You will lead the global deployment of the Internet of Good Things and support C4D and PD to articulate a cohesive approach to digital engagement with an emphasis on scaling innovations that foster government ownership, sustainability, and open-source development.
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.
Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.
And we never give up.
Internet of Good Things (IoGT) is a mobile-ready website offering a data-light platform designed for feature and smart phone users originally developed by UNICEF's Global Office of Innovation and scaled in partnership with Facebook’s Internet.org. In 2019, the platform transitioned to Programme Division – Communication for Development (C4D) Office to better institutionalize and integrate the platform within programming.
IoGT is bridging the digital divide to reach vulnerable populations with access to educational and lifesaving information. IoGT is available for free, without data charges, in 65 countries through partnerships with Mobile Network Operators and Free Basics by Facebook. To date, more than 40 million users have accessed IoGT since launch in 2015. IoGT hosts content modules in 23 languages.
The ambition of IoGT is to offer UNICEF and its partners a consolidated online resource to cost-effectively expand reach and impact with online delivery of programmes and services to target populations with a solution that proactively bridges the digital divide.
IoGT’s users include frontline workers, parents, caregivers, adolescents, and youth. Content on IoGT includes maternal health, hygiene, emergency information on diseases, HIV and sexual health advice for adolescents, internet safety, positive parenting techniques and more.
By connecting to Internet of Good Things, children, adolescents, mothers, fathers, other family members, health trainers, caregivers and communities can gain access to localized, updated, quality content at their point of care and directly on their mobile phone at any time for free.
IoGT deployments are managed by country office IoGT focal points. The Digital Engagement Specialist, serving as the IoGT Global Lead, maintains a coordinating role among the IoGT community of practice, leads the management of the product development roadmap, ensures compliance with industry best-practices, and strategically drives the platform to meet programme needs by expanding features, building CO capacity to implement the tool, and documenting novel use cases.
The Digital Engagement Specialist reports to the Chief of Section for overall strategic direction & supervision. He/she provides technical and operational support to the Chief, the C4D Specialists, and programme colleagues at HR, RO and CO levels.
For every child, good communication….
You will lead the global deployment of the Internet of Good Things and support C4D and PD to articulate a cohesive approach to digital engagement with an emphasis on scaling innovations that foster government ownership, sustainability, and open-source development.
How can you make a difference?
Integration
- Lead the roll out and expansion of IoGT among country offices, ensuring strategic integration with programme objectives at scale.
- Sustain existing efforts to integrate the Internet of Good Things among programme results frameworks.
- Expand programme staff understanding at HQ, RO and CO levels of the modalities by which IoGT may support programme delivery.
- Partner with country offices and/or programme teams to implement, document and promote novel use cases of IoGT.
- Coordinate and conduct fortnightly regional IoGT calls for the coordination of programme deployment in the region.
- Organize HQ. RO and CO colleagues to draft and deploy new pre-packaged programme-driven content for IoGT.
Engagement
- Provide direct oversight of IoGT’s product development roadmap and all coordinated deliverables.
- Support the roll out of IoGT v2.0 to include: focal point webinar series, coordinated content migration, renewed training resources (CMS Manual, Agora Training Course), and source code documentation on GitHub.
- Monitor feature set roll out through GitHub issue tracker.
- Engage Focal Points and programme staff for routine feature requests.
- Support oversight of IoGT technical support from ICT-D and IDEMS International.
Sustainable Scale
- Manage annual subscriptions from IoGT country offices including early notification, advocacy, resource tracking, and CO communication. Collaborate closely with C4D Administrative staff to ensure adequate budget monitoring.
- Work alongside C4D team members and UNICEF partnerships to strengthen public and private sector partnerships for IoGT.
- Support the delivery of country office deliverables, including technical support and custom dashboards, in exchange for subscription payments.
- Monitor programme income and financial need projections to identify challenges early.
Credibility
- Submit presentations to annual ICT4D conference and present.
- Conduct annual evaluation of IoGT against the principles for digital development
- Produce annual M&E report
- Support the CLASSI review of IoGT’s data security requirements
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
- An Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in project management, international development, or digital platforms management, or other related field is required.
*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.
- A minimum of 8 years of professional experience at the national and/or international levels in working with digital platforms and initiatives and managing projects which use digital platforms to deliver stakeholder outcomes is required.
- Experience working with and managing digital platforms; tracking, evaluating, and optimizing success of digital initiatives and content is desired.
- Experience scaling digital platforms and initiatives, including in a development and humanitarian context is an asset.
- Experience partnering with UNICEF divisions and CO/ROs to achieve programme objectives is an asset.
- Experience providing direct support to COs on digital platforms and producing capacity-building materials is desired.
- Experience working in developing countries and good knowledge of UNICEF’s work is an asset
- Strong communication and collaboration skills with experience in consensus building and motivating cross-functional teams to meet ambitious project goals and timelines is desired.
- Ability to work independently, has sound judgement and strong organizational skills
- Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships desired.
- Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate…
UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to including everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
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.
UNICEF is committed to promoting 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.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.
Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).
Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government 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 only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/”
For more information on remuneration and benefits, please visit UNICEF’s Entitlements’ page. If you would like to find estimates for entitlements, you may use the online Salary Estimate Calculator
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.