Summary

​​The Giga Procurement Section, based in Geneva, plays a critical role in achieving this goal by ensuring that schools receive high-quality connectivity solutions. This role will be co-managed by Giga and UNICEF Supply Division to support UNICEF Country Offices and their government partners with technical assistance to efficiently procure affordable, quality-assured, and sustainable connectivity.

Under the guidance of the Contract Manager and UNICEF Supply Division’s Sustainable Markets Center, the Market Research Specialist for Connectivity will take a lead role in supporting market research and analysis efforts to uncover market barriers and engage in strategic market shaping initiatives. In collaboration with Supply Division’s Sustainable Markets Center team, this specialist will be responsible in developing and implementing strategies to improve market conditions and increase access to key strategic connectivity products and services for schools.

Your responsibilities will be…

Market Intelligence and Analysis: 

• Collect, collate, and analyze market intelligence on global and local markets for connectivity solutions.
• Develop and present comprehensive reports on market findings, using graphic data illustrations and translating complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Monitor pricing, supplier development, key product / service pipelines, industry trends, and changes in the regulatory environment changes to inform procurement strategies.
• Ensure that all market research and analysis efforts are data-driven, employing advanced analytical tools and methodologies to provide accurate and actionable insights.
• Implement a continuous improvement approach by regularly reviewing and refining market research processes based on feedback and new market developments.

Market Influencing Strategies:

• Contribute to the development of and provide advice on tailored and targeted market acceleration interventions on both the supply and demand sides of the connectivity solutions market.
• Analyze historical data of connectivity services for schools’ quality of services and pricing, to equip and ensure informed intelligence-driven decision making and market negotiations.
• Interpret market research to inform procurement approaches, financing mechanisms, and industry engagement to improve market outcomes.
• Support the development of frameworks and policies to guide strategic supply efforts.

Capacity Building and Training:

• Provide training on the perspectives of industry suppliers, so that the Giga Procurement Section and other supply staff can be better equipped in market negotiations.
• Lead capacity-building initiatives for UNICEF Country Offices and government partners to improve market research and procurement processes.
• Develop and disseminate best practices and lessons learned to enhance understanding of market dynamics.

Stakeholder engagement and industry engagement:

• Collaborate with ITU, UNICEF Supply Division and Giga teams (e.g., Mapping/Tech, Modelling, Finance) to help drive procurement strategies and shape the school connectivity solutions market by interpreting market research and recommending approaches to positively influence supplier participation.
• Engage with UNICEF’s market shaping partners and public and private financiers, especially in relation to potential special contracts and supplier financing endeavors.
• Organize stakeholder meetings, consultations, and industry engagements.
• Maintain clear and consistent communication with all stakeholders, providing regular updates on market research findings and the impact of market shaping initiatives.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for senior management and key stakeholders to inform decision-making and strategy development.

Support for Market Acceleration:

• Support the development of a procurement strategy and the implementation of market acceleration plans with well-designed market research analysis.
• Explore the pros and cons of pooled procurement and/or other market acceleration initiatives to assess benefits, potential risks, or unintended consequences on the connectivity solutions market (and how to address these situations from the design of the interventions).

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:  Market Research Specialist.pdf.

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

• A master’s degree in data science, computer science, statistics. *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.
• Minimum 5 years of professional work experience in data science, computer science, statistics, or a related field with at least 3 years of experience in machine learning or related fields.
• Strong experience in classical machine learning algorithms such as Regression, Classification, Clustering and Forecasting.
• Strong experience in algorithm development in Python
• Experience with cloud services, like AWS, Azure.
• Experienced and comfortable with remote team dynamics, process, and tools (Slack, Zoom, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills and ability to present complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
• Experience in the application of the relevant fields in the telecommunications sector is highly desirable.
• Experience with geospatial data is desirable.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency conditions is considered an asset.
• 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, to Africa, during the period of this contract, covering approximately 9 countries in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa
• The consultant is responsible for arranging his/her own travel, including visa and travel insurance.

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.