Associate, Principles for Digital Development, Insights & Outreach

Position Overview

The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) is a “think, do, replicate” tank that investigates digital transformation best practice at the national, regional, and global level. We combine practical research with evidence-based advocacy to identify which digital efforts work, package them as re-usable solutions and encourage their use. 

DIAL is funded through a collaboration among the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Kingdom’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and hosted within the UN Foundation in Washington, D.C. 

The Insights and Outreach team’s goal is to disseminate insights and replicable models and help support standards and communities that drive digital transformation. We carry out policy advocacy and research, manage our communications, events and brand, and strengthen and manage the communities of practice that DIAL supports, including the Principles for Digital Development, a donor contact group called Digital Donors Anonymous, and the Open Source Center. 

As part of DIAL’s mandate, we steward the Principles for Digital Development (Digital Principles). The Digital Principles are a set of nine guidelines meant to help digital development practitioners better integrates digital tools and technology in their projects and programs. In this role, DIAL encourages community conversations about digital development; curates new ideas and resources for digital development practitioners, including implementing organizations (international and humanitarian NGOs), donors, and country governments, and promotes awareness, endorsement and adoption of the Digital Principles. 

One such funder is the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Digital Access Program (FCDO). Under this program, DIAL, working with local partners, proposes to adapt direct training resources, build a network of trainers, and develop core materials (e.g., guides, case studies) that can be evaluated against this hypothesis. DIAL and interested local partners in Kenya will build on existing context-relevant resources and offer an accreditation program to local groups that will allow them to deliver existing and future Digital Principles trainings in their region as well as training-of-trainers courses.

Working under the Manager, Principles for Digital Development and closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation Team, Training Lead, and partner, the Program Associate will help deliver DIAL’s strategy for enabling the digital development community’s capacity. This will be done through promoting the adoption of good practice and collaboration between funders, implementers, governments, and other actors, coordinating logistics and outreach, and supporting other programmatic duties as required.

S/he will also work closely with DIAL’s Communications team to assist with mission and messaging delivery, resource dissemination, and relationship building for the Digital Principles. The Program Associate will assist with advancing the vision and direction for DIAL’s stewardship of the Principles for Digital Development; lead and oversee the design and development of new content, resources, publications, and tools related to the Digital Principles; support dissemination of products, deliver communications campaigns and events for external stakeholders, and support programmatic support to DIAL and its partners to meet these initiatives. 
  
This position is temporary, full-time with benefits based in Washington D.C. through March 31, 2022.

Essential Functions

The Program Associate, Principles for Digital Development will have the following main responsibilities:

• Provide backstopping support to the Manager, Principles for Digital Development for the Digital Access Program by providing project management support, contributing to the contract procurement process, managing vendors and deliverable timelines, and other duties as reasonably assigned.
• Contribute to the creation of new Digital Principles content, including supporting the recording of the Pulse on the Principles podcast, writing blog posts on current topics in the technology for development sector, supporting website maintenance and content creation, drafting resources, and working with endorsers to write case studies.
• Contribute to the delivery of communications campaigns around events, workshops, public engagements, and the testing, localization and publication of new Digital Principles materials and tools for the Digital Access Program.
• Work with the Manager, Principles for Digital Development to design and execute events (online and in person), including setting up external events, meetings, workshops, and overseeing communications with endorsers and local partners.
• Responsible for utilizing UN Foundation’s agreement process and systems appropriately, helping to draft and review agreements and maintaining an understanding of all agreement terms and applicable flow-downs, consulting with the DIAL Operations team.  
• Engage with external stakeholders, endorsers, and partners by responding in a timely manner as needed.
• Responsible for helping to appropriately assess and mitigate the risks to vulnerable people posed by work under the Digital Principles programs. 
• Other duties as reasonably assigned. 

Selection Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree required, ideally with an international NGO or technology sector background and relevant work experience. Master’s degree preferred.
• Familiarity with current trends in digital development and the ICT4D sector.
• Passion for the mission and purpose of the Principles for Digital Development.
• Strategic thinker who enjoys being a thought partner and collaborator on new projects, with the ability to design and own projects from beginning to end.
• Demonstrated experience designing, managing, and delivering projects with little supervision.
• Relevant experience with event design and support.
• Excellent writing skills and innovative approaches to communicate technically complex materials.
• Demonstrated experience in maintaining websites and social media channels.
• Team player with ability to work independently when needed, who can own and deliver on assigned activities with little direction.
• Detail-oriented and results-driven.
• English fluency at native level required.
• This position is based in Washington, D.C. through March 31, 2022.
• Ascribe to DIAL’s values of Commitment, Collaboration, Empowerment, Courage and Thoughtful Action.
• Ability to work under pressure and handle stress.
• Ability to meet regular attendance/tardiness policy.
• Recruitment for this role will include a writing test.

Benefits & Compensation 

For full-time, benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:

• a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
• group term and supplemental life insurance
• short-term disability
• long-term disability
• health club discounts
• commuter subsidy
• back-up care
• employee assistance program

Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.

The United Nations Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative-action employer. The United Nations Foundation provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.