Details
Mission and objectives
The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
Context
About UNICEF Digital Impact Division (DID)
Digital Impact Division (DID) is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for children. We are committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies to advance UNICEF’s mission.
DID works in close collaboration with regional Digital Impact teams and colleagues across headquarters divisions, regions, and country offices to leverage technologies and capabilities that accelerate progress on UNICEF’s goals, strengthen community resilience, and expand access to essential digital services and information.
Our mission is to enhance UNICEF’s global digital impact by promoting equitable access to information and services, empowering communities to create lasting, positive change for children, and foster a more inclusive, interconnected, and sustainable world for every child, everywhere.
About UNICEF Digital Inclusion (DI)
UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion (DI) programme supports governments and partners to improve equitable, affordable digital access for children, schools, and communities. The programme engages with regulators, operators, and public institutions to explore innovative approaches to connectivity, infrastructure governance, and digital public goods. As part of this work, UNICEF also collaborates with the International Telecommunication Union through the global initiative Giga, launched in 2019 to support governments in identifying connectivity gaps and expanding internet access for schools and surrounding communities. Through open-source tools and technical support, Giga enables countries to map schools, monitor connectivity, conduct infrastructure analysis and cost modelling, and mobilize resources to support sustainable connectivity solutions.
Assignment Context
Tajikistan continues to face significant challenges in achieving equitable internet connectivity for schools and communities, particularly in remote and mountainous areas. According to UNICEF’s report , gaps remain in last-mile infrastructure, affordability, and coordination across stakeholders responsible for connectivity deployment. Strengthening connectivity for schools is therefore a national priority and a critical enabler for digital learning, public service delivery, and broader digital inclusion.
To support the implementation of UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion work in Tajikistan and contribute to regional engagements, UNICEF is seeking a national United Nations Volunteer (UNV) based in Dushanbe who will serve as the focal point for day-to-day coordination, stakeholder engagement, and operational execution of digital inclusion activities.
In addition to duty station specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment.
Digital Impact Division (DID) is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for children. We are committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies to advance UNICEF’s mission.
DID works in close collaboration with regional Digital Impact teams and colleagues across headquarters divisions, regions, and country offices to leverage technologies and capabilities that accelerate progress on UNICEF’s goals, strengthen community resilience, and expand access to essential digital services and information.
Our mission is to enhance UNICEF’s global digital impact by promoting equitable access to information and services, empowering communities to create lasting, positive change for children, and foster a more inclusive, interconnected, and sustainable world for every child, everywhere.
About UNICEF Digital Inclusion (DI)
UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion (DI) programme supports governments and partners to improve equitable, affordable digital access for children, schools, and communities. The programme engages with regulators, operators, and public institutions to explore innovative approaches to connectivity, infrastructure governance, and digital public goods. As part of this work, UNICEF also collaborates with the International Telecommunication Union through the global initiative Giga, launched in 2019 to support governments in identifying connectivity gaps and expanding internet access for schools and surrounding communities. Through open-source tools and technical support, Giga enables countries to map schools, monitor connectivity, conduct infrastructure analysis and cost modelling, and mobilize resources to support sustainable connectivity solutions.
Assignment Context
Tajikistan continues to face significant challenges in achieving equitable internet connectivity for schools and communities, particularly in remote and mountainous areas. According to UNICEF’s report , gaps remain in last-mile infrastructure, affordability, and coordination across stakeholders responsible for connectivity deployment. Strengthening connectivity for schools is therefore a national priority and a critical enabler for digital learning, public service delivery, and broader digital inclusion.
To support the implementation of UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion work in Tajikistan and contribute to regional engagements, UNICEF is seeking a national United Nations Volunteer (UNV) based in Dushanbe who will serve as the focal point for day-to-day coordination, stakeholder engagement, and operational execution of digital inclusion activities.
In addition to duty station specific vaccine requirements, appointments are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the appointment.
Task description
The UNV will provide end-to-end support in implementing connectivity initiatives for children in Tajikistan, ensuring effective planning, coordination, and adoption of relevant solutions. The role will also contribute to regional efforts by offering technical and operational assistance to neighboring countries, helping strengthen connectivity systems across the region. The role combines strong project management, stakeholder coordination, user-focused execution, and customer success expertise to ensure that UNICEF tools for connectivity are effectively rolled out, utilized, and continuously improved based on feedback from end users.
The UNV’s primary focus will be Tajikistan, where approximately 75% of their time and responsibilities will be dedicated. The remaining 25% will involve coordination support for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and, if needed, Kazakhstan and any other countries in the region that might be onboarded. Regular check-ins and coordination meetings with UNICEF Tajikistan, the relevant country offices in the region, and the Digital Inclusion (DI) HQ team will be required to provide progress updates, ensure alignment with global strategy, and raise any risks or issues as they arise.
The UNV will report directly to the Programme Manager (Country Engagement) within the Digital Inclusion (DI) HQ team, and work very closely with Programme teams in UNICEF Tajikistan.
Key Responsibilities
1. Account Management (25%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (5%)
o Build and maintain trusted relationships with government and non-government in-country stakeholders.
o Serve as the primary point of contact for in-country users and counterparts, chairing regular coordination meetings, supporting onboarding, adoption, and long-term success of UNICEF’s tools and platforms for connectivity.
o Coordinate work planning activities in collaboration with government counterparts, UNICEF Country Office, DI HQ, and partners, ensuring alignment with national priorities, realistic timelines, and clear roles and responsibilities.
o Support the identification and development of strategic partnership opportunities by providing substantive inputs to advocacy and communication materials, including briefs, speeches, concept notes, presentations, and proposals related to digital inclusion and connectivity initiatives.
o Draft and deliver clear, targeted communication materials for project stakeholders including concept notes, proposals, budgets, presentations, and timely written updates.
o Lead knowledge and risk management: maintain institutional and delivery history, capture lessons learned, proactively identify, mitigate and escalate project risks to DI HQ
o Support the development of targeted external materials to promote visibility of project milestones and success stories.
o Support engagement with development partners and financing institutions that may provide financial or technical support to connectivity initiatives, ensuring alignment between implementation progress, reporting requirements, and stakeholder expectations.
o Maintain regular coordination with UNICEF Country Office leadership and DI HQ to ensure that externally supported activities remain aligned with agreed implementation frameworks, reporting timelines, and partnership commitments.
Opportunity Development & Identification (25%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (5%)
o Provide rapid project-management scoping for new connectivity-related requests from in-country stakeholders, map out effort, timelines and resources
o Gather local intelligence on relevant stakeholders and conditions.
o Surface unmet needs and emerging use cases relevant to connectivity for children from daily engagements and communicate them to DI’s technology and country engagement teams.
o Identify strategic partnership opportunities (local and international; public and private) to support sustainable connectivity interventions.
o Pitch and promote DI’s sustainable business models, including Connectivity Credits, to potential partners, and provide follow-up engagement to develop viable partnership pathways.
o Contribute to the identification and early design of potential externally supported programmes or financing opportunities that can accelerate connectivity for schools and communities, including supporting preliminary concept development and stakeholder consultations.
o Track evolving government priorities, policy developments, and investment opportunities that may influence the design or implementation of connectivity initiatives.
Delivery & Project Management (30%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (10%)
o Co-design delivery strategies for UNICEF’s connectivity products and services that are context-appropriate, viable and technically feasible.
o Lead end-to-end project management for all in country activities, including onboarding, adoption, use and handover.
o Manage and respond to all country-level requests and queries.
o Ensure timely progress against deployment milestones and KPIs, identifying and addressing risks or bottlenecks proactively.
o Proactively communicate with the relevant DI HQ teams on the roll-outs progress ensuring that local insights and learnings inform continuous product discovery, development and improvements.
o Plan and implement monitoring and evaluation activities; document and surface impact of implementation.
o Support procurement-related work by obtaining necessary market intelligence; facilitate dialogues to improve procurement practices, pricing transparency, and connectivity standards.
o Gather country inputs for procurement documentation (e.g., technical requirements, quality standards, KPIs), support the development of draft procurement specifications, and help align stakeholders behind improved procurement approaches.
o Support the operational coordination and oversight of externally supported connectivity initiatives implemented with government counterparts and development partners, ensuring timely delivery of agreed outputs and adherence to project implementation plans.
o Track implementation progress against agreed deliverables, milestones, and performance indicators, and support preparation of progress updates and implementation reports for internal and external stakeholders as required.
o Facilitate coordination between government counterparts, UNICEF teams, and development partners to ensure smooth implementation, including alignment on procurement processes, infrastructure deployment activities, and technical standards.
o Maintain documentation of project implementation progress, key decisions, and operational risks to ensure institutional continuity and transparency across partners.
Customer Success (20%)
• Tajikistan (15%), Multi country (5%)
o Provide targeted training and ongoing support for in-country government and UNICEF staff.
o Lead user acquisition and retention efforts in-country, ensuring consistent performance and value delivery.
o Oversee quality assurance and user monitoring, ensuring local relevance and sustainability.
o Document lessons learned and contribute to the continuous improvement of DI’s delivery playbook, templates and support materials.
o Provide leads for impact stories and support in the development of relevant communication materials.
o Monitor adoption and early implementation outcomes of finance and procurement models (e.g., Connectivity Credits) and surface recommended improvements to DI HQ.
o Support the documentation of implementation results, operational insights, and lessons learned to inform future scaling of connectivity initiatives and strengthen UNICEF’s institutional knowledge.
o Contribute to the preparation of impact summaries, case studies, and implementation updates that demonstrate progress and results to government counterparts and development partners.
The UNV’s primary focus will be Tajikistan, where approximately 75% of their time and responsibilities will be dedicated. The remaining 25% will involve coordination support for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and, if needed, Kazakhstan and any other countries in the region that might be onboarded. Regular check-ins and coordination meetings with UNICEF Tajikistan, the relevant country offices in the region, and the Digital Inclusion (DI) HQ team will be required to provide progress updates, ensure alignment with global strategy, and raise any risks or issues as they arise.
The UNV will report directly to the Programme Manager (Country Engagement) within the Digital Inclusion (DI) HQ team, and work very closely with Programme teams in UNICEF Tajikistan.
Key Responsibilities
1. Account Management (25%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (5%)
o Build and maintain trusted relationships with government and non-government in-country stakeholders.
o Serve as the primary point of contact for in-country users and counterparts, chairing regular coordination meetings, supporting onboarding, adoption, and long-term success of UNICEF’s tools and platforms for connectivity.
o Coordinate work planning activities in collaboration with government counterparts, UNICEF Country Office, DI HQ, and partners, ensuring alignment with national priorities, realistic timelines, and clear roles and responsibilities.
o Support the identification and development of strategic partnership opportunities by providing substantive inputs to advocacy and communication materials, including briefs, speeches, concept notes, presentations, and proposals related to digital inclusion and connectivity initiatives.
o Draft and deliver clear, targeted communication materials for project stakeholders including concept notes, proposals, budgets, presentations, and timely written updates.
o Lead knowledge and risk management: maintain institutional and delivery history, capture lessons learned, proactively identify, mitigate and escalate project risks to DI HQ
o Support the development of targeted external materials to promote visibility of project milestones and success stories.
o Support engagement with development partners and financing institutions that may provide financial or technical support to connectivity initiatives, ensuring alignment between implementation progress, reporting requirements, and stakeholder expectations.
o Maintain regular coordination with UNICEF Country Office leadership and DI HQ to ensure that externally supported activities remain aligned with agreed implementation frameworks, reporting timelines, and partnership commitments.
Opportunity Development & Identification (25%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (5%)
o Provide rapid project-management scoping for new connectivity-related requests from in-country stakeholders, map out effort, timelines and resources
o Gather local intelligence on relevant stakeholders and conditions.
o Surface unmet needs and emerging use cases relevant to connectivity for children from daily engagements and communicate them to DI’s technology and country engagement teams.
o Identify strategic partnership opportunities (local and international; public and private) to support sustainable connectivity interventions.
o Pitch and promote DI’s sustainable business models, including Connectivity Credits, to potential partners, and provide follow-up engagement to develop viable partnership pathways.
o Contribute to the identification and early design of potential externally supported programmes or financing opportunities that can accelerate connectivity for schools and communities, including supporting preliminary concept development and stakeholder consultations.
o Track evolving government priorities, policy developments, and investment opportunities that may influence the design or implementation of connectivity initiatives.
Delivery & Project Management (30%)
• Tajikistan (20%), Multi country (10%)
o Co-design delivery strategies for UNICEF’s connectivity products and services that are context-appropriate, viable and technically feasible.
o Lead end-to-end project management for all in country activities, including onboarding, adoption, use and handover.
o Manage and respond to all country-level requests and queries.
o Ensure timely progress against deployment milestones and KPIs, identifying and addressing risks or bottlenecks proactively.
o Proactively communicate with the relevant DI HQ teams on the roll-outs progress ensuring that local insights and learnings inform continuous product discovery, development and improvements.
o Plan and implement monitoring and evaluation activities; document and surface impact of implementation.
o Support procurement-related work by obtaining necessary market intelligence; facilitate dialogues to improve procurement practices, pricing transparency, and connectivity standards.
o Gather country inputs for procurement documentation (e.g., technical requirements, quality standards, KPIs), support the development of draft procurement specifications, and help align stakeholders behind improved procurement approaches.
o Support the operational coordination and oversight of externally supported connectivity initiatives implemented with government counterparts and development partners, ensuring timely delivery of agreed outputs and adherence to project implementation plans.
o Track implementation progress against agreed deliverables, milestones, and performance indicators, and support preparation of progress updates and implementation reports for internal and external stakeholders as required.
o Facilitate coordination between government counterparts, UNICEF teams, and development partners to ensure smooth implementation, including alignment on procurement processes, infrastructure deployment activities, and technical standards.
o Maintain documentation of project implementation progress, key decisions, and operational risks to ensure institutional continuity and transparency across partners.
Customer Success (20%)
• Tajikistan (15%), Multi country (5%)
o Provide targeted training and ongoing support for in-country government and UNICEF staff.
o Lead user acquisition and retention efforts in-country, ensuring consistent performance and value delivery.
o Oversee quality assurance and user monitoring, ensuring local relevance and sustainability.
o Document lessons learned and contribute to the continuous improvement of DI’s delivery playbook, templates and support materials.
o Provide leads for impact stories and support in the development of relevant communication materials.
o Monitor adoption and early implementation outcomes of finance and procurement models (e.g., Connectivity Credits) and surface recommended improvements to DI HQ.
o Support the documentation of implementation results, operational insights, and lessons learned to inform future scaling of connectivity initiatives and strengthen UNICEF’s institutional knowledge.
o Contribute to the preparation of impact summaries, case studies, and implementation updates that demonstrate progress and results to government counterparts and development partners.
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