Programme Specialist, (P-3), Office of Innovation (Giga), Geneva, Switzerland, #131534 (Temporary Appointment 364 days)

The Programme Specialist will act as a functioning strategic support to the Senior Adviser Innovation, Giga Lead. This role is designed to streamline priorities, manage critical information flows, and provide real-time strategic analyses to enable effective decision-making. The position demands rapid processing of data, deep research capabilities, and an exceptional ability to synthesize insights into actionable outcomes. This role will operate as a trusted partner, ensuring the Senior Adviser Innovation, Giga Lead is fully prepared for engagements, armed with data-driven insights, and able to move at pace. It requires close coordination with internal teams, such as Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Partnerships, and Communications, as well as external stakeholders.

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. 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 personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

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

For every child, Connectivity

The Office of Innovation (OoI) is a critical driver of UNICEF’s mission, leveraging expertise and resources from across the organization and its partners to address key challenges facing children worldwide. By continuously ideating, testing, and scaling the most impactful solutions, the OoI plays a pivotal role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals related to children.

Giga (giga.global), an initiative launched in 2019 as a joint effort between UNICEF and ITU (itu.int), seeks to connect every school in the world to the internet, thereby addressing the growing digital divide. With over 75 years of experience in delivering emergency assistance, technical advice, and building systems in health, education, and child protection, UNICEF, through Giga, aims to provide children with access to information, opportunity, and choice. The initiative not only focuses on connectivity but also uses schools as community hubs, creating broader economic and social opportunities.

The Giga team (https://giga.global/about-us/) has experience and background in building technology products, finance and investment, design, and infrastructure. It’s a global team, with two “centres of gravity” (in Barcelona, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland) with many team members located around the world.

Giga works across three main areas: Mapping, Finance, and Market Influence and Procurement. The Country Engagement Team supports the initiation and implementation of all three areas of Giga’s support in countries. The Mapping team maps schools and their connectivity, creating a real-time display of access and need on Project Connect (https://projectconnect.unicef.org/map). The Finance team works to create the financing (grant, loan, and investment) for connectivity. The Market Influence and Procurement team works closely with UNICEF Supply Division to support governments through public procurement processes for contracting sustainable, high quality and affordable school connectivity. There are also cross-cutting teams that support on communications, partnerships, staff wellbeing, and operations.

The team functions similar to a tech start-up, but within the United Nations. We aim to have agility and flexibility in how we work, and to be driven by real time data about what we are doing. We also work within the political and global framework of the UN, which means that we can collaborate with policy makers and regulators, governments, civil society, and of course, most closely with our 135 country offices, in everything we do.

How can you make a difference? 

The Programme Specialist will act as a functioning strategic support to the Senior Adviser Innovation, Giga Lead. This role is designed to streamline priorities, manage critical information flows, and provide real-time strategic analyses to enable effective decision-making. The position demands rapid processing of data, deep research capabilities, and an exceptional ability to synthesize insights into actionable outcomes.

This role will operate as a trusted partner, ensuring the Senior Adviser Innovation, Giga Lead is fully prepared for engagements, armed with data-driven insights, and able to move at pace. It requires close coordination with internal teams, such as Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Partnerships, and Communications, as well as external stakeholders.

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

Strategic Research and Analysis:

• Conduct deep research on organizations, stakeholders, and issues to prepare the Giga Lead for meetings and engagements.
• Develop strategic briefings, talking points, and background materials, ensuring they are tailored to the objectives of each meeting.
• Rapidly analyze complex datasets and distill key trends and insights to inform decision-making.
• Serve as the point of coordination with the M&E team to ensure data and results are readily available for reporting and decision-making.

Meeting and Engagement Support

• Prepare meeting agendas, synthesize pre-read materials, and draft follow-up actions and notes.
• Track commitments and outcomes from meetings and ensure follow-ups are managed in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the Executive Assistant to prioritize scheduling, ensuring critical engagements receive focus.

Information Coordination and Management

• Act as the primary interface for gathering, curating, and organizing programmatic updates, team inputs, and key information.
• Ensure the Giga Lead has the latest data and insights at all times, particularly related to UNICEF and partner activities.
• Maintain a robust system to track progress on key priorities, emerging risks, and areas requiring escalation.

Team and Stakeholder Liaison

• Coordinate closely with Giga’s internal teams (Partnerships, Communications, Technical, M&E) to ensure alignment and clarity on priorities.
• Serve as a bridge between the Giga Lead and external partners, ensuring strategic priorities are communicated effectively.
• Proactively identify and resolve gaps in information or coordination.

Strategic Support

• Provide real-time support, helping the Giga Lead to respond to opportunities, risks, and emerging issues with agility.
• Develop analyses and recommendations that contribute to Giga’s goals and long-term strategy.

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s or higher) in international development, public policy, economics, business administration, communications, or a 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

Work Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience in strategy, research, or program management, ideally in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in managing high-level engagements, providing analytical support, and preparing strategic briefings is highly desirable.
• Proven ability to quickly synthesize data, produce actionable insights, and manage competing priorities.

Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French is highly desirable; Knowledge of German or an official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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) Drives to Achieve Impactful Results 

(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 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 include 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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

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. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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 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.

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.

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.