Programme Manager (Connectivity Credits Lead), P-4, Office of Innovation (Giga), Geneva, Switzerland, 364 days

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,478 USD and 221,086 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

This is a re-advertisement to expand the pool of candidates. Previous applicants do not need to reapply as their original application exists in the system and will be fully considered.

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

Giga (giga.global) is a partnership between UNICEF (unicef.org) and the ITU (itu.int) working to connect every school in the world. The team (https://giga.global/about-us/) has experience and background in building technology products, finance and investment, design, and infrastructure. It’s a global team, with two “centers of gravity” (in Barcelona, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland) but with many team members located around the world.

Giga is broken into three main areas: Mapping, Finance, Procurement, supported by cross-cutting support services. The Country Engagement Team supports the initiation and implementation of all three areas of Giga’s support in countries. The Mapping team maps schools and their connectivity, creating a real-time display of access and need on Project Connect (https://projectconnect.unicef.org/map). The Finance team works to create the financing (grant, loan, and investment) for connectivity. The Procurement works closely with UNICEF Supply Division to support governments through public procurement processes for contracting sustainable, high quality and affordable school connectivity. There are also crosscutting teams that support on communications, partnerships, staff wellbeing, operations and finance.

We aim to have agility and flexibility in how we work, and to be driven by realtime data about what we’re doing. We also work within the political and global framework of the UN, which means that we can collaborate with policy makers and regulators, governments, civil society, and of course, most closely with our 135 country offices, in everything we do.

How can you make a difference?

Giga is building a Global Connectivity Marketplace. The marketplace is envisioned to operate at the intersection of a carbon credits market and a universal service/access fund, serving as a catalyst for incentivizing connectivity in individual countries by issuing tokens for companies connecting rural areas, underserved populations, and public facilities. Companies can redeem these credits for varied incentives, including tax reliefs, through respective Ministry of Finance or regulatory bodies, subject to individual country determinants.

Under the general guidance and direction of the Senior Adviser (Giga Financing and Market Shaping), the Programe Manager (Connectivity Credits Lead) will lead the operations and strategic development of a Global Connectivity Marketplace. He/she will:

Conceptualize and drive the development of the marketplace:

• Develop a comprehensive understanding and layout of the Marketplace, addressing domicile, regulatory, legal, and financial frameworks.
• Work closely with the Giga Center in Barcelona to coordinate the development of country-level instances of the marketplace.
• Regular reporting and monitoring.

Oversee partnership building and stakeholder management activities:

• Forge strong alliances with global governments, with a keen emphasis on Swiss Government relationships.
• Develop corporate partnerships to ensure the marketplace's supranational functionality, engaging with global tech companies.
• Support Giga’s partnerships team to grow and monitor existing partnerships related to the marketplace.

Manage the connectivity credits team:

• Recruit, lead, and manage a multidisciplinary team, including technologists in Geneva, responsible for building and supporting the global marketplace.
• Oversee the connectivity credits team members in Barcelona, ensuring cohesive development of the marketplace at the country level.

Ensure the legal and regulatory compliance of the marketplace:

• Collaborate with local legal resources in Geneva to explore and understand the diverse regulatory landscapes and options available for the marketplace.
• Work closely with the legal team at UNICEF to ensure legal compliance.

Lead the financial structuring and sustainability of the platform:

• Develop robust business cases focusing on independent financing and cash flows to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of the marketplace.
• Strategize the pathway for the marketplace’s evolution into an autonomous decentralized entity, maintaining UNICEF, ITU, and other Swiss interests in governance structures.
• Create a comprehensive plan for the potential spinoff of the marketplace, envisioning its transition into a decentralized entity with varied stakeholders on the governance board.

Lead communication and advocacy for the marketplace:

• Develop foundational communication materials in collaboration with Giga's communication team, focusing on clarity, accessibility, and extensive reach.
• Advocate for the marketplace’s objectives, aligning efforts with ITU to ensure compliance and compatibility with regulators through its network

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

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s or higher) in business development, economy, computer science or related degree is required.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in managing and scaling technology-driven marketplaces or platforms, with a focus on innovative financing and partnership models in the public or private sector is required.
• Technical understanding of blockchain technology and decentralized systems and blockchain networks (e.g. DLT, Bitcoin and Ethereum, DApps, DeFi, DAOs)
• Experience working with public and private sector stakeholders
• Experience working with software products and service delivery.
• Experience working with development or humanitarian programmes. Familiarity with the UN system and UNICEF is desired.
• Deep knowledge of Telecommunications (TMT) and particularly engagements around universal service funds and universal access funds.
• Experience working in a multidisciplinary, multicultural team and with levels of uncertainty.
• Experience working in UNICEF programme countries is 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 Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework 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. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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:

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.