Summary

We are seeking a procurement expert to lead the development and implementation of supply strategies for transparent and risk-informed market shaping and for the contracting of critical supplies and services in support of Giga and school connectivity.

Your main responsibilities will be…

Working closely with the Senior Contracts Manager, Service Contracting Centre, and the Giga – Accelerate Lead, you will:

1. Support market research and intelligence gathering on broadband internet connectivity, available ISPs (including innovative business models from service providers) related demand challenges for school connectivity at country and regional level, to develop standards and information for ISP vetting / qualification and strategies for market influencing.

2. Develop global guidelines, templates, and best practices for contracting processes for sustainable school connectivity integrating the use of Giga’s data on school & infrastructure location to identify the technologies, operating and business models that optimize network performance, capex investment and affordability.

3. Advise and guide country offices on procurement strategy and contractual modality for school connectivity.

4. Develop a strategy for Giga to transition from small-scale procurements of school connectivity for connectivity pilots, to advise and guide national-level procurements of school connectivity leveraging demand aggregation and economies of scale.

5. Leverage the experience gained in developing Giga’s school connectivity supply strategies to provide supply advice and support to other Reimagine Education pillar leads around products standards, demand forecasting, market research and influencing, partner engagement and contracting strategies.

Key end results:

• Build UNICEF capacity to respond to partners and country requests for school connectivity and thereby support Giga and Reimagine Education objectives to enable access to information, opportunity and choice for children and young people.
• Position UNICEF and Giga as a credible partner and advisor for government on large-scale supply and procurement processes of sustainable school connectivity.
• Stronger capacity to support national partners on implementation of Giga, including provision of Procurement Services for school connectivity to country offices or national governments, where feasible.
• Establishment of a supply strategy at global and regional level, including global arrangements for procurement and supply of quality, affordable school connectivity based on standard specifications and functional requirements.
• Enhanced support to RO and COs on procurement of supplies and services in support of Giga.
• Development of a scale-up strategy for UNICEF to develop the capacity to advise country governments on national-level procurement processes for school connectivity as part of the Giga initiative.

To qualify for this position, you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in business administration, commerce or law or technical field 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 five years of progressively responsible professional experience including at least two at the international level. Experience in commercial activities, preferably within the telecommunications sector, with the public or private sector in developing and industrialized countries. Experience with worldwide procurement, contract negotiations, combined with broader economic knowledge.
• Knowledge of the telecommunications market structure, dynamics and drivers for product development and pricing for high-speed internet connectivity and related contracting processes.
• Experience leading large-scale procurement processes for technology or telecommunications products in the public or private sectors, or in support of a UN organization.
• Ability to conceptualize ideas and produce clear and comprehensive products to support UNICEF’s capacity to deliver school connectivity for young people and children.
• Ability to work with a multidisciplinary team of designers, engineers, researchers, and policy makers, in a multicultural environment and to work independently.
• Knowledge of project management tools like Jira, Asana, Trello.
• Good verbal and communication skills.
• Computer skills, including internet navigation and various office applications
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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. 

Giga helps governments design the regulatory frameworks and competitive procurement processes needed to get schools online in an affordable, equitable, and sustainable manner. Since 2019, Giga and its partners have connected more than 3,200 schools to prove out new, sustainable business models and give children access to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are sharing the lessons with governments and other partners, with a view to supporting national rollouts and scaling up to connect hundreds of thousands of schools by 2024.