Technology for Development Manager

Host entity: UNICEF

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Information technology and telecommunications, Software development, Project management, programme development, strategy

Application deadline: 01/09/2026

Mission and objectives

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Assignment context

In recent years, UNICEF’s work to support the unique needs of young people has gained momentum, as the challenges facing them have come more sharply into view. UNICEF is committed to deliver for all children and adolescents through its overall impact goal of ‘realizing the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged.

Building on the current work with, and for, adolescents, in line with the United Nations Youth Strategy, UNICEF is developing a new global partnership, Generation Unlimited (GenU), which is dedicated to expanding opportunity for young people from ages 10 to 24 years. Maximizing the potential of the United Nations system, Governments, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector, and of young people themselves, GenU is focused on finding new ways to ensure that every young person is in school, undergoing formal or informal learning or training, or is employed by 2030. The India version of GenU has been named YuWaah! It signifies catalytic partnerships to unleash the potential of adolescents and young people. YuWaah has been designed to allow co- creation of solutions that are relevant and scalable for ensuring that young people in India have opportunity and choices for learning; have avenues and spaces for functional and vocational training, and can choose between employment and entrepreneurship which are accessible locally.

Young people represent a significant proportion of India’s population and therefore have the right to access and influence programmes, schemes and investments that impact their lives. A World Bank policy paper on Returns to Investment in Education 16% average ROI (lifetime earnings) gained from each additional year of secondary schooling Education and training, improving earnings, life expectancy, and well-being. Thus, the cost of not engaging young people in design, policies and services, is a direct decline in the progress of a nation’s human capital, whose lived realities are inconsistent with the investments made on their behalf. Therefore, it is essential to evolve corporate strategies related to talent, and company culture, given youth form the largest employee base for corporates. Similarly, it is essential to evolve government schemes and policies towards embedding youth participation right from the design and development stages to ensure that they are relevant, responsive, and consistent to the lived realities of these youth communities, and thereby more effective.

UNICEF YuWaah’s YouthHub is an aggregation platform designed to connect young people with opportunities for learning, skilling, employment, and civic participation. As the platform evolves, a substantial enhancement is envisioned to expand its capabilities, improve accessibility, and support a broader and more diverse user base.

The next phase of development will introduce multiple interconnected applications, supported by a tenancy-based backend architecture, enabling scalability, customization, and integration with various partners and service providers.

The UN Volunteer will lead the design, development, and rollout of enhanced functionalities for YouthHub. This includes managing a complex, multi-application ecosystem while ensuring the platform remains intuitive, inclusive, and relevant for young users, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.

Task description

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Youth & Adolescent Development and secondary supervision of Education for Development Specialist, the national UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Lead end-to-end product development for new YouthHub functionalities, including multiple apps and a tenancy-based backend system.
• Translate existing technical specifications into actionable product roadmaps and development plans.
• Work closely under the guidance of the Program Lead and Senior Technical Advisor to ensure alignment with strategic and technical objectives.
• Drive the adoption of modern development methodologies, including the use of agentic AI, to improve efficiency and innovation in product development.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, and content teams to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions.
• Ensure the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are youth-friendly, intuitive, and inclusive, with special attention to marginalized and low-access user groups.
• Conduct user research and usability testing to validate design and functionality decisions. Manage stakeholder engagement, including coordination with UNICEF teams and partners across multiple geographies
• Monitor product performance, gather feedback, and iterate continuously to improve user engagement and outcomes.
• Ensure adherence to data privacy, security, and ethical standards, particularly in the use of AI-driven systems.
• Develop and implement a promotion plan to increase reach and adoption of YouthHub.


Results/expected outputs:

As an active team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and the YuWaah Secretariat in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Detailed product roadmap and feature prioritization plan
• Functional specifications and user stories aligned with technical architecture
• Prototypes and UI/UX guidelines reflecting inclusivity and accessibility
• Regular progress reports and stakeholder updates
• Deployment and rollout plan for new features and applications
• Post-launch evaluation and iteration strategy
• Presentations for donors, government and other stakeholders
• Promotion for beneficiaries

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant
• UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/ websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Skills and experience

• Minimum 7 years of overall experience with at least 3 years in product management, preferably in digital platforms or technology-driven initiatives
• Strong technical background with experience in software development environments
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex, multi-product ecosystems
• Familiarity with modern development approaches, including AI-driven or agentic development methodologies (or strong willingness to learn)
• Experience working on platforms targeting diverse or underserved populations is highly desirable
• Strong understanding of UI/UX principles, particularly for low-bandwidth and mobile-first environments

Skills:
• Strong product thinking with the ability to balance user needs, technical feasibility, and strategic goals
• Robust knowledge of modern product development and product management processes and tools
• Ability to work in cross-functional teams and manage multiple stakeholders
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including experience working with global teams
• Sensitivity to inclusion, accessibility, and the needs of marginalized youth
• Adaptability and openness to emerging technologies and innovative development approaches

Competencies and values

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented;
• Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority;
• Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues;
• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.
• Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities;
• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;
• Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary;
• Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Living conditions

New Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region is a large and bustling metropolis of some 14 million people undergoing rapid changes. The capital city is an administrative, cultural and commercial center with modern amenities and well connected by air. It is a safe place with large expatriate community drawn from embassies, UN agencies, MNCs and foreign businesses. It has short moderate winter and long hot summer.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in New Delhi. The UNV will support GenU/Yuwaah-related planning, communication with key partners (including the Government of India, other UN agencies, private sector representatives and young people) and knowledge management. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions.

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents - except for UN Community Volunteers), as well as final repatriation (if applicable).

You can check full entitlements at https://app.unv.org/calculator .

For information specific to your assignment, please see below:
• Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 98,221.75
• Entry lump sum (one-time payment): USD 350 (equivalent in INR)
• Relocation costs: $175 at the beginning and end of the assignment if the duty station is outside of commuting distance (as determined by UNV)
• Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): $120 for each month served, paid on completion of contract
• Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life, and malicious acts
• Annual leave: 2.5 days per month
• Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources

The UN Volunteer Conditions of Service is available at https://explore.unv.org/cos.

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.