Contract Management Specialist

The UNOPS Global Portfolios Office (GPO) brings together diverse expertise to help partners deliver impact worldwide. With hubs in New York, Geneva, and Vienna, and expert teams operating globally, GPO leads multi-regional initiatives that advance sustainable development, climate action, and peacebuilding - including in some of the world’s most challenging environments. By leveraging our collective expertise and global networks, GPO supports UNOPS’ strategic priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals across more than 130 countries. We work closely with major global partners - including governments, international financial institutions, and UN agencies - to deliver a wide range of services, such as project management, fund management, hosting services, and HR support.

As part of the Global Portfolios Office, UNOPS Geneva provides comprehensive solutions in secretariat hosting, operational support, and fund management. We manage global programmes, including the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) Portfolio, offering project management, procurement, HR, and financial services. Geneva hosts the secretariats of eight global partnerships focused on health (RBM, Stop TB, ATscale), nutrition (SUN), water/sanitation (SHF), humanitarian leadership (GELI), urban development (Cities Alliance), and disaster displacement (PDD). We also provide fund management for EIF and UN Water, and operational support to Geneva-based partners like the Global Fund and UNHCR. 

UNOPS Geneva Office is providing support to a wide range of portfolios, including UNEP, UNICEF, UNHCR, and other partners. 

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.

This position is a Partner Personnel role. UNOPS is supporting UNICEF-DI as a UN partner and is acting on its behalf to provide recruitment and administrative support for this position. The selected candidate will be recruited through UNOPS in accordance with UNOPS recruitment rules, and will be engaged as UNICEF-DI personnel. The incumbent will work under the effective management and supervision of UNICEF-DI, not UNOPS.

About UNICEF Digital Impact Division (DID)

Digital Impact Division (DID) is at the heart of reshaping how UNICEF delivers lasting results for children. We are committed to harnessing the full potential of emerging digital technologies

to advance UNICEF’s mission.

Under the general guidance of the DI Programme Manager for Market Influence and Procurement, this post will provide specialized contract management expertise to support governments and UNICEF teams in overseeing connectivity service delivery contracts. The contractor will develop practical tools, training materials, and operational frameworks that enable government project teams, Giga and UNICEF’s contract managers to effectively monitor supplier performance, enforce SLA penalties and credits, implement third-party verification systems such as the Giga Meter, and feed in contract management dashboards with supplier telemetry data. The role bridges procurement, telecommunications, and technology functions to ensure that contracted connectivity services reach schools and other essential delivery points.

1. Conduct needs assessments of government procurement and contract management teams in Giga and DI-supported countries to identify contract management capacity gaps, and design and deliver targeted training programmes covering SLA enforcement, penalty and credit mechanisms, supplier performance monitoring, and contract compliance for connectivity services.

2. Develop standardized contract management toolkits, including SLA monitoring templates, penalty/credit calculation frameworks, and escalation procedures, with particular attention to scenarios involving upfront government payments to suppliers, ensuring that adequate safeguards and milestone-based verification processes are in place.

3. Support the DI-Product, Engineering and Data team in the deployment and adoption of the Giga Meter (https://meter.giga.global/) as a third-party verification tool, training government counterparts on how to use Giga Meter data to identify systematic connectivity shortfalls (e.g., contracted vs. experienced bandwidth), structure evidence-based discussions with suppliers, and integrate findings into contract management workflows.

4. Work with the Giga procurement team and connectivity service suppliers to ensure compliance with contractual requirements to provide telemetry data (downlink speed, uplink speed, availability) via API, measured at the demarcation point, and facilitate technical discussions to resolve data-sharing and integration issues.

5. Collaborate with the DI-Product, Engineering and Data team to support the development of a contract management tool that ingests service and network data and end-user experience data via APIs allows users to configure SLA as per the contract terms defined for different kind of facilities, and generates insights and actions (penalty, credits, escalations) for the contract managers.

6. Design and deliver a comprehensive training programme for new contract managers, both internal UNICEF/Giga staff and government counterparts, on the use of the Giga Meter, the contract management dashboard, SLA enforcement tools, and related operational procedures.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• An advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Telecommunications, Information Technology, Public Administration, Business Administration, Engineering, Law, or Procurement/Supply Chain Management, or a related field is required. 

• A first University degree in a relevant field combined with two additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. 

Required:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in contract management, procurement, or programme management in the telecommunications or ICT sector, with demonstrable experience overseeing service delivery contracts, SLA compliance, and supplier performance monitoring.

• Hands-on experience with telecommunications network operations, including understanding of NOC functions, network performance monitoring workflows, alert triage, and network performance analysis for different connectivity service delivery models

Desired:

• Experience deploying or managing network monitoring and verification tools (e.g., speed test platforms, QoS measurement systems) and interpreting telemetry data for contract compliance purposes.

• Experience developing dashboards or data visualization tools for operational management, including requirements definition, data ingestion design, and user training.

• Previous experience in capacity building or training delivery for government officials or international organization staff, particularly in procurement or contract management contexts.

• Experience working on technology or digital infrastructure projects with government institutions or international organizations (such as the World Bank, UN agencies, or other IFIs), either as a staff member of those organizations or as a service provider to them.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• Please note that UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience requirements outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to considering all candidates in a fair and transparent manner, and we value diverse perspectives and experiences, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here [link removed]. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here. [link removed]
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.