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.

Giga is building a Connectivity Credits Marketplace. The marketplace is envisioned to operate at the intersection of a carbon credits market and a universal service/access fund, serving as a catalyst for incentivizing connectivity in individual countries by issuing tokens for companies connecting rural areas, underserved populations, and public facilities. This system is currently being piloted at a country level using existing financial incentives from national governments; the Connectivity Credits Marketplace seeks to create liquidity and attract further financing at a global level.

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 Market Development Specialist (Innovative Finance) is a crucial member of the Connectivity Credits Marketplace team at Giga. The purpose of this position is to explore, model and validate how financing can best be leveraged towards the Connectivity Credits system – which we anticipate is through a marketplace akin to carbon credits. This marketplace may be linked into systems such as impact-linked bonds and other debt instruments, which should be explored through this position.

Reporting to the Programme Manager (Connectivity Credits Lead), the position will play a pivotal role in analyzing, structuring, and facilitating the market dynamics of connectivity credits in alignment with Giga’s mission to enhance global connectivity.

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

Outline the Connectivity Credits marketplace:

• Conduct thorough market analyses to understand the potential of new commodities like connectivity credits.
• Identify which stakeholders and financial instruments are well suited to buying and trading Connectivity Credits

Financial modeling:

• Utilize a strong financial background to develop frameworks that support the financing, trading, valuation, and redemption of connectivity credits.
• Build the financial business case of Connectivity Credits for major buyers of Credits, such as international financial institutions.

Stakeholder engagement and thought leadership:

• Publish white papers outlining the financial mechanisms behind Connectivity Credits, modelling their impact.
• Collaborate with public and private sector stakeholders related to the financing of Connectivity Credits to promote the concept and model the benefits

Technical support:

• Collaborate closely with the product team in the conceptual design of the marketplace, working through details such as how to price Credits in the marketplace.
• Translate financial models into viable market strategies for the partnerships team to engage buyers of Connectivity Credits.

Risk Management and Innovation:

• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with introducing new commodities in the marketplace.
• Foster a culture of innovation to explore novel approaches for market creation, leveraging knowledge in crypto markets or other modern financial frameworks.

Reporting and Documentation:

• Prepare and present detailed reports on market analyses, structuring strategies, and stakeholder engagements.
• Document the processes, frameworks, and partnerships established, ensuring transparency and continuous learning

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s or higher) in business development, economy, computer science or related degree 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:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in finance, commodity trading, or market structuring is required.
• Experience in the Telecom, Media, and Technology (TMT) sectors, with a particular focus on internet connectivity and gigabytes is an asset.
• Experience in the financing of connectivity, particularly in collaboration with international financial institutions is an asset.
• Experience working in emerging markets and understanding their unique challenges and opportunities is an asset.

Skills:

• Familiarity with modern financial frameworks and technologies (e.g., crypto markets).
• Demonstrated ability in analyzing and structuring markets for unconventional or new commodities.
• Proficient in financial modeling, risk assessment, and market analysis.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, think creatively and embrace innovation in a fast-paced environment.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another 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) Drive to achieve results for impact

(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.