Device Expert for Meaningful Connectivity
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Contract type: Consultancy (10 months)
Application deadline: 15 October 2024, at 11.55 pm CET
Summary
Giga seeks a Device Expert for Meaningful Connectivity to join one of the most innovative and impactful initiatives at the United Nations whose aim it is to connect every school in the world to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. This consultant will map current initiatives and stakeholders involved in providing appropriate devices (tablets, computers, among others) for educational purposes around the globe, establish relations with those initiatives and key industry players, as well as develop a framework to integrate adequate and affordable devices into the schools that are connected.
Under the supervision and guidance of Giga’s Programme Manager, the Device Expert will engage with Giga’s multidisciplinary team, particularly with the Procurement, Country Support and Tech streams, to develop a strategy for UNICEF to provide support to governments interested in integrating affordable and adequate devices to their connected schools. The successful candidate should possess expertise in the information technology industry and skills in management consulting in emerging and developing countries, including hands-on experience in providing technical guidance to governments or UN agencies for informed decision-making in technology sourcing and procurement for social development
Your responsibilities will be…
Demand Needs Assessment: Identify the specific device needs of schools in Giga-connected countries, breaking countries into various groups / clusters according to the assessment of needs, in collaboration with Giga’s County Engagement team.
Activities:
- Consultations with Country Office colleagues on state of play / plans to date in country.
- Review existing programs and initiatives by UNICEF, governments, and other international development organizations related to the provision of devices.
- Identify critical needs and features of devices per group of countries.
- Identify success or failure stories in the provision of devices and integrate these lessons into future work.
Supply Landscape Assessment: Understand the current landscape of the device industry, supply chains, large-scale procurement processes, and opportunities for sourcing affordable devices through the lens of Giga’s activities and in the countries that Giga is currently working with.
Activities:
- Do a quick assessment of the industry and suppliers, key trends on devices for education, and cost drivers.
- Review existing programs and initiatives by organizations such as educational NGOs, philanthropic foundations, tech startups focused on education, and other international development agencies, as well as umbrella groups like GSMA, WEF, PDAA, and UNECA, who are all exploring this area. Understand these organizations’ strategies for the procurement or sourcing of devices.
- Identify key industry players and stakeholders, as well as their own initiatives for the provision of affordable devices for education, with a particular emphasis on those based in Switzerland.
- Identify partnership opportunities for UNICEF.
Recommendations on Technical Specifications: Based on the demand needs and supply assessment, develop a Target Product Profile (TPP) with the technical specifications for the most suitable and affordable devices for education, according to different schools and countries’ context, and consult industry and governments to validate these recommendations.
Activities:
- Draft a Target Product Profile and consult it with the industry and governments in collaboration with the Giga Procurement and Country Support teams.
Policy and Advocacy: Recommend policies that support the availability of affordable devices in connected schools.
Activities:
- Create a policy and advocacy framework to integrate adequate and affordable devices to connected schools.
- Work with Giga’s management team to find out where to integrate device affordability into broader connectivity policies.
- Identify possible experts who could create business cases linking connectivity provision to device pricing/purchasing in a few markets.
Guidance and Support: Provide guidance and support to countries on who to talk to (i.e., being the traffic officer, directing inquiries) not actually providing the guidance as Giga.
Activities:
- Develop resource list / experts list.
- Set up several Geneva-based workshops during the year bringing experts together (supported by Giga).
Please access the full Term of Reference (ToRs) and read a more detailed description of the assignment in this file in order to prepare your financial proposal and know more about the role: Device Expert for Meaningful Connectivity TOR.pdf.
To qualify for this position, you will have…
- An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Information Technology, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Administration, Economics 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. - A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in in the technology industry or in management consulting, with some hands-on experience in providing technical guidance to governments or UN agencies for informed decision-making in technology sourcing.
- Experience in consulting and advising on relevant technology for development areas.
- Experience with government or UN agencies is an asset.
- Experience in telecommunication infrastructure sector is an asset.
- Demonstrated strong writing and presentation skills in English and the ability to communicate effectively to management.
- Ability to plan and implement projects in coordination with multiple stakeholders.
- Ability to work with a diverse team in a rapidly changing work environment and adapt to unforeseen changes.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
Travel:
- The consultant is expected to travel to the countries Giga is supporting on five (5) trips, for a stay of 5-6 nights each, additionally to Supply Division in Copenhagen and Office of Innovation.
- The consultant is expected to travel to two Giga countries (2 trips), for a stay of 5 nights.
Payment details and further considerations:
- Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.
- The consultant is responsible for his/her own health and travel insurance.
- The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa.
- This consultancy is based in Geneva.
- UNICEF will facilitate the process for obtaining local permits exclusively for the consultant, excluding any dependents.
- For more information on Non-staff members IO based in Geneva, you can visit this link
How to apply:
- Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with an all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template here:
Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx
- Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance.
- Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.
About our team
We are a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary team of software engineers, finance specialists, data scientists, policy experts, and much more. Our team is a distributed workforce and plans to remain distributed into the foreseeable future. We are growing fast. Our team has grown by over 400% in the last 6 months as we rapidly scale to meet our stated mission.
About Giga
Giga is a joint initiative of UNICEF and ITU to connect every school in the world to the Internet by 2030. Working with corporate and non-profit partners, Giga maps schools’ Internet access in real time, creates models for innovative financing, and supports governments contracting for connectivity. It is part of ITU’s Partner2 Connect Coalition, UNICEF’s Reimagine Education initiative, and the UN Secretary General’s Common Agenda and Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
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About UNICEF
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.
UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.
About ITU
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations.