Technology for Development Manager

Organizational Context

UNICEF's mission is to promote child rights globally, with a focus on equity for disadvantaged children. In India, the Generation Unlimited (GenU) initiative, known as YuWaah!, aims to expand opportunities for young people aged 10-24. This involves fostering partnerships to ensure youth are educated, trained, or employed by 2030. The YuWaah! YouthHub platform is central to connecting young people with learning, skilling, employment, and civic participation opportunities, with an upcoming phase focused on significant enhancement and scalability.

Job Purpose

The Technology for Development Manager will lead the enhancement and rollout of UNICEF YuWaah!'s YouthHub platform in India. This involves managing the end-to-end product development of new functionalities, including multiple interconnected applications and a tenancy-based backend architecture. The role requires translating technical specifications into actionable roadmaps, driving the adoption of modern development methodologies like agentic AI, and ensuring the platform is intuitive, inclusive, and accessible, particularly for marginalized youth. The objective is to improve user engagement and outcomes by delivering high-quality, scalable solutions that connect young people with vital opportunities.

Responsibilities

The UN Volunteer will lead the end-to-end product development for new YouthHub functionalities, including multiple applications and a tenancy-based backend system. This involves translating technical specifications into product roadmaps and development plans, working closely with program leads and technical advisors. The role requires driving the adoption of modern development methodologies, including agentic AI, and collaborating with engineering, design, and content teams to deliver scalable solutions. Key responsibilities include ensuring a youth-friendly, intuitive, and inclusive UI/UX, conducting user research and usability testing, and managing stakeholder engagement across geographies. The volunteer will also monitor product performance, ensure data privacy and security, and develop a promotion plan to increase YouthHub's reach and adoption.

Work Experience

A minimum of 7 years of overall experience is required, with at least 3 years in product management, preferably for digital platforms or technology initiatives. Experience in managing complex, multi-product ecosystems and familiarity with modern development approaches, including AI, are essential. Experience with platforms targeting diverse or underserved populations and a strong understanding of UI/UX principles for low-bandwidth environments are highly desirable.

Skills

Key skills include strong product thinking, robust knowledge of modern product development processes, and the ability to work in cross-functional teams. Excellent communication and collaboration skills are necessary, along with sensitivity to inclusion, accessibility, and the needs of marginalized youth. Adaptability to emerging technologies and innovative development approaches is also important. Professionalism, integrity, teamwork, commitment to continuous learning, planning and organizing, and communication are core UN/UNICEF competencies.

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