Join UNICEF’s Office of Innovation and be at the forefront of transformative change for global education! We are seeking an Innovation Specialist to fuel UNICEF’s mission to create accessible, inclusive, and equitable education solutions for children worldwide. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of learning

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, hope

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 achieve the child-related SDGs. 

The office is doing this by continuously exploring new ways of accelerating results for children, investing across a range of early stage solutions, and harnessing internal and external expertise towards continuously iterating and finetuning the most promising solutions for children through a systematic portfolio management approach, and leveraging all stakeholders’ innovation energy, knowhow and resources from intergovernmental, multilateral, private sector and non-governmental fora (think tank, academia).

For every child, learning…

The UNICEF Global Learning Innovation Hub (Hub) will be the home of the architects of the future of learning. The office is in Helsinki and supported by the Government of Finland, a global leader in education and technology, with the goal of bringing together the global community to build game changing solutions in education, that can help solve the learning crisis as well as imagine and develop alternative learning futures for all children.

The ambition of the Hub is to disrupt the education community by:

• Creating a safe playground to reimagine UNICEF “business as usual” with thought provoking research, new radical collaborations and alternative roads to scale.
• Bringing new solutions to life by co-designing and testing products, programmes, policies and acceleration vehicles for untapped opportunities in EdTech.
• Inviting non-traditional actors from tech entrepreneurs and business leaders, to artists, fiction writers, researchers and thought leaders and designers to join the learning community in building alternative learning futures for all children.

Strategic office context:

This position is embedded in UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, focusing on the Global Learning Innovation Hub’s objective of fostering accessible, inclusive, and equitable education globally. The office’s priorities include driving initiatives that leverage digital innovation to support educational outcomes and strengthening partnerships to scale these innovations.

You will work under the supervision of the Senior Adviser (Learning Hub) as an innovation specialist and coordinator to establish a future-looking Think Tank, fostering a space for collaboration and knowledge exchange that drives impactful insights, analyses, and thought leadership on key issues shaping the future of learning and digital transformation of education systems. You are expected to build learning and evidence from the learning innovation portfolio and create new knowledge that unlocks paths towards digital transformation in education, leveraging partnerships across different sectors and aligned with the Learning Innovation Hub’s and OOI’s strategic goals. You will also supervise consultants and take OIC roles.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the overall supervision of the Senior Adviser Innovation Learning Hub, the Innovation Specialist will:

1. Establish a Think Tank that fosters and promotes internal and external knowledge exchange, serving as a hub for thought leadership, and engaging in strategic foresight and policy development. This Think Tank will leverage partnerships across diverse sectors, with a strong focus on frontier technology, disability, gender and other key dimensions of inclusion. The collaborative network will include tech entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, writers, researchers, designers, thought leaders, industry experts, NGOs, and UN agencies, enhancing our impact and promoting cross-sectoral insights.
2. Support the design and implementation of the research portion of the “Make it happen” stages in the Blue Unicorn Farm (pilot + accelerate + scale), including identifying key trends, challenges, and opportunities within the sector to inform strategic decision-making and innovative approaches.
3. Promote internal and external knowledge exchange and develop thought-provoking publications, reports, and presentations, in collaboration with UNICEF Innocenti, PG-Education and other stakeholders, that inspire global community and influence policy and decision-makers in both public and private sectors.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:  Innovation Specialist Job Profile.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences, education or other relevant field.
• Work Experience: At least 5 years of relevant work experience in applicable fields, such as education, research and partnerships.
  • Proven experience managing international projects in education, social sciences, or a related field, with diverse stakeholders and partners.
  • Proven ability in research in the education sector, social sciences, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships with the private sectors, especially tech companies, academic institutions, NGOs, UN agencies, and governments.
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. 
• Previous experience working for the UN is an asset.
• Previous teaching experience is an asset.
• Experience working in the field of disability inclusion is an asset.
• 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

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF’s active commitment to diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable Male candidates from Programmatic countries are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Contact: For any queries, please contact: swe-ooi-recruitments@unicef.org