Innovation Ventures Consultant (Digital Solutions)

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We are currently seeking to fill an Innovation Ventures Consultant (Digital Solutions) Consultant position in the Innovation Division, based in Munich, Germany.

Brief description of WFP Innovation Accelerator, INNA:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Non-Profit Organization 2021 for its work in identifying, nurturing, and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, the Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees and start-ups with funding, hands-on support, and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. In 2023, Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of more than 60.7 million people globally. The Accelerator runs programmes with external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Austrian Development Agency, and others.

More information here: http://innovation.wfp.org and https://youtu.be/OnKkQlRdh2c

General Information:

Job title: Innovation Ventures Consultant (Digital Solutions)

Unit: WFP Innovation Accelerator (INNA)

Country: Germany

Duty Station: Munich

Initial contract duration: 5 months (extendable)

Expected Start Date: 01.08.2024 (estimated)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

The incumbent, reporting to the Head of SDG2 Acceleration, is expected to:

1. Support the planning and implementation of core accelerator activities:

• Ensure the development and improvement of the following activities and processes - content design, operational coordination and planning, and/or facilitation of bootcamps, workshops, and other innovation support activities
• Coordinate the start-up/innovation sourcing process (innovation challenges, pipeline sharing, active scouting, etc.) as applicable.
• Match start-ups/projects with WFP Country Offices, HQ units or Regional Bureaux and vice versa, and external organizations, as needed.
• Ensure that all innovation support activities are planned and implemented effectively and efficiently, with all relevant internal and external clients and stakeholders.
• Support building strong collaborations and partnerships with the external innovation community globally, as applicable

2. Coach ventures (internal and external) in their path to scale to advance towards Zero Hunger and the other Sustainable Development Goals:

• Support and coach digital project teams from ideation to implementation (as applicable), using methodologies such as human-centered design, lean start-up, project management, and business modeling.
• Advise and support innovation teams on key decisions regarding product features and technology elements
• Define key performance indicators and milestones for the innovation projects and innovation programs, and assure their implementation, impact measurement, and reporting
• Guide the innovation team throughout the innovation program curriculum, as required.
• Support piloting with and/or integration within WFP operations or other organizations (as applicable), while liaising with internal units such as country offices, procurement, legal and technology division, as required.

3. Support the overall WFP Innovation Accelerator operations:

• Provide analysis & content preparation (data on projects, presentations, briefs, etc.) for corporate priority topics and management meetings.
• Participate and carry out discussions with colleagues in other divisions or external stakeholders on topics related to innovation
• Support other core processes of the Innovation Accelerator (e.g. innovation sourcing; innovation bootcamps; sprint programme; thought leadership; scale-up enablement; innovation services; knowledge management) as required
• Support the Head of the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the Director of Innovation with any other activities as required.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Digital Business Transformation, or other related fields.

Experience: At least 3 years of progressively responsible international experience in a leadership role focused on digital solutions within a start-up, start-up accelerator, private sector innovation, or digital innovation projects. Proven experience working on information technology projects, including digital product development, preferably in an agile environment.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is considered advantageous.

TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Passion and understanding of technology innovations (e.g. mobile apps, blockchain, artificial intelligence) and business model innovations.
• Exposure to Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Application Lifecycle Management, Tableau or PowerBI, and Python.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for a variety of technical grade documentation.
• Experience in innovation project life cycle - from ideation, minimum viable product, testing, prototyping, and implementation.
• Experience working cross-functionally and getting things done in a scrappy and hands-on way.

REQUIRED SKILLS | WFP COMPETENCIES

• Worked in a large-scale organization or with a client/in partnership with a large-scale organization.
• Proven track record of driving and implementing projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups, etc.
• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems and to design new product ideas.
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies & innovative projects.
• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audiences.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, develop business plans, and write and deliver presentations.
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Sets a high level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Please visit the following website for detailed information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org

Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

Closing Date: 17 June 2024

VA Reference number: 833190

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Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply. WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

WFP has a zero-tolerance approach to conduct such as fraud, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to WFP’s standards of conduct and will therefore undergo rigorous background verification internally or through third parties. Selected candidates will also be required to provide additional information as part of the verification exercise. Misrepresentation of information provided during the recruitment process may lead to disqualification or termination of employment

WFP will not request payment at any stage of the recruitment process including at the offer stage. Any requests for payment should be refused and reported to local law enforcement authorities for appropriate action.