Business Development Manager (Connectivity Credits), (P-4), Office of Innovation (Giga), Geneva, Switzerland, #130437 (Temporary Appointment 364 days)

The Business Development Manager (Connectivity Credits) at UNICEF’s Giga initiative plays a crucial role in the growth and adoption of the Connectivity Credits Marketplace. Tasked with the challenging job of steering Giga and UNICEF teams from pilot phase to global adoption, this position will at times require the Manager to take initiative and get first results directly themselves, and later evolve to enabling other teams inside UNICEF to generate opportunities at scale. This position is a senior business development role, requiring the ability to quickly establish credibility around global development and connectivity with government and IFI stakeholders.

Success in this position would steadily drive financial buy-in through stages of growth – the first $1m, $10m, $100m and $1bn, adapting their role with each phase, and bringing significant resource mobilization to Giga’s goal of global connectivity.

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 Global Connectivity 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 Business Development Manager (Connectivity Credits) is a crucial member of the Connectivity Credits Marketplace team at Giga. The purpose of this position is to gain buy-in from country governments to pilot Connectivity Credits, and later on grow adoption of country governments and international financial institutions to buy Connectivity Credits. This position should sell the big vision and benefits of Connectivity Credits into high level stakeholders (e.g., Ministerial level) and therefore requires a high degree of credibility in front of senior stakeholders. At the same time, the Business Development Manager must be receptive to their needs and feedback of buyers of Connectivity Credits, and champion those needs in the Connectivity Credits team to continue re-shaping the vision. This is a senior, strategic and relationship focused business development position. It is expected that the Business Development Manager will be frequently travelling to countries interested in Connectivity Credits (approximately once per month, primarily in Africa).

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

Identify and prioritize engagement opportunities.

• Identify and prioritize strategically important countries and international financial institution stakeholders and engage through UNICEF channels.
• Identify, engage and get buy-in from the next country governments that will use Connectivity Credits (from the current starting point of 3 pilots)

Develop a go-to-market strategy.

• Enhance Giga’s understanding by clearly defining the ‘who, what, and why’ storytelling of Connectivity Credits. Develop a phased approach towards the goal of attracting funding in financing onto the Connectivity Credits Marketplace.

Enable Giga and UNICEF to generate collaboration opportunities.

• Develop foundational communication materials in collaboration from product and comms teams) that will enable the rest of the UNICEF and Giga ‘engine’ to continuously generate opportunities for Connectivity Credits
• Collaborate closely with UNICEF partnership and finance teams to embed Connectivity Credits as an offer in their programmatic portfolios.
• Oversee the development of materials to the specific needs of stakeholders, based on taking a proactive approach to understanding their context and priorities.

Relationship building and spearhead strategic agreements.

• Develop foundational relationships with senior stakeholders in country governments and international financial institutions in person, to understand their strategic needs, generate buy-in, negotiate terms and formalize agreements.
• Act as high-level account manager, building long-term trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Build conviction with key stakeholders, through guiding them to step by step adoption and continuous good experience with their relationship with Giga.
• Build visibility and advocate around Connectivity Credits through conferences and regional meetings.

Minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s or higher) in fields such as business development, finance, economics or related degree is required

Work Experience:

• At least 8 years of relevant work experience in business development, strategy consulting, or similar 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.

Skills:

• Strong network of relationships with government and international financial institutions in the connectivity space.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage with a high-level stakeholder.
• Demonstrated ability in closing high value deals and partnerships.
• 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 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people. 

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.