Stop TB Partnership - Strategic Initiatives Specialist

The Stop TB Partnership is a unique and innovative global health organization that brings together partners, expertise, funding, commodities, and people-centered services in our shared mission to end TB by 2030.

Founded in 2001, the Stop TB Partnership is a United Nations (UN) hosted organization that takes bold and smart risks to serve and amplify the voices of the people, communities, stakeholders, and partners from countries affected by TB.

The Stop TB Partnership is guided by three (3) strategic goals to:

1. Advocate, catalyze, and facilitate sustained coordination and collaboration among partners;
2. Support the development, replication, and scale-up of innovative approaches and tools; and
3. Facilitate global, equitable access to TB diagnostics and medicines.

The Stop TB Partnership’s comprehensive range of strategic and technical expertise and our willingness to push boundaries are crucial factors in reaching the targets agreed upon by Heads of States and the TB community-at-large to end TB by 2030.

The Stop TB Partnership’s Strategic Initiatives & Innovative Financing (SIIF) Team leads the conceptualization, design, roll-out, and implementation of ground-breaking initiatives and projects within the Secretariat to bring the “Silicon Valley” mindset and innovations to high TB burden countries and leverage multi-sectoral collaboration, including the private sector, to address systematic barriers in the TB and global health space. Thus far, SIIF, along with our key partners, has conceptualized and designed two new initiatives – (1) Re-Imagining Care and (2) Accelerator for Impact (a4i), respectively.

As a follow-up to the first ever TB Innovation Summit and UN High-Level Meeting on TB (UNHLM on TB) in September 2018, the Stop TB Partnership and our key partners are working to “re-imagine care” in high TB burden countries, now and in the future, by making it as convenient as possible for country programmes, service providers, and, most importantly, the people affected by TB to provide and access care that put people’s circumstances, preferences, and needs at the forefront of decision-making. This includes:

• Providing high TB burden countries with a packaged set of solutions in order for healthcare providers to leverage the most up to date products and technologies to more efficiently and effectively prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure people and
• Pivoting to a more digitalized, virtual, and on-demand care model to bring services to the people across disease areas (i.e., communicable and non-communicable) within the context of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), to ensure all people, including the most marginalized, have access to affordable and quality care.

a4i is a public-sector venture capital fund, which aims to: (1) pivot the care model to become more digitalized, virtual, and on-demand and (2) catalyze the rapid roll-out of emerging technologies (i.e., artificial intelligence/machine learning, blockchain, tele-care/tele-machine, wearables, etc.), in high TB burden countries, by:

• Identifying and investing in emerging technologies, from high-income markets and high TB burden countries, to pivot the care model to become more digitalized, virtual, and on-demand;
• Supporting innovators to cross the second “valley of death” (i.e., from commercialization to roll-out);
• Financing critical activities to generate demand in early adopter countries;
• Creating a network of operating teams and key partners to drive efficient product launches; and  
• Achieving a return on investment to ensure financial sustainability and unlock new capital from financial markets and market investors.

Under the guidance of the Stop TB Partnership’s Team Leader, SIIF, the incumbent will serve as a Strategic Initiatives Specialist to lead, coordinate, and implement cross-Secretariat initiatives, particularly related to Re-Imagining Care and a4i. 

The specific responsibilities of the Strategic Initiatives Specialist will include, but not limited to:
1. Developing a comprehensive strategic initiatives strategy to achieve the Secretariat’s strategic and operational goals.

• Leading the operationalization of Re-Imagining Care;
• Overseeing the integration of human centered design within the new, people-centered TB care models;
• Engaging and working with Ministries of Health, country programmes, and innovators to facilitate a packaged set of solutions;
• Conceptualizing and implementing demonstration studies to evaluate a packaged set of solutions and  new, people-centered care models in early adopter countries;
• Supporting the raising of new funds for Re-Imagining Care;
• Coordinating various events and meetings related to Re-Imagining Care; and
• Working with internal teams and external partners to execute and support the operationalization and implementation of Re-Imagining Care.

• Coordinating the operationalization of a4i;
• Coordinating the development and implementation of a4i’s financial sustainability model;
• Supporting the raising of new capital for a4i; and
• Leading the coordination of various events and meetings related to a4i; and
• Working with internal teams and external partners to execute and support the operationalization and implementation of a4i.

• Increased development and accelerated roll-out of current, pipeline, and aspirational TB innovations from both high-income markets and high TB burden countries;
• Increased access to affordable and quality care by all people, including the most marginalized, in high TB burden countries; and
• Improved and/or sustained prevention and treatment outcomes for all people, including the most marginalized, in high TB burden countries.

Minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience in strategy development, ideally working with start-ups and understanding the emerging technologies landscape.

Experience working at an asset management company; consulting firm; financial institution; investment bank; international organization; law firm; private equity firm; start-up; venture capital firm; etc. in the areas of: entrepreneurship; and/or innovation; and/or private sector engagement.
Experience interacting with and presenting to senior leadership of traditional donor governments, private sector investors, or other key partner organizations is desirable.

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA)  Contract level: IICA-2 (ICS10, P3 equivalent)
Contract duration: on going

• Please note, this position is based in Geneva, Switzerland and therefore, the selected incumbent will have to register with the Swiss authorities and comply with local regulations, including but not limited to - Taxation and Social Security. Additionally, the incumbent will have to purchase a Swiss based insurance (LaMal) within the first three months on contract, UNOPS will help subsidize the cost of this insurance, upon show of proof and for an amount up to 382.87 USD.
• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.  Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.