UNICEF Office of Innovation is looking for an individual consultant on a long-term agreement who provides strategic mentorship advisory and services to startups and project teams that are overseen by the Venture Fund and other departments and to Office of Innovation on an “as-and-when-needed” basis.
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 innovate.
The UNICEF Venture Fund faces ongoing and varying requirements for startup mentorship to its investees (or grantees). This mentorship is important to support Venture Fund and cohort(s) of the startups in their completion of workplan deliverables in their contracts and support portfolio companies in developing their business model and articulate their business plans and their tangible social impact that benefits children worldwide. For growth stage portfolio companies, the mentor may support the portfolio companies in scaling their solutions.
To meet these requirements, Venture Fund would like to engage the services of startup mentors who are available on short notice (2-6 months) to be able to commit to undertake startup mentorship for up to 12-18 consecutive months following UNICEF Venture Fund’s work and guidance over the 36 months. Depending on the size of the cohort and timing of the programming, the mentors’ workload will vary.
These positions are generally better suited for consultants looking for fractional work.
Retainer options for 25, 50 or 100% work arrangements are possible and will only be considered for consultants whose daily working hours overlap by at least 3 hours with the time zones of the Venture Fund startup cohorts and Venture Fund team members (Central Europe Time by default). Retainer arrangements are not a given.
How can you make a difference?
This LTA for strategic mentors integrates expertise in business strategy, impact evidence generation/measurement and/or diversity, equity and inclusivity to support early-stage startups in the UNICEF Venture Fund portfolio. Depending on his or her capabilities, the consultant may be contracted to support one or more of the following categories:
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Mentorship (Business Mentorship, and/or Evidence Generation and Impact Measurement and/or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
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Research and Knowledge Retention
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Fundraising and Donor Engagement and Outreach
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Startup Evaluation/Sourcing
If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: 
260202 Strategic Mentor TOR.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
- Education: An advanced university degree in one of the following fields, social science, technology, international development, business administration, or other relevant fields. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
- Work Experience: A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in any or more of the following areas e.g. Business strategy, financial modelling, impact management and evidence generation, particularly in the context of early-stage innovation and technology in emerging markets.
- Experience in applying lean methods of data collection and quantitative and qualitative evidence generation methods to produce actionable insights and robust evidence.
- A track record of providing mentorship and assistance to start-ups.
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Experience in identifying and developing technical assistance tools for companies.
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Demonstrable understanding (and ideally experience) of how frontier technology can be applied to social impact solutions
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Experience in working (and ideally innovating) with and for children in resource-poor environments and diverse international settings.
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Appreciation of and experience with open-source technologies, open-source business models, and cultivating open-source communities is a plus.
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Experience working in low‑resource or emerging market contexts is a plus.
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Capacity and availability to maintain regular communication and facetime mentorship within the time zones of UNICEF programme countries and startups operating across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
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Experience with UNICEF or similar UN programmes.
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Proven capacity to work with collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills
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Experience in knowledge sharing, capacity building, or training for innovation is desirable
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Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
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OBS: To be considered for retainer or recurring assignments of than 6 months] At least 3 work hours of daily overlap with the time zones of the Venture Fund startup cohorts and Venture Fund team members (Central Europe Time 9AM to 4PM).
Desirables:
- Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.
How to apply
- Interested applicants are required to submit the following details:
- Cover/motivation letter in the section “Please upload your cover letter”.
- Resume in the section “Please upload your C.V. / Resume”.
- Degrees and relevant certificates in the section “Please upload a copy of your highest level of education certificate”.
- Financial proposal in the section “Please upload financial proposals here”. Please see the financial proposal template.
- Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.
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
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, in line with applicable organizational measures. Candidates selected for appointment are required to formally confirm their willingness to comply with any current or future vaccination requirements mandated by UNICEF, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Failure to comply with such requirements, where applicable and without a duly approved medical exemption from the relevant UN authority, may result in the cancellation of the selection or other administrative measures including separation from service
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.
In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.
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.