Innovation Specialist

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Description

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• Support Country Offices implementing Innovation projects as part of the WASH portfolio. Key activities to achieve this include:
• Coordinate and engage with country offices on progress of projects and deliverables related to the WASH hubs approach to scaling.
• Provide broker and source technical support for projects within the portfolio, enabling them to accelerate and scale new approaches.
• Facilitate the documentation of best practice to advise scaling innovations to other countries or regions.
• Utilize internal processes, as needed, to support projects along the innovation process and define pathways to scale.
• Work collaboratively to identify solutions to challenges for projects as they arise.
• Actively support the WASH innovation portfolio process. Key activities to achieve this include:
• Support the intake of innovative solutions for the portfolio in line with agreed global governance processes.
• Support the Innovation Manager to provide, broker and source support for projects wishing to enter the portfolio, enabling them to accelerate new approaches to the identified WASH problem statements.
• Support the development of internal processes, as needed, to better support internal innovation projects from within UNICEF.
• Through on the ground activities support country offices and project teams to identify challenges and solutions both form a strategic and practical perspective, to define next steps and project activities.
• Explore resource mobilization needs for country office support
• Summarize projects, approaches and activities within the portfolio for the OoI teams as appropriate.
• Support resource mobilization and partnership opportunities within the WASH hub and the wider OoI Partnerships team as required.
• Support exploration of potential partnership opportunities for the overall portfolio or for specific portfolio solutions to be explored at Country or Regional level.
• Support the sharing of Innovation projects experiences and results. Key activities to achieve this include:
• Ensure strong connections between the WASH hub, Regional Advisors and Country WASH teams and the relevant communities of practice to share the results of the WASH innovation portfolio.
• Plan for the development of communications products, and regularly showcase the portfolios and their projects across a range of opportunities to raise profile, positioning and engagement and support for these and the Office of Innovation, through opportunities such as stories, media, social media, events, briefings etc.
• Support and coordinate with the Communications Specialist (Innovation) to enable them to select content through opportunities at the Country level.
• Support innovators in climate resilient WASH across UNICEF by:
• Ensuring INVENT and SharePoint content is up to date in relation to the portfolios.
• Capture and distill learning and share these widely through mechanisms such as recorded webinars, documentation, videos and other assets, developmental reflections etc.
• Support the connection and engagement the external and internal stakeholders in WASH innovation through bringing external experiences into UNICEF as well as showcasing internal best practice.
• Support the facilitation of south-south and triangular sharing of best practices.
• Provide support to Innovation Manager in respect to managing grants in support of portfolio solutions. Key activities to achieve this include:
• Monitoring country office budgets and spending against agreed spending and workplans.
• Updates on consultancy work related to the portfolio projects, progress updates and review of first draft deliverables.
• Any other duties or assignments as requested by the supervisor.

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: Environmental Science, Sustainability or related fields, Innovation-related field, International Relations, Water & Sanitation 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 five (5) of relevant professional experience in the areas of innovation, sustainability, water & sanitation, climate change, development and cooperation. 
• Understanding of climate resilient WASH / CEED innovations and programming within the UNICEF context.  
• Demonstrated understanding of innovation practice in humanitarian, development or low resource settings, this could include start-up to scaling innovations in relevant sector(s).
• Demonstrable capacity to work with stakeholders and communities at all levels in a range of cultures, to strategically identify and address challenges and bottle necks to deliver results.  
• Demonstrated knowledge of UNICEF’s processes and procedures is considered an asset.   
• Demonstrate experience of supporting and advising country offices remotely and/or in country throughout the project management cycle.  
• Ability to work with others in a range of settings. 
• Experience of working in a UNICEF programme country. 
• Experience of working within innovation portfolios is desirable. 
• Experience in supporting development of communication materials for internal and external publication is desirable. 
• Experience in managing grants as well as commissioning and managing contractors is desirable.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

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