Country Project Specialist

Role Purpose

The Country Project Specialist will work within the Digital Inclusion Country Engagement team under that guidance of the Country Connectivity Manager to coordinate with UNICEF Country Offices in initiating and implementing Digital Inclusion programmes, including its flagship Giga initiative.

The Digital Inclusion Country Engagement team supports Country Offices in initiating Digital Inclusion programmes, engaging in technical and strategic discussions with governments, developing country-level work plans, and managing country-level project deliverables. The team develops and provides guidance materials and ensures coordination with Giga partner ITU at headquarters and regional levels. It tracks developments, progress, and challenges related to Digital Inclusion programme implementation, at country level and iterates implementation processes based on lessons learned.

The team is currently supporting over 70 Country Offices across all UNICEF regions—most notably in East and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, and Central Asia. Demand for information and engagement on Digital Inclusion programmes continues to grow, and the number of countries and sectors requiring support for Digital Inclusion implementation is expected to increase.

Under the supervision and guidance of the Country Connectivity Manager, the Country Project Specialist will coordinate engagement with UNICEF Country Offices and, where relevant, national stakeholders to support the implementation of Digital Inclusion programmes. This includes acting as a liaison between Country Offices and Digital Inclusion technical teams, and Giga’s partner ITU. The Specialist will ensure effective engagement of relevant stakeholders in-country and across the Digital Inclusion teams, onboard COs and governments, and will track in-country implementation on an ongoing basis.

Functions / Key Results Expected

Key responsibilities include supporting Digital Inclusion country engagement, implementation and project management, through country onboarding, coordination, development of country strategies, implementation planning, in-country project management and stakeholder relationship management.

Country Onboarding and Intelligence

• Develop tailored onboarding strategies, narratives, materials, and briefing notes aligned with different country archetypes.
• Engage with UNICEF COs and governments to onboard them for DI activities
• Coordinate internal DI pre-onboarding planning and discussions to determine most appropriate approach for each new interested country
• Contribute to Digital Inclusion lead generation and opportunity identification based on country context knowledge and engagement with Country Offices.
• Maintain the country engagement and intelligence databases capturing country context and readiness, stakeholder dynamics, and relationship history.
• Document lessons learned in onboarding, and collect monitoring and impact information from COs.

Country-level Implementation and Project Management

• Manage in-country implementation through development of country strategies and implementation planning across teams.
• Provide country-level project management of DI services delivery, including development of cross-team workplans and coordination of deliverables from DI technical teams, management of workplans to time and scope and stakeholder management including CO, Govt, DI, UNICEF and external partners.
• Track country engagement and implementation status in each region and maintain up-to-date data in project management tools.
• Liaise between Country Offices and Digital Inclusion technical teams, including Technology, Finance, and Contracts, to support procurement, contracting, resource mobilization, and fund flow processes.
• Contribute to the organization and implementation of Digital Inclusion-related events, recruitment, and missions in-country.
• Guide UNICEF COs in the establishment and functioning of country-level governance mechanisms, such as steering committees or project coordination groups, where appropriate.
• Coordinate closely with ITU on in-country planning, data activities, and implementation

Monitoring and Progress Controls

Task
Country Onboarding and Intelligence
In-Country Implementation Planning & Coordination

Education Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) is required in one of the following fields: statistics, economics, social sciences, development sciences, and management or related degree is required.
• 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.

Requirements

Experience Requirements

Required:

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in either international development with strong exposure to Country Office programming, or management consulting focused on policy and international development.
• Proven experience leading end-to-end delivery of multi-stakeholder projects (government, partners, technical teams), managing planning, execution, and monitoring phases with defined workplans, KPIs, and reporting mechanisms; consistently delivered outputs within agreed timelines and scope.
• Demonstrated experience managing in-country project delivery in development contexts, including coordinating cross-functional teams (e.g., technical, finance, procurement) and driving execution against national priorities.

Desired:

• Experience working within UNICEF.
• Exposure to implementing technology-enabled programs (e.g., connectivity, data systems, digital public goods) with an understanding of how technical outputs translate into operational delivery.
• Formal Project Management certification and experience with PM approaches (e.g., PRINCE2) and use of tools for tracking KPIs, risks, and dependencies across distributed teams. Exposure to national policy frameworks related to technology development, implementation, and infrastructure development..
• Experience supporting policy engagement or integration of digital connectivity into national strategies or sector plans.Translated complex, cross-sector concepts (e.g., policy, technology, education) into clear, actionable guidance, producing structured frameworks, briefs, and implementation plans used by decision-makers.