Consultancy - Global Lead - SPARK Innovation Award, Office of Innovation, Helsinki, 12 months (Remote/Work from home)
Organizational Context
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
Job Purpose
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide strategic, operational, and community leadership for SPARK globally, positioning it as UNICEF’s flagship innovation platform for identifying, developing, and supporting high-potential innovations and teams. The consultant will be responsible for stewarding the successful delivery and continued development of the annual SPARK Innovation Award, the SPARK Accelerator for UNICEF Country Offices and implementing partners, SPARK Week as UNICEF’s annual flagship innovation event, global innovation culture programming, community and partnership development, portfolio governance and learning, automated digital systems for mentorship and community engagement, and resource mobilisation and strategic positioning. Through this assignment, the consultant will help ensure that SPARK strengthens UNICEF’s pipeline of innovative solutions, supports high-performing teams, and contributes to UNICEF’s longer-term innovation capacity across countries, regions, and headquarters.
Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Innovation Manager (Systems & Services), the consultant will provide targeted advisory, mentoring, and quality assurance support, aligned with the resource coverage model. The scope includes: Strategic Leadership and Programme Management (10%): Provide strategic direction and overall management of SPARK. Global Innovation Award (15%): Lead the overall governance, design direction and integrity of the annual SPARK innovation Award. Innovation Accelerator (20%): Lead SPARK as a global innovation accelerator. High-Performing Teams Development (10%): Ensure SPARK teams receive coherent, high-quality capacity-building support aligned with accelerator objectives, scale-readiness pathways and OOI priorities, with delivery led through the Innovation Capacity Development.
Work Experience
No specific work experience requirements are mentioned in the provided text.
Skills
Strategic leadership, Operational leadership, Community leadership, Innovation platform management, Innovation award management, Accelerator program management, Event management (SPARK Week), Innovation culture programming, Partnership development, Portfolio governance, Digital systems management, Resource mobilization