Programme Officer (Giga), NO-A, TA, Brasilia, Brazil

Contract

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

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, results

Digital inclusion is a priority under UNICEF Brazil’s Programme of Cooperation in Brazil, as part of its Education programming. The connectivity of Brazilian public elementary schools has grown in recent years, but the challenges are still great, especially in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. In addition to the still high number of schools without any type of internet access service, another large percentage has access to limited, low-quality services, which compromises the use for pedagogical purposes. Added to this scenario, there are also challenges in relation to the availability of quality digital educational content and the training of human resources.

Following the UNICEF´s Office of Innovation and ITU launched “Giga”, an initiative to connect every school to the internet. Giga is anchored in the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation’s finding 1A which states that by "2030 every adult should have affordable access to digital networks".

How can you make a difference?

Under the leadership of the Education Officer and the Giga Global Country Engagement Adviser, the Giga Brazil Lead will lead on implementation of Giga in Brazil, ensuring a strong anchoring of strategies within UNICEF country level programming, while coordinating with the global Giga HQ team and relevant national stakeholders. This includes compiling relevant data and research, coordination with relevant national and global stakeholders, aligning strategies with UNICEF country programming, leading advocacy in national connectivity efforts to ensure UNICEF’s equity principle is realized, ensuring the smooth implementation of Giga activities

Join our team to be responsible for:

• Technical leadership of digital inclusion and connectivity within the UNICEF Brazil team, under the framework of the current and future Brazil Country Program, working closely with the Education Chief in UNICEF Brazil and in close coordination with Giga team in UNICEF HQ.
• Developing and maintaining partnerships with the relevant national public and private stakeholders for connecting schools.
• Identify and develop financing opportunities for the strategy in Brazil, within the framework of the new country program, in close coordination with the PFP.
• Achievement of annual UNICEF-Giga workplan targets and activities.
• Advocating for the most appropriate technology and sustainable operating models that ensure equity within the national connectivity efforts
• Leading technical explorations, documentation and evidence generation around connectivity monitoring data, accountability and equity enabling mechanisms, connectivity solutions and sustainable operating models for schools, ensuring strong connection with improved digital learning and inclusion.

Key Expected Results

Act as primary focal point for coordination of UNICEF Brazil’s work on connectivity and digital inclusion with all relevant national stakeholders including government entities, private sector players, civil society, ITU Brazil and UNICEF HQ.

• Ensure coordinated planning, implementation and monitoring of UNICEF activities on connectivity in Brazil, so that they contribute to improving the Education outcomes as a whole.
• Lead UNICEF support to and provide critical input in design for major Giga events in 2022-2023 in close collaboration with the Giga Country Engagement team in UNICEF HQ.
• Leverage UNICEF education partners at municipal levels, engaging them on the development and roll out school’s connectivity models.
• Develop relationships with counterparts in relevant government bodies, private sector, civil society to:
  • Align UNICEF-Giga with their plans, rollout strategy for connectivity, and financing flows
  • Identify opportunities for UNICEF-Giga to add value in the existing plans/targets
  • Create advocacy materials to ensure partners’ plans can contribute to equity focus
  • Connect with and cultivate potential partnerships opportunities.
• With support from Giga HQ, develop advocacy and technical support materials for the GAPE and FUST advisory committees as they advance school connectivity work.
• Lead activities related to all 3 pillars of Giga’s work – map, finance and connect.
• Lead integration of Brazil’s connectivity monitoring platform and UNICEF’s Project Connect.
• Coordinate the processes to estimate reductions in costs through various measure and develop connectivity financing models.
• Liaise with the Giga Accelerate Lead to lead the testing of technology solutions and sustainable operating models in schools being connected by UNICEF and partners in Brazil.
• Coordinate the necessary processes to support the testing and deployment of mechanisms to ensure equity in connectivity roll out, such as the “connectivity credits” prototype.
• Liaise with ITU Brazil to identify opportunities for improving school connectivity due to changes in the regulatory and policy framework.
• Support the development of a prototype for an accountability platform for connectivity contracts, specifically for Brazil, and test it with partners
• In the context of UNICEF Brazil platforms, and in close collaboration with the government, national education partners, UNICEF field offices and Giga HQ, develop and test of the “Community ICT Workers” model to support the maintenance of connectivity once it is provided to schools.
• Connect with other initiatives to bring in required support for devices, skills, content, etc.

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

• A University degree in one of the following fields is required: technology, business administration or management, public relations, international development, or other relevant fields.

• A minimum of one year of professional experience in project management, management consulting, tech startups, international development, or a relevant field is required.

• Experience in facilitating engagements with an array of partners at the national/regional level, i.e., government entities, telecommunication regulator and companies, international development organizations, or civil society, etc.

• Experience with successfully pitching new ideas and business models to a variety of investors/government entities with varying interests.

• Experience in communications infrastructure systems, or experience working with technical management teams to develop and deploy systems and solutions, or network/systems engineering, or technical product/program management experience.
• Experience working in complex, resource poor contexts is a plus.
• Fluency in English and Portuguese is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and the following competencies: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1), Works Collaboratively with others (1), Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1), Innovates and Embraces Change (1), Thinks and Acts Strategically (1), Drive to achieve impactful results (1), and Manages ambiguity and complexity (1).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Candidates must be Brazilian citizens.

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

All candidates who wish to apply to this Vacancy Announcement are requested to prepare and submit their application in English.