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 position 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 Procurement Section Programme Manager, the Contract Manager and UNICEF Supply Division’s Service Contracting Center, the Technical Specialist for Connectivity Solutions will provide technical expertise and oversight to ensure the delivery of high-quality, fit-for-purpose connectivity solutions to schools. The specialist will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop and maintain technical specifications for connectivity solutions, monitor industry trends, support the development of the procurement strategy and the implementation of large-scale RFP processes.

The role requires agility and adaptability, aligning with Giga’s startup culture. The Technical Specialist will work closely with UNICEF Supply Division, UNICEF country offices and ITU teams, as well as other UN agencies.

Your responsibilities will be…

The Technical Specialist (Connectivity Solutions) will play a crucial role for Giga’s procurement support. This position involves staying updated on the latest industry developments and providing technical guidance to UNICEF regional and country offices, and government partners, to procure and manage innovative, cost-effective connectivity solutions.

In collaboration with the Market Researcher, the Technical Specialist will conduct market analysis and intelligence reports to inform the procurement and management of innovative and cost-effective connectivity solutions. The specialist will help develop and validate global and regional service requirements (based on a Target Service Profile), and support Giga and UNICEF staff to ensure that service requirements are comprehensive and meet the needs of various educational contexts.

The Technical Specialist will provide support to the Contract Manager during the RFP process, including developing technical specifications and evaluation criteria, to ensure that ToRs and contracts for school connectivity include robust quality assurance measures, KPIs, service level agreements and that ISPs can provide Giga with the required data to monitor the performance of connectivity in real-time. The Technical Specialist will also coordinate with the Giga Tech team to ensure that we can implement the tools developed to monitor school connectivity in real-time, ensuring compliance with contract requirements.

The role involves developing and maintaining technical documentation, preparing technical reports, and managing a portfolio of connectivity solutions to meet UNICEF’s standards. By ensuring the implementation of robust technical standards and quality assurance measures, the specialist will enhance UNICEF and Giga’s capacity to support governments in the delivery of high-quality, reliable, and sustainable connectivity solutions for schools, thus enhancing educational opportunities globally. 

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: Technical Specialist.pdf.

To qualify for this position, you will have…

• An advanced university degree in Telecommunications, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. *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 the field of connectivity solutions, telecommunications, or IT.
• Experience in developing technical specifications and managing procurement processes for connectivity solutions in developing (or LMIC/MIC) countries, preferably in Africa are an asset.
• Experience working with international organizations, governments, or NGOs is 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.