entitlements at the duty station at https://app.unv.org/calculator. The complete UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org