Programme Adviser

Giga has a strategic vision to connect every school worldwide to the internet by 2030. The Giga Fund focuses on creating a financing facility prototype, establishing a pipeline of investments for telecommunications infrastructure, and setting up a project preparation facility to accelerate school connectivity, especially in underserved regions.

Under the guidance of the Senior Adviser (Giga Financing and Market Shaping), the Programme Adviser (Capital Fund) will play a crucial role in these innovative financial strategies, helping to build and implement the Giga Fund, which is designed to attract and manage substantial investment in digital infrastructure for educational environments across developing nations.

The Programme Adviser has the following key functions: 

Managerial leadership

• Lead the strategic setup of the Financing Facility Prototype, ensuring alignment with Giga’s long-term connectivity goals.
• Manage relationships with IFI/DFI partners who want to use Giga mapping and tooling to support monitoring of their work
• Manage WB/IFC/Giga collaboration where IFC will be supporting portfolio companies and WB helping on government engagement for key connectivity projects, with Giga providing project monitoring.
• Manage relationships with donors like the EU, which is giving to Giga programmatically, for both monitoring and programmatic implementation.
• Work with UNICEF Innovative Financing to craft new financing vehicles to support school and health center connectivity.
• Where necessary, support the external Giga Fund process through shared communications and technical assistance.
• Manage the relationship with ITU around their Digital Infrastructure Initiative work and ensure key roles and responsibilities are maintained.
• Work closely with the Senior Innovation Adviser to synchronize these new strategic areas with the broader goals of the Office of Innovation.
• Establish and uphold effective communication channels among the leads of other areas, ensuring synchronization with Giga’s overarching goals and objectives, as well as with broader OoI strategic initiatives.
• Oversee the recruitment of specialists in Financing and Investment, ensuring a balanced skill set and expertise to achieve program objectives, ensuring the right mix of skills and expertise to drive Giga’s goals.

Programme development and planning

• Develop strategic plans for each new functional area: IFI/DFI Support, Multilateral Donor Financing, New Financing Vehicles
• Through the team leads meeting update to the Senior Adviser (Giga Financing and Market Shaping), highlighting achievements, challenges, and recommendations for moving forward.

Programme management, monitoring and quality control of results

• Monitor the execution of these strategic plans, ensuring timely achievement of outcomes and adapting strategies as necessary to respond to evolving challenges and opportunities. Leverage the expertise and insights from cross-sectoral OoI teams for a more robust and adaptive approach.
• Develop and manage a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework to track and assess the progress and impact of Giga financing activities.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning and continuous improvement within the teams, leveraging insights from M&E activities to refine and enhance program strategies.

Advisory services and technical support

• Provide technical guidance and support for financial modeling and project preparation strategies.
• Align finance and funding utilization strategies with global best practices and the specific needs of emerging markets

Advocacy, networking and partnership building

• Engage with external stakeholders, including investors and government agencies, to enhance visibility and support for Giga.
• Negotiate and lead discussions with potential partners to secure donor resources for large scale implementations and align them with programmatic objectives.

Innovation, knowledge management and capacity building

• Promote critical thinking, innovative approaches, and best practices for sustainable financing and investment strategies in support of Giga’s mission, through advocacy and technical advisory services. Institutionalize and disseminate best practices and knowledge learned within the realm of digital infrastructure financing.
• Contribute to the generation of evidence through research, evaluations, and implementation science to advance technical excellence of connectivity programs. Lead the planning and updating of the situation analysis to ensure that current and comprehensive data on issues related to school connectivity are available to guide UNICEF’s strategic policy advocacy, intervention and development efforts, and to set program priorities, strategies, design, and implementation plans.
• Coordinate with all necessary stakeholders to ensure that all innovative financing strategies and activities adhere to UNICEF, ITU, and other relevant regulations and standards.
• Facilitate capacity-building initiatives specifically aimed at enhancing financial modeling, investment strategies, and project preparation skills within the team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture that values diversity and encourages professional growth.

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: 

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Technology, or related field.

Work Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant work experience in strategic program management, investment banking, or related areas. Strong expertise in financial modeling and project management in the development sector is preferred.
• Proven experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams and driving programmatic initiatives to achieve set objectives.
• Strong understanding of open-source technologies, blockchain, and other emerging tech platforms.
• Experience in budget management, financial analysis, and reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within large organizations, navigating complex structures and processes to achieve desired outcomes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience in the delivery of connectivity and infrastructure projects at national and regional levels.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile, and flexible environment, adapting strategies and operations as needed to achieve programme goals.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing challenges.
• Commitment to promoting a culture of respect, inclusivity, and team collaboration.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/572740