Senior Manager, Geneva Digital Inclusion Ecosystem Building and Governance

This is a unique opportunity to help establish Geneva as a trusted ecosystem for mission-driven organisations working to advance a fair, safe and inclusive internet for every child. The role will provide strategic leadership and oversight for the institutional development, governance, funder engagement and Geneva establishment of selected organisations within the ecosystem, while ensuring clear separation from UNICEF procurement, staffing and contracting processes.

UNOPS Geneva Office is providing support to a wide range of portfolios, including UNICEF.

This position is a Partner Personnel role. The selected candidate will be hired by UNOPS under its rules and regulations and will be engaged as UN Partner Personnel for UNICEF - Digital Inclusion (DI) and will operate under the effective management and supervision of UNICEF.  UNOPS is supporting UNICEF-DI as a UN Partner and acting on its behalf to provide recruitment and administrative support for this position.

About UNICEF Digital Inclusion

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.

UNICEF’s Digital Inclusion team accelerates access to affordable, sustainable, safe and resilient digital infrastructure for every child. We do so by supporting governments and partners to expand equitable and affordable connectivity across child-facing service locations such as schools, health facilities, and social protection locations, and addressing related infrastructure such as electricity and computer. Our work empowers children and their communities through information, opportunity, choice and dignity. The Digital Inclusion team includes functions that support Giga, the joint partnership between UNICEF and ITU to connect every school to the internet. 

Digital Inclusion team is part of the Digital Impact Division (DID), which is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for all children everywhere, and is committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies to advance UNICEF’s mission. DID works in close collaboration with a network of colleagues in more than 190 countries and territories at country, region and headquarters levels to leverage technologies and capabilities that accelerate progress on UNICEF’s goals, strengthen community resilience, and expand access to essential digital services and information. 

UNICEF Digital Inclusion works with a cluster of Geneva-based foundations and partner organisations that stewarding digital public infrastructure and in collaboration with internet

The role will serve as the strategic advisory and institutional development lead for Geneva-based  ecosystem building. The role will provide strategic guidance to mission-aligned foundations, associations and partner organisations to establish, govern, fund and operate effectively in Geneva, while overseeing the development of the systems, documentation and controls needed for transparent selection, due diligence, catalytic support, donor reporting and ecosystem learning.

The role will not manage or control the ecosystem entities. Instead, it will provide strategic advice to their boards and leadership on institutional development, governance and accountability, and help independent organisations contribute focused capabilities to UNICEF’s digital inclusion priorities. The fundamental function of this role is to incubate and advise the development of the entities in the portfolio from their start-up/nascent incoming stage to greater maturity.

This role will work under the supervision of the Deputy, Digital Inclusion, and in close cooperation with the Head, Geneva Digital Inclusion Ecosystem and Portfolio Development.

The fundamental function of this role is to incubate and advise the development of the entities in the portfolio from their start-up/nascent incoming stage to greater maturity and flourishing in the Geneva ecosystem. 

Governance and Institutional Oversight 

• Provide strategic oversight of the establishment of new entities end-to-end, including statutes and purpose clauses, founding capital, supervisory-authority registration, tax-exemption applications, banking, and first-year governance calendar, due diligence documentation and conflict-of-interest tracking.
• Oversee an accurate map of which entity holds which asset, contract, licence and intellectual property, and advise boards on inconsistencies, emerging risks and mitigation measures. 
• Advise boards on governance effectiveness and oversee the secretariat function across several partner foundations and associations, including board and committee calendars, agendas, resolutions, minutes, conflict-of-interest registers, and statutory filings with the supervisory authority.
• Oversee each entity’s compliance framework and advise boards on regulatory obligations and risks — annual accounts, audit coordination, tax-exemption maintenance, beneficial-ownership and registry updates — working with external fiduciaries, auditors and counsel rather than performing these functions personally.

Funding Strategy and Financial Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight of and manage the funder cycle, including proposals, grant agreements, restricted-fund tracking, reporting calendars and donor compliance across multiple funders and entities.
• Oversee budgets, forecasts and board-level financial reporting, and advise boards on financial sustainability and risk.  Coordinate with external bookkeepers and auditors.  Oversee procurement and payment controls proportionate to small organisations.
• Advise on fundraising strategy and lead high-level engagement for philanthropic and public-sector funders, including oversight of institutional documentation for donors during due diligence.

Geneva Ecosystem and Host-Country Engagement 

• Lead strategic engagement with Swiss cantonal and federal counterparts, including relevant regulatory and supervisory authorities, the international-organisations ecosystem, host-country services, and Geneva’s philanthropy, academic and private-sector networks.
• Advise boards and leadership on the institutional and host-country requirements that determine whether they can establish a presence in Geneva, including legal forms, permits and residence, banking, office space, employment arrangements, and the sequencing of these requirements.
• Serve as senior advisory point of contact for organisations and donors exploring establishing a foundation in Geneva, and convert enquiries into structured processes.

Communications and Convening

• Provide strategic direction and oversight for communications for the cluster, including website and publication cycles, announcements, newsletters, social channels, and message consistency across entities.
• Provide board-facing and funder-facing strategic advice and decision materials, and review and edit the work of colleagues and partners.
• Set strategic objectives for and oversee convenings, workshops, consultations and side events in Geneva and around international meetings, including budget, logistics, invitations and follow-up.
• Manage external suppliers, including designers, event producers, translators, fiduciaries and counsel.

Monitoring and Progress Controls 

Item

Outputs/Deliverables

Month/Year

1

Entities in the cluster are compliant, audited on time, and governed on a predictable calendar under the position holder’s advisory oversight, with boards retaining their statutory responsibilities.

Ongoing, end month 12

2

At least one new organisation has established itself in Geneva through a process strategically guided by this position, and the playbook for doing so exists in writing.

Ongoing, end month 12

3

Funders receive reporting without prompting, and diligence requests are answered from existing material rather than assembled under pressure.

Ongoing, end month 12

4

The cluster has a coherent external presence, and enquiries from prospective founders and donors are handled within days.

Ongoing, end month 6