Assistant Innovation Officer at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): (Deadline 28 July 2026)

July 28, 2026

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship) Family UNOPS LICA8 2026-08-01 TERMS OF REFERENCE - (Individual Contractor Agreement)

Title: Assistant Innovation Officer (Digital Employment and Connectivity for Refugees)
Project: UNHCR Innovation Service – 22916-003
Duty station: Kigali, Rwanda (with field missions)
Section/Unit: Rwanda
ICA Level: LICA-8
Corresponding level: NOA
Duration: from 01/08/2026 to 31/12/2026 with possibility of extension
Supervisor: Caroline Lensing-Hebben, Senior Development Officer, dotted line to Innovation Officer, Mr. John Warnes

1. General Background

More than ever, forcibly displaced communities are articulating the urgent need for connectivity and digital inclusion as fundamental rights. In Rwanda, this need is particularly promising due to the country’s rapid digital transformation and progressive approach to refugee integration.

The global digital economy presents a powerful opportunity to expand livelihoods for refugees by enabling access to remote, flexible, and borderless work. From gig and freelance platforms to e-commerce and digital services, digital employment offers new pathways to self-reliance that are not geographically constrained—making it especially relevant for camp-based or newly settled refugee populations.

Rwanda is uniquely positioned to lead this agenda. As one of the most dynamic digital economies in the region, the country has made digitalisation a central pillar of its Vision 2050 strategy. Government initiatives—including ConnectRwanda, the Kigali Innovation City, and national partnerships with private sector actors—are focused on expanding digital infrastructure, upskilling citizens, and transforming Rwanda into a regional tech hub. In parallel, Rwanda is rolling out a national Graduation Strategy that supports the transition of refugees from humanitarian aid to self-reliance. This includes the progressive shift from camps to settlements and enhanced access to work, services, and identity documentation.

However, despite robust mobile coverage and growing investment in digital infrastructure, many refugees—particularly women and youth—remain excluded from the digital economy due to challenges such as limited device access, digital literacy, and employment linkages. These barriers must be addressed holistically to ensure refugee communities can participate fully in Rwanda’s digital future.

To respond, UNHCR’s Innovation Service—through the Connectivity for Refugees (CfR) and Inclusive Digital Employment Alliance (IDEA) initiatives—has identified Rwanda as a strategic focus country. A joint roadmap has been developed with the Rwanda operation to strengthen refugee access to connectivity, digital skills, and online employment pathways. Implementation of this roadmap will be coordinated by a dedicated National Coordinator, who will work across UNHCR teams, government entities, and ecosystem actors to advance digital inclusion in line with Rwanda’s national goals and global frameworks.2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment

This role emphasizes market-driven approaches and private sector engagement to strengthen refugee digital connectivity, digital skills, and employment, in line with the Refugee Sustainable Graduation Strategy (2025–2030).

The incumbent will play a critical role in establishing the initiative, driving forward country level activities on digital employment and connectivity for refugees in Rwanda. Duties will include but are not limited to, with a strong focus on private sector linkages and business-oriented delivery:

• Support the establishment of the IDEA and CfR initiatives in Rwanda through a national platform, engaging on all relevant elements of delivery as required
• Convene key players and facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement through a national working group and beyond, including UNHCR teams, implementing partners, government actors (e.g., MOYA, MINEMA, RISA), MNOs (MTN, Airtel) and technology providers, NGOs, innovation hubs, refugee-led organizations, potential employers, investors, and financial service providers.
• Serve as UNHCR FP in the newly created Joint Programme on Data, Innovation and Digital.
• Oversee the design and delivery of a broad portfolio of activities spanning connectivity infrastructure and access, digital skills development, inclusive policy engagement, and employment linkage initiatives - ensuring alignment with national strategies and operational priorities and alignment with labour market demand and business viability.
• Support the design, planning, and rollout of private sector connectivity partnerships in Rwanda to advance connectivity and digital access for refugees and host communities, including initiatives such as infrastructure enhancements, device access, and digital skills programs.
• Track and report on progress, undertaking additional assessments / data gathering as necessary, documenting lessons learned and supporting reporting to donors.
• Support operationalisation of refugee engagement mechanisms to inform iterative program design.
• Support fundraising efforts by developing pitch decks, narratives, and donor briefs, development of business cases and engagement with private sector partners.
• Represent UNHCR in strategic forums on digital livelihoods, digital inclusion and connectivity.
• Collaborate with GSMA, ITU, ILO, UNICEF and other global stakeholders to link Rwanda programming to global platforms.
• Coordinate closely with UNHCR Rwanda colleagues (Livelihoods, Protection, Education, ICT, Development) to embed digital inclusion across programmatic areas where applicable.
• Liaise with Innovation Service focal points to ensure technical support and global visibility of Rwanda's progress.
• Support on other activities / interventions as required3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

The incumbent will report directly to the Development Officer and have dotted line reporting to the Innovation Officer overseeing the Digital Employment and Connectivity for Refugees initiative in UNHCR Innovation Service. The incumbent will participate in regular bilaterals with the supervisor, and joint meetings with the dotted line management to the Innovation Service on a biweekly basis to prioritize and review agreed-upon deliverables for the period. Additionally, the incumbent may join multistakeholder meetings with key global digital employment and connectivity partners, held on a regular basis in order to align and coordinate efforts on projects within the initiatives.

4. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education

• Undergraduate degree (essential) or Graduate degree (desired) in a related discipline (Politics, Human Rights, Computer Science, Economics, Business studies, Telecommunications, Innovation, Technology, Computer Engineering etc.)

b. Work Experience

• Previous proven experience working on digital livelihoods, technology, telecommunications, business, economics, private sector development, or entrepreneurship required.
• Experience implementing community-facing digital livelihoods and connectivity solutions a distinct advantage.
• Demonstrated experience working with private sector actors and translating digital programmes into employment or income outcomes.
• Familiarity with connectivity and business ecosystems in Rwanda, including telecom actors, innovation hubs, and regulatory bodies.
• Strong experience in coordination, advocacy and stakeholder engagement across government, private sector, and civil society. Experience in the UN system a distinct advantage;
• Prior experience working with young people, especially in marginalized or forced displacement settings.

c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)

• Fluent in English and working knowledge of Kinyarwanda and/or French is an advantage
• Ability to identify viable business opportunities and build partnerships leading to jobs, contracts, or income generation
• Strong understanding of the digital economy and connectivity/telecommunications landscape is required;
• Knowledge of humanitarian protection principles a distinct advantage;
• Highly organized and autonomous, able to multitask and prioritize workload when necessary;
• Excellent writing and documentation skills, demonstrating high levels of attention to detail;
• Ability to adapt solutions to local challenges (e.g., low connectivity, limited devices)
• Ability to design engaging, youth-friendly digital employment pathways
• Works well in a multicultural team and has a strong work ethic strives to deliver high-quality, error-free deliverables potentially targeting different types of users (e.g., senior management, fundraising specialists and advocacy officers);

Standard Job Description

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Remote

No