The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) unites the New York Portfolios, including the Peace and Security team (PSC); the Geneva Office; and the Vienna-based Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) teams, to maximize global impact, foster efficiencies and streamline global programmes. Leveraging our collective expertise and networks, GPO supports UNOPS' strategic priorities and the SDGs across over 130 countries. We deliver project management, fund management, advisory services, project implementation, and HR services, working closely with major global partners. Our thematic focus includes sustainable development, climate action, health, peace & security, and humanitarian action.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. 

UNOPS Geneva Office is providing support to a wide range of portfolios, including UNEP, UNICEF, UNHCR, and other partners. 

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.

About UNICEF Digital Impact Division (DID)

Digital Impact Division (DID) is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for children. We are committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies to advance UNICEF’s mission.

DID works in close collaboration with regional Digital Impact teams and colleagues across headquarters divisions, regions, and country offices to leverage technologies and capabilities that accelerate progress on UNICEF’s goals, strengthen community resilience, and expand access to essential digital services and information.

Our mission is to enhance UNICEF’s global digital impact by promoting equitable access to information and services, empowering communities to create lasting, positive change for children, and foster a more inclusive, interconnected, and sustainable world for every child, everywhere.

About UNICEF Digital Inclusion (DI)

UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion (DI) programme supports governments and partners to improve equitable, affordable digital access for children, schools, and communities. The programme engages with regulators, operators, and public institutions to explore innovative approaches to connectivity, infrastructure governance, and digital public goods.

The Giga Procurement Section, based in Geneva, plays a critical role in achieving this goal by ensuring that schools receive high-quality connectivity solutions. This role will be managed by UNICEF Digital Inclusion’s lead for Delivery Solutions to support UNICEF Country Offices and their government partners with technical assistance to efficiently source affordable, quality-assured, and sustainable connectivity.

The incumbent will be supporting a market acceleration strategy to scale connectivity for schools and other child-focused facilities by promoting UNICEF and Giga’s procurement and digital inclusion support to governments.

The role includes conducting market research, building government partnerships, supporting collaboration with multilateral financing institutions, developing advocacy materials, and engaging with telecom providers to strengthen market participation and improve the scalability and sustainability of school connectivity solutions.

The role requires agility and adaptability, aligning with Giga's startup culture while observing public procurement principles and UN rules and regulations. The Market Development Specialist will work closely with UNICEF's Country Offices and ITU teams, as well as other UN agencies. This role demands strong collaboration across various Giga teams, including Mapping, Finance, Country Engagement, Applied Science, Partnerships, and with UNICEF’s 124 Country Offices.

Under the general guidance of the Delivery Solutions team lead and Market Development Manager, the Market Development Specialist will be responsible for: 

1. Building demand for Giga’s procurement and UNICEF Digital Inclusion tools:

• Engage with governments to promote Giga’s procurement work and understand any obstacles they face to adopt these tools.

• Work with UNICEF Digital Inclusion’s Delivery Solutions team to adapt its approach and products, considering governments evolving needs, new market trends, and changing ecosystem landscape.

• Collaborate with global and regional multilateral organizations to generate synergies drive a common agenda in promoting more investment in and scaling procurement of school connectivity solutions. 

1. Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration:

• Work with internal and external stakeholders to advance UNICEF’s procurement and scale up strategies. 

• Support the team’s efforts to establish partnerships that support the development and implementation of a market acceleration plan to scale the provision of connectivity solutions for schools.

• Participate in discussions with key partners and attend events to advance UNICEF’s procurement work and agenda. 

1. Market Intelligence, Analysis and Influencing Strategies:

• Collect, collate, and analyse market intelligence on global and local markets for connectivity solutions and assess the suitability for deploying UNICEF’s procurement tools. 

• Generate insights on the drivers and barriers for scaling the connectivity of schools and health centres, including the political landscape, regulations, industry ecosystem, or access to finance. 

• Work with UNICEF's Digital Inclusion Applied Science team to ensure that all market research and analysis efforts are data-driven and methodologies to provide accurate and actionable insights.

• Contribute to the development of and provide advice on tailored and targeted market acceleration interventions on both the supply and demand sides of the connectivity solutions market.

1. Advocacy Content and Research:

• Generate content that help position Giga and UNICEF as key stakeholders in the connectivity ecosystem for education, health, child protection, among others.

• Conduct research that helps position Giga and UNICEF as subject matter experts in the procurement of connectivity solutions.

• Help disseminate this content in key forums, events, workshops and country missions.

• Promote the commoditization of the Gigabyte for school connectivity to achieve cost efficiencies.

• Exploring and analyzing opportunities to deploy UNICEF’s connectivity procurement tools beyond schools, for instance in health facilities or community centers. 

1. Technology and industry engagement:

• Staying abreast with technology developments in the school connectivity space.

• Keep an open dialogue with the industry to unearth supply-side challenges and opportunities for the upgrade and implementation of Giga and UNICEF’s procurement tools.

• Explore and evaluate innovative approaches for Giga and UNICEF’s procurement offer that have a strong potential for impact and scale.

1. Reporting:

• Help prepare detailed reports and presentations for senior management, highlighting achievements in creating a more enabling environment for the implementation of Giga’s procurement value proposition. 

• Prepare reports, briefing notes, or other supporting documents to track progress of activities and results.  

Monitoring Progress and Controls 

Required

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Economics, Engineering, International Development, Public Policy or other relevant fields with 5 years of relevant experience is required - OR
  

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in any of the above or related fields with 7 years of relevant experience 

Required

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive work experience in digital inclusion topics or International Development and relevant/similar fields of work.

• Demonstrated experience in the public or private sector, with a strong understanding of market dynamics and stakeholder mapping and engagement.

• Proven experience fostering effective relationships with government stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a history of building partnerships and securing commitments with government bodies such as Ministries of Education or ICTs.

• Demonstrated experience in communicating complex concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders, through written deliverables and presentations.
  
  

Desired

• Previous experience working in Digital inclusion and Internet Connectivity in developing (or LMIC/MIC) countries, preferably in Africa, will be considered a strong asset.

• Demonstrable experience generating advocacy content and designing advocacy campaigns to help promote a charitable agenda in the development sector.
  

• Prior experience working with governments, technology providers, and non-profit organizations in the connectivity sector.
  
  

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. 
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.