Connectivity Solutions Market Specialist

Under the leadership of the Global Giga Procurement and Market Shaping Lead, matrixed to the Chief of Education in Panama and the Regional Advisor on Education in LACRO, the Giga Connectivity Solutions Market Specialist will support UNICEF LACRO and UNICEF Panama to engage with the telecommunications industry and other key stakeholders (ITU, regulators, national innovation and service delivery agencies, among others) in the region to develop and implement strategies aimed at improving countries’ market access to affordable, high-quality, meaningful and sustainable school connectivity.

Key responsibilities include:

In UNICEF Panama Country Office 

• Conduct thorough market research to understand current pricing structures in the Red Nacional de Multiservicios, as well as in the open market, and identify opportunities for cost reduction in school connectivity.
• Provide expert advice on technical specifications and service requirements unique to school connectivity to better define this service essential for children’s educational development within the Red Nacional de Multiservicios.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies (e.g., Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Communications, AIG, ASEP, among others), service providers, and other relevant parties for connecting schools.
• Conduct an investigation or analysis on the process and laws to update the new contract of the National Multiservice Network, to propose improvements in the laws, or a new process if necessary.
• Develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for contracting school connectivity, focusing on expanding the industry suppliers available to deliver connectivity for schools, cost reduction and service optimization, including school-specific KPIs and SLAs to be considered within the Red Nacional de Multiservicios.
• Develop connectivity financing models in coordination with the Giga global teams.
• Support the deployment of Giga’s monitoring tools and connectivity performance data-sharing requirements with the industry to assess the quality of internet services, and ensure the service is delivered accordingly to the SLAs defined in the contracts.
• Support the Panama office in other defined GIGA or innovation initiatives.
• Lead the technical explorations around connectivity monitoring data, accountability and equity enabling mechanisms and connectivity solutions for schools.
• Provide support to UNICEF country offices in the region to engage with the telecommunications industry and internet service providers for the implementation of Giga.
• Support Giga Panama/LACRO focal point on technical and infrastructure discussions.
• Based on Giga’s school and infrastructure mapping data, as well as the country’s regulatory and policy context, develop materials (overview decks, analysis of different technologies and operating models) to advise Country Offices in the region on innovative solutions and operating arrangements for school connectivity that could be tested in the country.

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

• A master’s degree in business, Economics, Computer Science, Network Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field. Alternatively, a first level university degree in combination with two years additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in the telecommunications sector, preferably with a focus on connectivity solutions.
• Experience in facilitating engagements with an array of partners at the national/regional level, i.e., government entities, telecommunication regulators, international development organizations, or civil society, etc.
• Experience in contract negotiations between the public and private sectors and stakeholder management within the connectivity sector is highly desirable.
• Experience in the field of development or policy, ideally within the United Nations system, or at an International Non-Governmental Organization, foundations, governments, private sector or academic institutions is an asset.
• Experience providing hands-on program management support is an asset.
• Knowledge of Latin American telecommunications market is an asset.
• Previous experience in the telecommunications industry or public offices in charge of innovation and public procurement is highly desirable.
• Organizational, coordination, and multi-tasking experience. Capacity to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Analytical and problem-solving experience.
• Experience establishing work relationships across multi-disciplinary teams with different technical skills and multiple partners in different time zones is highly desirable.
• Proven experience in translating complex ideas from various fields into unified, clear guidance.
• Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/570899