UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, Hope
Launched in 2019 as a joint initiative between UNICEF and ITU, Giga has set the ambitious goal to connect every school in the world to the internet. Half of the world’s population has no regular access to the Internet. Millions of children leave school without any digital skills, making it much more difficult for them to thrive and contribute to local and global economies. This has created a digital divide between those who are connected and those who are not, a divide that has become even wider during the Covid-19 pandemic. UNICEF and ITU have therefore joined forces to create Giga, an initiative to connect every school in the world to the Internet and address this new form of inequality.
Giga focuses on connecting schools so that children and young people have access to information, opportunity, and choice. It also uses schools as anchor points for their surrounding communities: if you connect the school, you can also connect local businesses and services. This creates opportunities for service providers to generate revenue from paying users, making connectivity more sustainable. A 2021 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that a 10% increase in school connectivity can increase effective years of schooling by 0.6% and increase GDP per capita by 1.1%.
Based in Switzerland with an open-source technology centre in Barcelona, Giga not only aims to provide children and young people with access to information but also envisions schools as anchor points to uplift entire communities.
How can you make a difference?
This position will play a pivotal role in guiding Giga’s programmatic activities, ensuring effective oversight, alignment and coordination. As a key team within the Office of Innovation (OoI), this role also involves close collaboration with other OoI teams, particularly those focused on education, to foster education-focused collaborations and enhance the initiative's impact.
Under the guidance of the Senior Innovation Advisor (Giga), the Senior Adviser (Giga Financing and Market Shaping) will lead the strategic implementation of Giga's global internet connectivity initiatives for schools. This role is pivotal in harmonizing Giga's core areas—Financing, Connectivity Credits, and Procurement & Market Shaping—into a unified strategy. Furthermore, the Senior Adviser will liaise closely with cross-sectoral OoI teams, including Communications and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), to ensure the initiative's success through integrated efforts.
The Senior Adviser will supervise several key teams, each with distinct goals: Capital Fund, Connectivity Credits Marketplace, Market Influence & Procurement Centre, and Country Support. These teams collectively aim to innovate financial structures, reduce connectivity costs, and enable on-the-ground implementation in numerous countries, ensuring that Giga's objectives are met efficiently and effectively.
Managerial leadership
- Ensure strategic alignment and coordination among major areas of Giga's programmatic work including: Country Engagement, Procurement & Market Shaping, and Geneva Ecosystem Building.
- Oversee core elements of Giga’s support functions including: Measurement and Evaluation and matrixed oversight of HR and Operations.
- Collaborate closely with the Senior Innovation Advisor (Giga) to ensure consistent alignment and coordination across all programmatic and support functions, particularly HR and Operations.
- Actively engage with other OoI teams, notably education-focused groups, to integrate their insights and collaborative efforts into Giga’s strategies.
- Work closely with the Senior Innovation Advisor (Giga) to align these programmatic areas with the sections within OOI and across other UNICEF functions when (particularly with close oversight of Communications and Partnerships).
- Act as a key interlocuter between UNICEF and Giga’s other UN partner, ITU
- Establish and uphold effective communication channels among the leads of these areas, ensuring synchronization with Giga’s overarching goals and objectives, as well as with broader OoI strategic initiatives.
- Oversee the development of scalable and repeatable processes across all areas of Giga’s work, ensuring effective coordination and delivery of program goals.
Programme development and planning
- Lead the formulation of comprehensive strategic plans for Financing, Connectivity Credits, Country Engagement, Tech, Procurement & Market Shaping, Partnerships and Comms setting clear objectives, timelines, and deliverables.
- Lead the development and operationalization of the Giga Theory of Change, evaluability assessment and eventual evaluation process.
- Manage the budget planning, allocation, and monitoring process within all programmatic areas in Geneva, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.
- Lead the establishment and ongoing management of key partners in the Geneva ecosystem including UNIGE.
- Prepare and submit regular progress reports to the Senior Innovation Advisor (Giga), highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations for moving forward.
- Ensure strategic foresight by embedding risk assessment and adaptive planning mechanisms, allowing for proactive responses to potential challenges and programmatic shifts.
Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results
- Monitor the execution of these strategic plans, ensuring timely achievement of outcomes and adapting strategies as necessary to respond to evolving challenges and opportunities. Leverage the expertise and insights from cross-sectoral OoI teams for a more robust and adaptive approach.
- Develop and manage a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to track and assess the progress and impact of Giga’s programmatic activities.
- Promote a culture of continuous learning and continuous improvement within the teams, leveraging insights from M&E activities to refine and enhance program strategies.
Advisory services and technical support
- Offer technical guidance and support to the leaders of Financing, Connectivity Credits, and Procurement & Market Shaping, leveraging expertise in open-source technology, startup projects, and organizational operations.
- Ensure the integration of best practices in financial modeling, tech development, and procurement within these programmatic areas.
Advocacy, networking and partnership building
- Represent Giga in discussions with external stakeholders, including donors, partners, and government representatives, enhancing Giga’s visibility and cultivating strategic partnerships.
- Lead discussions and negotiations with potential investors and partners, aligning their contributions with Giga’s programmatic objectives.
Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building
Support the Human Resources/Human Engagement element of team management, cultivating a collaborative, inclusive work culture that values diversity and encourages professional growth.
Coordinate with legal and compliance teams to ensure all programmatic activities adhere to UNICEF, ITU, and other relevant regulations and standards
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
Education: An advanced university degree (master’s degree) in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Technology, or related field.
Work Experience:
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience at the national and international level in leading strategic programme management, financial engineering, tech startups, or related areas, preferably within both corporate and humanitarian/development sectors.
- Proven experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams and driving programmatic initiatives to achieve set objectives.
- Strong understanding of open-source technologies, blockchain, and other emerging tech platforms.
- Experience in budget management, financial analysis, and reporting.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively within large organizations, navigating complex structures and processes to achieve desired outcomes.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile, and flexible environment, adapting strategies and operations as needed to achieve programme goals.
- Commitment to promoting a culture of respect, inclusivity, and team collaboration.
Skills
- Strong problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing challenges.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Desirables:
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency.
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
The 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
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable Candidates are encouraged to apply.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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.
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
