Recrutement de 01 Innovation Manager (EdTech Portfolio Manager)

Recrutement de 01 Innovation Manager (EdTech Portfolio Manager)

Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment
Duty Station: Helsinki
Level: P-4
Location: Finland
Categories: Education, Innovation, Programme Management
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.



And we never give up.

The Office of Innovation (OoI) works to catalyse UNICEF's and all its partners’ expertise and resources to solve key challenges for children, with a view to continuously ideate and scale the most effective solutions with transformational potential at scale to achive the child-related SDGs.

For every child, learning…

The UNICEF Learning Innovation Hub, established in Helsinki and supported by the Government of Finland, will support the Reimagine Education initiative through accelerating equitable access to world class digital learning solutions hand in hand with UNICEF Country Offices. At the same time, it will create a safe playground for disruption, inviting UNICEF and the learning community to look for solutions outside the traditional sphere.

How can you make a difference?

You will work under the direction of the Head of Learning Innovation Hub and be a founding member of the Learning Innovation Hub team. You will be responsible for leading the development and management of the “Blue Unicorn Farm”: UNICEF portfolio for innovation in digital learning focused acceleration to scale of edtech tools and programmes that have potential to reach millions of children.







You will follow best practice and work closely in partnership with the P4 Innovation Manager (Governance, innovation portfolios), #OOI21009, who leads on the global strategy, guidance, and governance around UNICEF’s innovation pipeline. You will work in close collaboration with other members of the Learning Innovation hub and liaise with other thematic Portfolio Managers.

The post is responsible for:

Setting up and managing the Blue Unicorn Farm (learning innovation portfolio) through pipeline, pilot, accelerate and scale-up stages
Managing the investment process and investment decisions while contributing with strategic guidance to maximize the Blue Unicorn Farm return on impact and investment.
Designing and implementing sourcing strategies to attract, select and grow game changing digital learning solutions that leverage cutting edge technologies to accelerate learning outcomes.
Supporting the scale up of the Blue Unicorn Farm projects by providing technical expertise in business model design, product market fit best practices and growth strategies to ensure equitable access for all children.
Brokering and working together with the Ventures, Partnership and Comms team to provide support to individual solutions within the portfolio, as well as the overall portfolio.
This role is one of the first to be recruited to the Learning Innovation Hub, so will be required to undertake a range of different areas of strategic support to the Hub and the Office of Innovation, as the Hub is operationalized.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks:

Under the direction of the Head of Learning Innovation Hub you will identify and support a portfolio of learning innovations, acting as advisor and broker with the aim of supporting innovations to positively impact the lives of millions of children and young people in the global south.



This will include:

Setting up the Blue Unicorn Farm Learning Innovation Portfolio

Supporting the Head of Learning Innovation Hub in co-designing the Blue Unicorn Farm investment strategy and plan with inputs from various stakeholders. This will include defining investment thesis, due diligence, investment criteria, sourcing process, portfolio funnel stage gates and KPIs aligned to maximize return on investment + impact.
Managing the transition from learning innovation portfolio as it currently stands towards the vision of the Blue Unicorn Farm
Working closely with Venture Fund team to design and build structured pathways between Venture Fund investments and the Learning Innovation Portfolio.


Portfolio Management of the Blue Unicorn Farm

Executing the overall portfolio management strategy through pipeline, pilot, accelerate and scale-up stages.
Ensuring strategic framing of problem statements in close collaboration with P4 Education Manager (Innovation) and Digital Education Team
Developing and maintaining portfolio management systems and processes, including tracking of milestones and ventures performance through metrics. This will include designing tools, frameworks, and templates for efficient knowledge management
Managing the process of sourcing, entry and exit of projects from the portfolio. Sourcing covers both external (non-UNICEF) and internal sources of innovation projects.
Providing technical expertise to inform investment strategy and investment decisions throughout the whole investment journey.
Providing (and brokering) technical advice for the projects within the portfolio, including frontier technologies, business models, product market fit, growth strategies, evidence building. This will include regularly meeting with portfolio projects and providing direct advice or technical assistance along with brokering support from other stakeholders within OOI / UNICEF / externally.
In some circumstances you may provide line management to innovation project managers, overseeing the global scale up of a project within the learning innovation portfolio
Support the P4 Performance & Evidence #OOI21007 to scope and support evidence generation and learning opportunities for the portfolio, including ensuring regular portfolio and project reporting is undertaken.
Work collaboratively with the other roles within the Learning Innovation Hub and Office of Innovation, particularly fellow portfolio managers to contribute to and improve UNICEF’s overall approach to innovation portfolio management and transformative and accelerated results for children through innovation.
Ensure the Partnerships team have the necessary information to enable resource mobilization and partnership development for the portfolio in general and for specific projects in the portfolio.
Support the Comms team in building and delivering a communications strategy that will support the aims of the portfolio and its constituent projects
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in finance, entrepreneurship, business administration, engineering, information technology, or 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 8 years of progressively professional work experience in entrepreneurship, portfolio management, startup accelerator, startup incubator, venture capital, innovation consulting or management consulting.
Demonstrated management-level experience in managing innovation /investment portfolios (ideally in venture capital or management consulting) or as a startup founder is required.
Demonstrated experience in building or supporting profit and nonprofit ventures on business model design, product market fit, growth strategies, technology is required.
Experience in digital transformation and knowledge of key trends in frontier technologies that are disrupting education is required.
Experience in designing and building edtech products / programmes is desired
Experience of working in UNICEF programme countries would be an asset.
Understanding of UNICEF or the UN system is an asset
Demonstrated experience in developing partnerships and entrepreneurial strategies.
Experience of managing networks and portfolios of consultants and technical advisors to deliver against agreed objectives.
Strong written and verbal communication skills required, including external representation and presentations, facilitation of networks of communities.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge and fluency of another UN language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

Innovates and embraces change (Level 3)
Drive to achieve results for impact (Level 2)
Builds and maintains partnerships (Level 2)
Thinks and acts strategically (Level 2)
Works collaboratively with others (Level 2)
During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Advertised: 19 Jul 2023 FLE Daylight Time
Deadline: 02 Aug 2023 FLE Daylight Time