Overview
Support UNDP and State Governments to accelerate delivery of innovation and digital transformation components within ISSP, ensuring these platforms become productive, inclusive, investment-ready, and integrated into broader state development portfolios.
Tasks Summary
- Support planning, sequencing and implementation of iDIKE-related interventions.
- Support translation of State priorities into integrated workplans, delivery roadmaps, and bankable programme pipelines.
- Contribute to preparation of concept notes, programme descriptions, TORs, implementation plans, partnership briefs, and investment cases.
- Support integration of innovation and digital transformation across other ISSP components.
- Support accelerated operationalisation and utilisation of UniPods, Youth-Friendly Centres and Community Innovation Hubs.
- Support design and rollout of structured incubation/acceleration cycles, innovation challenges, bootcamps, demo days and venture readiness programmes.
- Support linkage of UniPods and hubs to private sector demand, local value chains, and real-world problem statements.
- Support development of digital and innovation talent pipelines.
- Support mainstreaming of gender equality, disability inclusion, safeguarding, and youth participation.
- Support definition and tracking of equity targets.
- Support adoption of practical measures for inclusion.
- Support knowledge economy components including data-driven programming, innovation measurement and learning, open R&D partnerships, and applied research-to-market linkages.
- Contribute to development of briefs and support activities related to innovation and digital readiness diagnostics, sub-national innovation and digital performance tracking, and practical “what works” learning.
- Support documentation of lessons learned, case studies, and knowledge products.
- Support mapping and coordination of state-level stakeholders.
- Provide analytical inputs to partnership building and resource mobilisation.
- Support organisation of ecosystem convenings.
- Support results tracking for innovation and digital transformation outputs.
- Support RBM compliance, documentation of risks and mitigation actions, and adaptive delivery problem-solving.
- Support quality assurance for programme outputs.
Experience Requirements
- 3 years of relevant experience.
- Experience supporting innovation programming, entrepreneurship support, digital skills initiatives, or hub/innovation space operations.
- Strong analytical and programme support skills: drafting, coordination, workplanning, reporting and stakeholder engagement.
- Experience working with government, universities, private sector, hubs/accelerators, CSOs or development partners.
- Familiarity with Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem, Startup Act context, digital inclusion, or tech-enabled service delivery is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to work across multiple stakeholders and locations with delivery discipline.
Qualification Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Innovation, ICT/Digital Transformation, Development Studies, Economics, Public Policy, Computer/Information Sciences, Business/Entrepreneurship, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, or related fields.
