Career Opportunities: Innovation & Business Intelligence Project Manager (826772)

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WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

The deadline to apply for this position is May 17, 2023.

WHO WE ARE

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), a highly prestigious, reputable & world’s largest humanitarian organization, operating in more than 120 countries and territories, bringing life-saving assistance in emergencies, building pathways to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change and supporting sustainable and resilient livelihoods for a world with zero hunger.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: UN World Food Programme (WFP) and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN US?

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment         

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section)

JOB PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. An Innovation & Business Intelligence Project Manager is required to oversee this development work with other technical staff, provide input to development of training material, and in collaboration with HQ and the RB staff, plan and execute the release to country offices of completed innovative and information products to strengthen their capacity for self-service analysis. This engagement when completed will result in:

1. Country Offices in the Latin American and the Caribbean region are well trained, and their national teams better equipped with innovation & data management / visualization tools.

2. Enhanced Business Intelligence in Latin American and the Caribbean region to support decisions making at country level.

3. Enhanced visibility on innovation & digital transformation for digital and data solutions linked to capacity strengthening

4. Enhanced Data Quality and Consistency: promoting standardization and accuracy.

5. Enhanced data analysis to provide early warning on fraud, performance and operational risks.

6. Operational time savings and lower IT support costs by the implementation of innovative solutions The Innovation & Business Intelligence Project Manager, based in Panama City, would be expected to work directly with Regional Bureau and Country Office teams, managing the implementation of innovative and business intelligence related projects.

ACCOUNTABILITIES / RESPONSABILITIES

The incumbent, reporting to the Regional TEC officer, is expected to:

1. Coordinate Scale-up Enablement portfolio of innovation & business intelligence new ventures to advance at scale and results towards Zero Hunger:

• Lead Country Offices’ innovation teams, providing hands-on guidance and development support, as needed, on key decisions regarding product features, business model, and technology elements that will allow them to reach impact at scale.

• Ensure project milestones, financial and legal needs, as it concerns their workplan and budget are adhered to achieve success.

• Coach project teams to grow their projects at scale using methodologies such as human centered design, lean start-up, project management and business modelling.

• Define key performance indicators and milestones for the innovation projects and assure their implementation, impact measurement, and reporting.

• Guide piloting with and/or integration within WFP operations or within other organizations (as applicable), while liaising with country offices and internal units such as procurement and legal, as required.

• Lead discussions with WFP colleagues in other divisions or in WFP operations to align on project scope and objectives; and

• Provide guidance to more junior colleagues on topics relating to planning and implementation of scaling projects.

2. Operationalize and create tools for the implementation and continuous growth of the innovation & business intelligence related activities:

• Develop and implement standard guidelines to onboard external projects.

• Co-design strategic direction of scale-up enablement within and beyond the assigned portfolio jointly with the Regional Bureau and Country Offices’ team members.

• Identify opportunities and expand external innovation services offers/products to donors and external partners. • Design and define tools, documents, workshop formats for all elements for all phases of the projects, as needed.

• Act as topic focal point for relevant WFP business units and partners.

• Identify requirements and needs from Country Offices and Regional Bureau and external partners to be matched with potential scale-up solutions, and vice-versa, as applicable.

• Design, coordinate and plan, and/or facilitate bootcamps, workshops and other innovation support activities.

3. Support the overall innovation & business intelligence operations:

• Provide analysis & content preparation (data on projects, PowerPoint presentations, briefs, etc.) for corporate priority topics and management meetings.

• Participate and carry out discussions with colleagues in other divisions or external stakeholders on topics related to innovation.

• Support other core processes of the innovation & business intelligence (e.g., innovation sourcing; innovation bootcamps; sprint programme; thought leadership; scale-up enablement; innovation services; knowledge management) as required.

4. Support the Regional TEC Officer with any other activities as required

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Advanced university degree in Computer Science or other relevant field, or First University degree with additional years of related work experience or trainings/courses.

Experience: At least 12 years of progressively responsible international experience in a start up leadership role, start-up accelerator, innovations in private businesses or innovations in the humanitarian or international development sector. Experience in scaling projects and/or innovations in multiple locations and settings is a plus.

Languages: Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• Passion and understanding of technology innovations (e.g., mobile apps, blockchain, artificial intelligence) and business model innovations (e.g., innovative finance, sharing economy).

• Experience in innovation project life cycle - from ideation, minimum viable product, testing, prototyping and implementation.

• Knowledge and experience of funding models of start-ups and impact innovations.

• Worked or led cross-functionally and get things done in a scrappy and hands-on way.

• Experience working in a large scale-organization or with a client/in partnership with a large-scale organization.

• Proven track record of driving projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups etc.

• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems and to design new products ideas.

• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies & innovative projects.

• Able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders and external audience with maturity and tact.

• Excellent communication/presentation skills, with the ability to write strategy documents, to develop business plans and to write and deliver presentations.

• Collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.

• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.

• Sets high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the hungry people we serve.

• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme.

DESIRED EXPERIENCES TO ENTRY INTO THE ROLE

• Analysis and draft of the Regional Innovation Strategy document in alignment with the corporate one.

• Analysis and draft of the Regional BI Strategy document in alignment with the corporate one.

• Develop a two-pager strategy/portfolio document for Regional Innovation & Business Intelligence Strategy

• Produce a baseline services provision for Innovation & Business Intelligence for country offices in the region, with emphasis on internal capacity building.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK: COMMON STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR

These are the common standards of behaviour that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Number of openings: 1

Based in: Panama, Panama City

Type of Contract: Consultant 

Level: CST III 

Duration: 11 months

Successful candidates will be placed in a roster for two (2) years.

Consultants are recognized authorities or specialists in a specific field and whose services are utilized in an advisory, consultative, or demonstrative capacity.

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in Spanish or English language.

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter.

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time.

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

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All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.