Systems & Innovation Consultants (Multiple Roles) - US-China Relations

Job Description

The Global Knowledge Initiative (GKI) is implementing the “Ju-Yen & Linnar Teng Initiative” (JLT) with a bequest from the estate of Seattle residents Ju-Yen and Linnar Teng, who emigrated to the US from the People’s Republic of China via Taiwan in the 1960s. JLT will comprise bespoke programming centered on shared challenges experienced by stakeholders with links to the U.S. and China. While GKI is early in program discovery activities, with the right partners, GKI hopes to facilitate several projects involving Chinese and US entities that contribute to positive relations between the two countries and their people.

JLT projects will incorporate the use of GKI’s Systems Innovation Toolkit, along with an experiential learning curriculum that will be developed in parallel to the translation of the Toolkit itself. The Toolkit was created in 2023 as part of the USAID-funded Accelerating Innovation for Resilience initiative. It captures GKI’s learnings and resources from GKI and other institutions for applying systems thinking, innovation and human-centered design, network strengthening, and adaptive learning in development and humanitarian initiatives. (Candidates are strongly encouraged to review the Toolkit as they prepare their application.)

GKI is recruiting two consultant roles to support planned JLT projects:

1. Bilingual Systems Innovation Consultant (Mandarin/English)
2. Curriculum Development Specialist

Both positions require technical experience and/or familiarity with complex systems change and/or innovation methodologies, including human-centered design, adaptive management, and collaborative design.

Refer to the hyperlinked Scopes of Work below for complete details on the project background, assignment overview (including indicative activities, deliverables, and timeline), role requirements, and application process.

• Read the Bilingual Systems Innovation Consultant (Mandarin/English) SOW here: https://bit.ly/3WoQ8Ug
• Read the Curriculum Development Specialist SOW here: https://bit.ly/4bpomeP
• Location/Time Zone – Remote; the individual must be available on a regular basis for meetings during US East Coast business hours
• Nationality Requirements – None
• Anticipated LOE & Budget – GKI has significant flexibility to negotiate rates, scope, schedule, payment structure, and LOE/deliverables with the preferred candidate - taking into consideration their availability, skills, and expectations.
• Application Deadline – Open until filled. Our team will begin reviewing applications on May 15, 2024, and conduct interviews beginning the week of May 20, aiming to have a contract in place no later than the end of June.

If you’d like to be considered for both positions, please note so on the application form and highlight relevant skills, experience, motivation, etc., within your application materials. Only one application is required for a combined role.

Complete your application here: https://wkf.ms/3UJN5F2

The form includes basic contact/profile information and several simple screening questions. In addition, you should be prepared to provide:

• A resume and/or CV
• A maximum 1-page letter of intent that succinctly confirms your understanding of the assignment you are applying for, your motivations for applying, and describes your overall qualifications. Candidates wishing to combine the roles will also upload or submit a link to a work sample.

Selected applicants can expect the following leading up to an active contract:

• A 1-hour- to 90-minute technical interview in late May with at least two project team members, including executive leadership. The interview will also provide a substantive opportunity to ask questions about the assignment and discuss the potential scope.
• Following the interview, select applicants will be invited to develop a 2-page proposal outlining their proposed scope, timeline, outputs/deadlines, and budget for the consultancy. This proposal will be the basis for negotiating a formal scope of work and contract terms with the final preferred candidate.
• GKI reserves the right to request and check professional references; request documentation of language abilities (e.g. language testing results or diploma from Mandarin-language schooling); and/or conduct an additional interview with senior leadership before selecting candidates.

About the Organization

GKI’s mission is to activate collaborative networks globally to deliver the innovative solutions needed to build more resilient systems. We believe the knowledge to foster a more resilient future already exists in the world, but the gap lies in how we connect the individuals who hold this ingenuity with one another so that we can do more together.

We work on a wide range of complex challenges –food security, disaster response, climate change, and economic inclusion – and at different levels - from the community to the global - to build a system that is more inclusive, adaptive, and delivers better outcomes for all. Recognizing innovating within systems is a human endeavor, we work in accompaniment with stakeholders in the system – innovators, investors, change agents, and leaders from across government, business, non-profit, and civil society - as representatives of their organizations and communities.

We foster the environment, the mindset, and the experiences to enable diverse perspectives, capacities, and resources to cross-pollinate and support stakeholders to move through a collaboration journey that delivers clarity of purpose, relationships, and momentum needed to disrupt, strengthen, and build resilient systems.

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