Innovation Consultant – Field Innovation Project Manager

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

 Innovation Consultant – Field Innovation Project Manager

WFP Innovation Accelerator, INNA, Munich, Germany

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We are currently seeking to fill a Field Innovation Project Manager position in the WFP Innovation Accelerator, based in Munich, Germany.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day – delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators 2023 for its work in identifying, nurturing, and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, the WFP Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees, entrepreneurs, and start-ups with funding, hands-on support, and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the WFP Innovation Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation – such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence and blockchain – and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. In 2023, Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of 60.7 million people globally. The Accelerator acts as WFP’s global function for innovation and supports WFP Country offices in developing their own innovation strategies and setting up their own local or regional innovation teams.

More information here: http://innovation.wfp.org and https://youtu.be/OnKkQlRdh2c.

WFP’s Innovation Network enables and drives innovation, by activating WFP innovators, mainstreaming a culture of innovation & collaboration throughout the organization, by providing tailored services and by building the digital systems and facilitated exchanges to scale and maximize impact.

General Information:

• Title of Post: Innovation Consultant – Field Innovation Project Manager
• Unit: Innovation Accelerator, Partnerships and Innovation Division (INNA)
• Country:  Germany
• Duty Station: Munich
• Initial contract duration: 5 months (extendable)
• Expected Start Date: 01.09.2024 (desirable)

Duties and responsibilities:

The incumbent, reporting to the Head of Innovation Network is expected to:

1. Drive the coordination and growth of the WFP innovation hubs and units and teams based in the field that form the WFP Innovation Network

• Manage and coordinate the overall integration of WFP Innovation Hubs and Units into the WFP Innovation Network and the WFP Innovation Accelerator;
• Support WFP Innovation Hubs and Units in designing and adopting innovative strategies and programs that align with and feed into WFP’s Innovation Strategy;
• Act as the broader WFP Innovation portfolio manager and keep track of different investable projects that are managed by WFP Innovation Hubs and Units to create synergies and matches across opportunities for scale, funding or other;
• Actively seek opportunities to drive the design of innovation programs that can be co-delivered by the Accelerator and members of the Innovation Network;
• Actively pursue partnerships and fundraising opportunities, draft proposals, to invest in the portfolio of the WFP Innovation Network;
• Build relationships across the network and convene members regularly both virtually and in person including through a yearly flagship event or workshop;
• Activate online interactions and correspondence with and between members of the Network to strengthen the community feel among the members of the Innovation Network, including together with the WFP Innovation Champions community;
• Act as the global focal point for WFP Innovation Hubs and Units, effectively providing input, routing correspondence and requests, and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of operations to effectively assume that role.

2. Build a comprehensive offering for the setup of new Innovation Hubs and Units around the world, for WFP or other organizations in the humanitarian sector 

• Design and drive a service offering to set up and support the establishment of WFP Innovation Hubs and Units across the organization;
• Advise WFP leaders and decision-makers on opportunities and steps to establishing innovation units through data-driven and field-based experience in a compelling and clear format;
• Manage the actual potential set up of Innovation Units in a given location, design a roadmap of implementation, drive local partnership creation, and travel to said locations as needed to drive the set up phase hands-on;
• Diligently work to align Country Innovation strategies with their strategic plans and/or work to include innovation in Country strategic plans in select locations;
• Cultivate expertise through active consultation and observation as well as collecting data of the best practices and models of Innovation Units, and actively ensure needed processes are mapped or unlocked as needed to ensure operational health within the organization;
• Manage project budgets with sensitivity and diligence and demonstrate responsibility in accurate and correct documentation of expenditures, reports and other components that arise through the project;
• As needed design and deliver workshops to co-create hub models, design and implement new milestones, bring alignment, formulate theories of change and other topics as appropriate

3. Maintain robust data-driven storytelling and reporting and build on the existing systems to continuously improve them:

• Manage the reporting and participation of WFP Innovation Hubs and Units into the global innovation reporting system and cadence, ensuring an accurate input of data and information, both qualitative and quantitative;
• Analyze the data and draft narrative summaries of each team’s work in a way that speaks to external and internal stakeholders and partners and showcases the value and impact of their work;
• Be on top of WFP innovation hubs and units latest plans, results and activities, including but not limited to funding status, people reached and impact generated;
• Design and oversee the execution of a yearly communications plan to highlight the work of WFP Innovation around the world in close collaboration with the Accelerator’s communications team;
• Maintain the WFP Innovation Network’s contribution in the Innovation Database;
• Commit to the betterment of the WFP Innovation Network digital systems through active usage and mainstreaming;
• Contribute to an environment that fosters knowledge sharing as well as the development of systems and processes to manage knowledge effectively  

4. Support the overall WFP Innovation Accelerator operations:

• Provide analysis & content preparation (e.g. data on projects, presentations, briefs) for corporate priority topics and management meetings;
• Participate and carry out discussions with colleagues in other divisions or external stakeholders on topics related to innovation;
• Support other core processes of the WFP Innovation Accelerator (e.g. workshop facilitation, event hosting, speaking engagements, event management) as required;
• Proactively contribute to a positive and high performing team culture; intentionally collaborate across different teams within the Accelerator;
• Support the Head of the WFP Innovation Network, Head of the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the Director of the Innovation Division with any other activities as required.

Required qualifications and experience:

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree a plus.
Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible international experience in a humanitarian innovation role, start-up accelerator, innovations in private businesses, or experience coordinating different teams spread globally

Required soft skills/WFP Competencies:

• In-depth understanding of humanitarian operations and how innovation can help achieve desired impact
• Proficiency in designing and end-to-end managing of projects 
• Experience working at WFP in a field context is a considerable advantage
• Experience setting up new teams or projects from the ground up
• Understanding of innovation project life cycle – from ideation, minimum viable product, testing, prototyping, and implementation.
• Experience working in a large-scale organization or with a client/in partnership with a large-scale organization.
• Proven track record of driving projects – effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups etc, and especially in inter dynamic and cross-functional setups
• Experience organizing events, workshops and other types of convenings both virtually and in-person
• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems and to design new product ideas.
• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audiences with maturity and tact.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, develop business plans and present confidently
• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility, humility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Sets a high level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve.
• Approaches challenges with optimism, positivity and sense of initiative.
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is a plus.

Terms and Conditions:

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience. 
Please visit the following website for detailed information on working with WFP: http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

Female applicants and qualified applicants from developing countries are especially encouraged to apply.  WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Fighting Hunger Worldwide