The Office of Innovation is looking for an Innovation Specialist (Blockchain) to help lead and shape UNICEF’s blockchain and Web3 initiatives. In this role, you will provide technical expertise, strategic guidance, and partnership support to advance innovative open-source solutions that can improve outcomes for children globally. Working closely with the UNICEF Venture Fund and a wide range of internal and external partners, you will help identify emerging opportunities, support frontier technology investments, and contribute to the development of digital public goods and innovative financing mechanisms. This is an exciting opportunity for a technically strong and forward-thinking professional who is passionate about leveraging blockchain technology for social impact.

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 for as long as we are needed. 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 professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Innovation

How can you make a difference?

The UNICEF Venture Fund, in the global Office of Innovation as part of the “Solutions” wider team, has been specifically designed to finance and technically support early stage, open-source technology that can benefit children. The core motivation of the Venture Fund is to identify "clusters" or portfolios of initiatives around emerging technology - so that UNICEF can shape markets, learn about and guide these technologies that can positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children. We find these solutions clustered around $100 billion industries in frontier technology spaces, such as: virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, nano-satellites, and human dynamics. With $50M raised to date, the Venture Fund is scaling its investment portfolio with the aim of growing its support from around 150 to 300 investments in startups and UNICEF country-led projects by 2030. 

UNICEF has a history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies are critical to achieve improved outcomes for children. The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF that sits at the unique intersection of working on material global issues, startup thinking, technology and partnerships that can scale solutions. We look to form partnerships around frontier technologies that exist at the intersection of $100 billion markets and 1 billion person needs.

The Office of Innovation’s Venture Fund is a pooled funding vehicle specially designed to finance early stage, open-source technology that can benefit children. The core motivation of the Venture Fund is to identify solutions or initiatives around emerging technology – so that UNICEF can both shape markets and also learn about and guide these technologies to benefit children. We invest in solutions that can impact the lives of the most vulnerable children.

Purpose for the job:

 

The UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI) is looking for a Blockchain Lead to provide knowledge, technical and strategic coordination and support for Blockchain-related activity of the Solutions team, Office of Innovation and UNICEF more broadly.

Successful candidates will need to have both a deep technical expertise of Blockchain, understanding of the most recent developments trends and ecosystem players, as well as hands-on experience of building and scaling open-source products and working across teams and levels of technical understanding to achieve results.

Under the leadership of the Innovation Manager (Emerging Tech), the Innovation Specialist (Blockchain) will:

  • In close collaboration with other members of the Solutions team, draft and shape execution of the Solutions team’s Blockchain and Web3 strategy
  • Guide and support the UNICEF Venture Fund’s investment strategy and implementation on Blockchain and Web3
  • Guide and support the strategies, operation and scaling of the UNICEF Cryptofund and related initiatives around Digital Assets
  • Provide technical, knowledge and strategic support and project management to specific blockchain and Web3 initiatives, as undertaken by UNICEF.
  • Expert guidance and support for blockchain and Web3 related partnerships and fundraising efforts

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 

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

  • Minimum requirements:
        1. Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration, engineering, computer science, business administration, other relevant technical field and any other related fields.
          A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
        2. Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in Technology, blockchain, web3, digital assets, decentralized systems, innovation management, venture capital, product management, technical strategy, partnerships, fundraising, DLT, bitcoin, Ethereum, Layer 2 solutions, DApps, DeFi and DAOs or other related fields.
        3. Skills: External representation, analytical and quantitative skills, conduct independent research, translating complex issues for a non-technical audience, facilitation of networks of communities.
        4. Language Requirements : Proficiency in English is required.
  • Desirables:
      1. Language: Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
      2. Experience in open source development, frontier technologies, child rights programmes, other UN language, building and scaling of technology solutions for UNICEF programme countries are considered as advantage.
      3. Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts. 

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

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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 is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] 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.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

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.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.