Innovation Manager (Governance, Innovation Portfolios)

Job Description

Job title
Innovation Manager (Governance

Job Number:
550056

Location:
Sweden

Work Type:
Short-term contract assignment

Description:

For every child, innovation…

The Office of Innovation (OoI) works to catalyze UNICEF and partners’ expertise and resources to solve key challenges facing children and young people, with a view to sourcing, accelerating and scaling the most effective solutions to accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs. To achieve this the Office of Innovation uses an innovation portfolio management approach and leverages support from a range of stakeholders including from intergovernmental, multilateral, private sector, young people and non-governmental fora (think tank, academia).

How can you make a difference?

The P4 Innovation Manager (Governance, innovation portfolios), leads oversight and implementation of UNICEF’s approach to innovation portfolios and innovation governance, bringing innovation strategy and governance to life in a way that enables decision making and focuses investment into the solutions that have greatest potential to accelerate progress towards solving child centred SDGs. This role will work under the guidance and direction of the Senior Advisor, Innovation (Portfolio, Culture and Scale), and in close collaboration with relevant Innovation Hub leads and portfolio managers and with an extensive network across UNICEF divisions, offices and teams. To succeed you will be a highly strategic thinker and communicator, with an eye for detail and the ability to effectively build relationships at all levels and across different disciplines.

Key functions, accountabilities, and related duties/tasks:

This post is responsible for:

1. Ownership and continuous improvement of UNICEF’s global approach to innovation portfolio management and innovation governance, including developing Standard Operating Procedures that outline the stage gates, criteria and process for exit and entry into the innovation pipeline.
2. Provide guidance documents, capacity building and technical assistance across Innovation Hubs / Portfolios and to Regional Offices and Country Offices to support their innovation strategy and governance needs, including tailoring global portfolio management principles and processes to country and regional level.
3. Management of the Innovation Portfolio Steering Committee (IPSC) which is chaired by P5 Senior Adviser Innovation (PCS), #89335, including its membership, convening, communication and functioning. The IPSC purpose is to provide strategic guidance and support OOI in its accountability to enable UNICEF to maximize its impact in innovation through the development, operationalization, and active management of UNICEF’s programme-led, problem-focused portfolio approach to innovation.
4. Lead, develop and manage the associated tools and platforms that enable UNICEF’s innovation portfolios, namely INVENT and UNICORN. INVENT is the enterprise-wide platform for innovation and T4D and connects the innovation pipeline from the inventory of all solutions through to portfolios of promising projects and priority projects for scale. UNICORN is the enterprise open innovation/challenge platform.
5. Manage internal UNICEF, cross-portfolio funding allocation processes, including designing the process, drafting communications, monitoring overall investments, documentation and learning, and reporting, including reviewing significant investments and set aside allocation exercises.
6. Coordinate a roster of different technical support needs for Innovation Solutions across all of the innovation portfolios. This may include recruiting and managing consultants with specialist expertise (e.g. business modelling).
7. Represent OOI on relevant governance entities.
8. Deliver clear and effective engagement across UNICEF to support communication around the innovation portfolios and their value proposition, with the aim of supporting staff engagement, particularly from Country and Regional Offices.

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

Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields is required: Social Science or Humanities, Innovation-related field, International Relations, Business Administration, or another relevant technical 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 Experience.

Experience: A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience is required at national and international levels in the areas of innovation and/or social and economic development and cooperation.

• Demonstrated expertise in innovation practice, spanning start-up to scaling innovations, especially in the social and/or development sectors

Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Deadline: 24 Apr 2022

About the Organization

UNICEF is out to change the world for children vaccination by vaccination, blanket by blanket, biscuit by biscuit, book by book. In most of America, these things are considered completely ordinary. But in many parts of the developing world, they can save a child's life. UNICEF is unique among world organizations and unique among those working with young people. As a global movement, we use our authority to influence decision makers and diverse partners to turn the most innovative ideas into reality. In 155 countries and territories, UNICEF's field staff uses hard-won expertise to meet the challenges facing children and those who care for them. Our history has given us a profound understanding of development and the importance of child health, education, equality and protection in advancing humanity. All that we do helps children realize their full potential. In support of UNICEF's work, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF focuses on five major priorities: education, emergencies, HIV/AIDS, immunization and malnutrition.