The Regional Innovations Consultant will be responsible to identify, support and scales innovations that help fast-track WFP’s work towards the next level of emergency response and achieving Zero Hunger. The Consultant will be working closely with Regional Bureaus and Business Units at Headquarters level in support of the Country Offices.The establishment of Regional Innovation Hubs within the Regional network will help facilitate those necessary links and collaboration initiatives among stakeholders, helping regional innovation projects to scale, establish central regional coordination, without compromising country and department specific initiatives while ensuring an orchestration of efforts, and the creation of synergies between projects, sharing knowledge and best practices among Country Offices, regions and WFP as a whole.
Reporting to the RBN (Regional Bureau, Nairobi), Head of Partnerships and working closely with all functional units in RBN including Partnerships, Supply Chain, Programmes, etc. The incumbent will ensure innovation coordination and innovation knowledge management across the region, provide technical advice to innovation projects in COs (Country Offices) in RBN, and support the scale of innovations through partnerships management and through close coordination with relevant RBN and CO teams.
Responsibilities
1. Strengthen innovation capacity at RB and CO level:Enable access and advice on use of innovation methodologies, such as human centered design, lean start up etc. and innovation process from ideation, sourcing, sprinting and scaling
Support the local WFP offer of innovation services, such as running or participating in local innovation workshop/bootcamps/challenges
Ensure linkages between COs and the Innovation Accelerator in Munich to help projects reach growth/scale (e.g. impact, level of innovation, team).
Support resource mobilization and seed funding efforts, ensuring these opportunities are made known and country offices have the support they need to pursue these funds.
Facilitate the Accelerator’s efforts in support to the design and implementation of the Country Strategic Plans.
2. Support strategic evolution of global innovation community, scale-up enablement and general innovation accelerator build up
Execute any other task required to support the activities of scale-up enablement and the Accelerator or regional innovation activities.
3. Establish and develop the Regional Innovation Hub as part of the WFP Innovation Community:
In consultation with the Accelerator and the RBN Management, define and develop the necessary structure, roles of the responsibilities of the various stakeholders contributing to the work of the Regional Innovation Hub
Design and build the Regional Innovation Hub processes and capabilities in line with Regional strategic priorities and with an emphasis on innovation, fundraising support, knowledge and best practice sharing
Establish and manage relationships with internal functional and business units at RB and Cos, as well as with the Accelerator.
4. Support building a strong local innovation platform, network and ecosystem
Support building strong partnerships within the Nairobi and East Africa ecosystem, especially with other UN agencies, to drive forward innovations with potential for zero hunger
Support building an internal innovation network to share best practices and create a peer support system
Provide support (act as liaison) to any relevant innovations which are showcased in the UNON Innovation Park.
Job Requirements
Required education
: Bachelor's degree
Required relevant work experience
: 5 years
Required languages:
English (Spoken: fluent | Written: fluent)
