Consultant - Development of WASH Innovation Scaling Strategy

Consultant - Development of WASH Innovation Scaling Strategy, Office of Innovation, Sustainable WASH Hub, 4 months (Remote)
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Job no: 576590
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Copenhagen
Level: Consultancy
Location: Denmark
Categories: WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Innovation
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Innovate

UNICEF has a 70-year history of innovating for children. We believe that new approaches, partnerships and technologies that support realizing children’s rights are critical to improving their lives. The Office of Innovation is a creative, interactive, and agile team in UNICEF. We sit at a unique intersection, where an organization that works on huge global issues meets the start-up thinking, the technology, and the partners that turn this energy into scalable solutions.

The Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub brings together a passionate global community of strategic partners including children and young people, academia, private entrepreneurs, public policy makers, social development and humanitarian actors, and other UNICEF colleagues in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. The Hub, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, aims to source, accelerate and scale transformational and frontier climate resilient innovations that respond to key programmatic challenges that, if solved, will unlock faster progress for a water secure future for children and young people.

The WASH portfolio is the home of typically 4-7 solutions that the Hub is currently working with to achieve this goal. It is reviewed and new solutions sourced annually, to ensure that the focus solutions reflect current, cutting-edge innovations in the WASH sector. Focus is on solutions addressing the largest challenges and with the greatest potential for impact and demand. The Hub works closely with UNICEF country and regional teams and external partners to accelerate and scale these solutions, reiterating and contextually adapting the innovation as necessary.

How can you make a difference? 

The Consultant will contribute to the objectives of the WASH Hub by developing a scaling strategy for WASH innovation, outlining the approach and pathways to scale for potentially transformative solutions. This will be done through consultations with WASH Hub colleagues and other key players, including UNICEF country, regional offices other HQ divisions, key sector actors including INGOs, UN Agencies and private sector and the WASH Hub Technical and Strategic Advisory Groups made up of key global WASH actors such as academia, development partners, INGOs, UN, private sector and government.

Specifically, the consultant will:

Consolidate and document the current approach to scaling in the WASH Hub
Review this approach in light of available best practice and develop an overarching Scaling Strategy for the WASH Hub, incorporating pathways to scale for different types of innovations (including those considering system strengthening, enabling environment and technical approaches and products)
Develop templates for scaling pathways, identifying the key elements of the pathway that need to be addressed to provide a successful pathway, including an analysis of key opportunities, challenges and constraints
Provide case studies using two of the current portfolio solutions demonstrating the pathway to scale for each project solution, detailing the vision, milestones, risks and considerations
Description of assignment

Deliverables/Outputs  

Tasks  

Inception Report 

Deliver an inception report outlining the planned work approach, timelines, activities and review process.  

Include proposed interviewees and documents for review. This should be agreed with the WASH Hub Senior Advisor before other activities continue. 

Report on WASH Hub existing approach to scaling 

Report outlining the current WASH Hub approach to scaling, including assumptions and challenges and a review against best practice 

Provide an analysis of key opportunities, challenges and constraints with regards to scaling WASH innovation 

Conduct at least 20 Key Informant Interviews (KI) with relevant stakeholders as agreed in the inception report.  

Conduct a desktop review of key documentation relating to WASH innovation Hub activities, solutions, and approaches. 

Summary report/ presentation slides outlining the main insights gathered from the interviews and desktop review, including an analysis of key themes, constraints and opportunities which will be used to inform scaling strategy development.    

Define scaling approach, detailing the vision, milestones, success factors, risks and key considerations and deliverables.  

Draft WASH Hub Scaling Strategy including template for scaling 

Present summary of draft strategy to the WASH Hub and other relevant stakeholders for feedback and discussion. 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in WASH, entrepreneurship, business administration, strategic management or other relevant field.
• *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.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in innovation or supporting investments in a portfolio approach to reach ambitious, defined scale.
• Demonstrable experience of strategy development, knowledge management and strategic planning at an organizational level.
• Demonstrable experience of implementing strategic change within an organization within complex systems
• Strong research, analysis and concise report writing skills.
• Understanding of WASH approaches and systems is a strong asset.
• Understanding of different contexts and experience working in developing countries.
• Knowledge of international development, technology for development and key challenges affecting children in developing countries desired.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Payment details and further considerations

Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.

Information

• Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Industry experience

Education: Masters

Seniority: Expert, Engineer, Consultant

Years of experience: 10 to 20 years

Taxonomy

• Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)
• Senior WASH officer
• WASH in remote communities
• Wash in Cold and High Altitude Regions
• WASH in healthcare facilities
• Poverty, WASH, Clean Cookstoves, Industry, Community Engagement