Consultancy: Inclusive Design Advisory, Office of Innovation, Stockholm, Sweden, 20 days, (Remote)

This TOR is to support the UNICEF Venture Fund in evolving the framework and tools supporting startups and internal product teams to build inclusive technology solutions. This work will complement efforts already underway by the Venture Fund and its mentors in the areas of diversity and inclusion, as well as gender-responsive technology.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child…innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships, and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives.

The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the start-up thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

UNICEF’s Office of Innovation creates opportunities for the world’s children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:

• Connecting youth communities (or more broadly — anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant, and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children.
• Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach — in a traditionally risk averse field — to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.
• Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private and academic sectors in order to deliver fast, and lasting results for children.

  The Office of Innovation specifically looks to form partnerships around frontier technologies (like drones and UAVs, blockchain, 21st century skills, urban technologies, new banking tools, wearables and sensors, or 3D-Printing) that exist at the intersection of $100 billion business markets and 1 billion person needs – and to identify how they can grow and scale profitably and inclusively. 

How can you make a difference?

The UNICEF Venture Fund has a focus on supporting underrepresented founders through its Smart Initiative. As the Venture Fund reaches its ten-year anniversary, the Fund is looking to evaluate the progress to date and continue to evolve its inclusivity efforts. Specifically, the Venture Fund wants to establish a framework and tools for building inclusive products, with a particular focus on building inclusive products in the areas of AI, blockchain, drones and XR/VR. This work also needs to take into consideration work already underway by mentors in the areas of diversity and inclusion, as well as building gender-responsive technology. The main output of this TOR is a framework that outlines the approach of the Venture Fund for the next chapter of the Smart Initiative, as well as particular guidance (ie tools) for product teams on building inclusive technology in the areas of AI, blockchain, drones and XR/VR.

Your main responsibilities will be:

1. Engage with the Venture Fund team to understand what work has already been done related to building inclusive products, and establish the status quo is.
2. Work with the Diversity and Inclusion and Gender mentors to ensure a cohesive approach to building inclusive solutions. 
3. Consult the Venture Fund Tech Leads, as well as industry experts on best practices.
4. Conduct a literature review.
5. Draft the framework and tools.
6. Receive feedback from key stakeholders and adjust deliverables accordingly.
7. Create other communications products related to the framework and tools.
8.  

Description of assignment

Please find attached the full ToR (Terms of Reference) with related information.  TOR 2024.Inclusive Design Framework and Tools.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in inclusive design, gender studies, international relations, international business or another relevant 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.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in building inclusive products in an international context, with a focus on emerging and developing economies.
• Knowledge of additional impact investing and building products in the context of the UN’s goals.
• Experience advising early-stage startups on building technology in UNICEF programme countries.
• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience as a product manager.
• Experience building emerging technology products, in at least one of the following areas: AI, blockchain, drones, XR/VR.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency 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.

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. 

How to apply:

• Interest applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.  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.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations, or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Contact: For any queries, please contact: [email protected]