Digital Public Goods (DPG) Learning & Product Specialist - IPSA 10

Background

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

 

Office/Unit/Project Description

UNDP is the development arm of the United Nations. Present in 170 countries with over 17,000 people, UNDP works on the world’s biggest problems: extreme poverty, climate change, good governance, renewable energy, crisis prevention, and women’s empowerment, among others.

The recently approved UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025 highlights the importance of digital as one of the key enablers to achieve UNDP’s mandate. UNDP’s Digital Strategy 2022-2025 builds upon the Strategic Plan and puts forth a vision whereby digital is an empowering force for people and planet, in which the implementation of digital public goods is a strategic priority for enabling inclusive digital ecosystems globally. Digital Public Goods are as defined by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) open-source software, open data, open AI models, open standards, and open content that adhere to privacy and other applicable laws and best practices, do no harm by design, and help attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

UNDP co-hosts the Secretariat of the DPGA, established in follow-up to the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. In its report, the Panel recommends as 1B “that a broad, multi-stakeholder alliance, involving the UN, create a platform for sharing digital public goods, engaging talent and pooling data sets, in a manner that respects privacy, in areas related to attaining the SDGs”. UNDP believes that digital public goods (DPGs), is the strategic approach to support structural transformations, particularly inclusive and digital transitions.  Given the scale of UNDP’s footprint and technology procurements in countries, there is significant opportunity to accelerate our work in building the local digital ecosystems in low- and middle-income countries to effectively implement DPGs that address critical development needs, built for scale and with safeguards from the new and emerging risks of digital, especially those at risk of being left behind.

 

Institutional Arrangement

The Digital Public Good (DPG) Learning & Product Specialist will report to the Head of UNDP Digital Public Goods.

 

The position is home-based, with the option of working from the office in Kigali, Accra, Dar-E-Salam, Lagos.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The DPG Learning & Product Specialist will be part of the UNDP Digital Public Goods for Development team based (virtually) in the Chief Digital Office, responsible for leading UNDP learning design and outreach with country offices.  She/He will facilitate the DPG product support for UNDP developed/created DPGs and lead South-South

The DPG Learning & Product Specialist will be responsible for accelerating our support and partnerships with governments to accelerate inclusive digital transformation creating concrete structures of decision-making and participation that hold actors accountable for how DPGs are built and implemented to address the countries’ critical digital needs. The DPG Learning & Product Specialist will focus on building capacity and product management capability across our network of country offices and stakeholders including governments and local digital ecosystem innovators.  The specific responsibilities include capacity building and product management support:

a) Capacity building in the comprehensive use of and adoption of DPGs:

• Government capacity from administrator to technology administrator: Governments need capacity to imagine use cases on top of DPIs through a product management approach.  Build governments’ capacity to ensure DPG deployments are a consultative process for example through the inclusion of historically marginalized groups, women, persons with disabilities.

• UNDP country staff technical capacity/understanding to guide governments and in-country partnerships. For example, Country Offices have a digital team with team members across program pillars to promote peer-peer learning, share good practices for quality assurance in applications, explore opportunities in emerging tech, troubleshoot operational issues and adopt product-management approach to DPGs.    

While the specific areas of capacity support that are identified in the UNDP DPG Approach have to be developed into activities in consultation with countries, UNDP is also focused on building sustainability and scale in responsible implementation of DPG capacities across regions and countries.  This includes a tactical approach through initiatives such as:

• Partnering with regional institutions to create new capacities to support countries in their preparedness on an ongoing basis.
• Building responsible DPG principles into regional and country cooperation agreements and multi-country strategies.
• South-South Cooperation: Create local and regional community of digital transformation champions among member states to elevate conversations on implementation leading to creating capacities to mitigate challenges such as procurements, local capacity, private sector engagement, and use-cases for advancing the SDGs. 
• Pro-actively link important DPG implementation lessons into regional and global networks to unlock financing, including through UNDP’s Finance Sector Hub and other partners.

b) Product management of DPGs created or supported by UNDP, which includes helping UNDP to understand the specific requirements around the sustainable management of the product life cycle as DPGs. 

Competencies

Required skills 

Technical:

• We are looking for a technically-capable community builder with a passion for working with people to develop their capacity and capability to understand and use digital public goods.
• The successful candidate will be able to read, review and understand an open source project and to foster, educate and engage a community of DPG project owners and contributors.
• Demonstrated proficiency in required technical areas, including open source license types, documentation and community management.
• Experience in delivering guidance, technical support and mentorship to individuals, teams, start-ups or other groups on complex challenges is an asset.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent technical communication with peers and non-technical stakeholders
• Understanding of different contexts and experience working in developing countries desired.
• Ability to synthesise technical information and translate it into accessible products and systems.
• Knowledge of international development and key challenges affecting children in developing countries is desired.

Core behavioural:

• You are self-motivated, capable of working and thriving in a dynamic fast-paced environment with a highly-distributed team.
• Strong intrapreneur/entrepreneur spirit; Likes building new initiatives with high degree of uncertainty and iteration
• Effective interactive communication
• Client service and people-oriented
• Relationship/community building
• Teamwork and cooperation
• Handles confidential and politically sensitive issues with maturity

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

An advanced university degree with a strong focus on technology. First degree acceptable with an additional two years of experience in relevant field.

Min. years of relevant work experience 

At least 5 experience of relevant professional experience in implementing digital projects in low middle income countries, designing and supporting digital initiatives focused on closing the digital divide, and experience leading digital capacity building in the digital initiative implementation.

Required Language(s) 

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Professional Certificates N/A