Consultancy: Subject Matter Expert in Research & Development for BetahCG Diagnostics – Office of Innovation, Stockholm, Sweden – 30 days (Part-time) (Remote)

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 (OOI) 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.

UNICEF’s Office of Innovation creates opportunities for the world’s children by focusing on where new markets can meet their vital needs. We do this by:

• Connecting youth communities (or more broadly — anyone disconnected or under-served) to decision-makers, and to each other, to deliver informed, relevant and sustained programmes that build better, stronger futures for children.
• Provoking change for children through an entrepreneurial approach — in a traditionally risk averse field — to harness rapidly moving innovations and apply them to serve the needs of all children.
• Creating new models of partnership that leverage core business values across the public, private and academic sectors in order to deliver fast, and lasting results for children.

Our team We’re an interdisciplinary team around the world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling new technologies and practices. With our partners, we focus on convening and collaborating on new and different solutions, low- and high-tech.

Unlocking transformational change for children on a global scale requires us to come together with committed, forward-thinking partners to rapidly and significantly expand investment in the development and scale-up of innovations that address the most pressing problems facing children.

How can you make a difference? 

You will provide expertise to the office and its partner in accompanying a biosensor diagnostic for BetahCG from TRL 4 in the business process of bringing a next generation biosensor diagnostics to vulnerable women and provide strategic and tactical support to identify and realize opportunities to maximize equitable worldwide access to this test, especially for marginalized women in developing countries.

Your main responsibilities will be:

UNICEF’s Office of Innovation seeks a highly motivated subject matter expert in research, development, and partnerships for BetahCG diagnostics. S/he will work under the supervision of the Senior Adviser on Innovation (HQ & Nodes) and closely with our project partner.

For more information, please read the Terms of Reference:

TOR Commercialization RD diagnostics.pdf

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

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Medical Devices, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of demonstrated experience in research and development (R&D) of diagnostic tests, medical devices, or similar healthcare technologies.
• Proven expertise in commercialization strategies for healthcare products, including market entry, regulatory pathways, and intellectual property (IP) management.
• Hands-on experience with patent filing, licensing agreements, and technology transfer in the life sciences or diagnostics sector.
• Strong track record in building partnerships with academia, industry, government, and other stakeholders in the healthcare innovation ecosystem.
• Familiarity with funding and investment models in diagnostic or healthcare technologies, including venture capital and public-private partnerships.
• Strategic thinker with a deep understanding of global diagnostic and healthcare markets.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to provide actionable advice, insights, and guidance on complex projects.
• Demonstrated strength in interpersonal skills, dealing with conflict, and experience in working in diverse, international, multi-cultural environments.
• Ability to prioritize competing priorities, be self-managing and highly organized.
• Familiarity of innovation applied in a development, or humanitarian contexts is an asset.
• 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.

Travel: No travel is anticipated

Payment details and further considerations

• Payment of professional fees will be based on the completion of this assignment. 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:

• Interest applicant is required to submit a financial proposal with all-inclusive fee. Please see the financial proposal template.
• Financial proposal must include travel costs (economy class) and daily subsistence allowance, if travel is required as per TOR and any other estimated costs: visa, travel/health insurance.
• Applications without a financial proposal will not be considered.
• Consultancy Financial Offer template.docx

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility jobs-near-me.org UNICEF.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

In case of any questions, contact swe-ooi-recruitments@unicef.org

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