Market Development Specialist, P-3, Temporary Position, Rome, Italy, 364 days, Private Fund Raising and Partnerships, #00137742

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to a Champion

How can you make a difference

Market analysis and insights

• Collate, assess, and document business needs, translating them into structured requirements and scalable solutions across markets.
• Generate actionable insights through advanced data analysis, market intelligence, and evidence-based modelling, to inform and support strategic recommendations.
• Design and oversee data collection methodologies, including surveys and feedback mechanisms, ensuring data quality, relevance, and alignment with analytical objectives.
• Support the development of business cases, financial models, budgets, scenario analyses, and market assessments, and lead selected analytical components to inform decision-making and market development initiatives.

Project planning and implementation

• Support the development and structuring of project implementation plans, ensuring alignment with business objectives and follow-up on key actions, and lead selected components or initiatives as required.
• Act as a senior business analyst, translating complex business needs into scalable systems, tools, and digital solutions in collaboration with technical teams.
• Lead the development and documentation of case studies, translating key learnings into practical tools and guidance for country office users to support the adoption of new business systems and processes.

Stakeholder engagement and support

• Lead technical presentations and facilitate analytical discussions, translating complex data into clear, actionable insights for regional and country office stakeholders.
• Lead the coordination of webinars and information sessions, ensuring that engagement spaces are effectively planned and delivered in collaboration with key stakeholders, to provide consistent and responsive support for various internal audiences.
• Manage and continuously enhance the CODAS SharePoint knowledge platform, ensuring it serves as an effective tool for internal organization and control, as well as a user-friendly interface for external stakeholders, enabling access to relevant tools, insights, and best practices.
• Provide customer service support to internal clients on questions, information and data or evidence, while analyzing trends and recurring needs to generate insights, inform improvements to tools and processes, and enhance service delivery across Country Offices, Clusters, and Regional Support Centers or other internal audiences.

Given the dynamic nature of implementing the key strategic shift and delivering a new business model, the incumbent will work closely with the supervisor to shape, refine, and align expected outcomes, ensuring they are informed by data, market insights, and evolving business needs. Internal and external factors will influence implementation, requiring adaptability and proactive problem-solving beyond the direct control of the role or CODAS.

This evolving context requires strong analytical thinking, business acumen, and the ability to generate innovative, solutions to complex business challenges. The incumbent is expected to demonstrate curiosity and initiative in exploring new ideas and approaches, translating concepts into practical applications, and confidently navigating ambiguity with agility while contributing to continuous improvement and effective delivery.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here: Market Development Specialist_Data_Analytics_P3

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in one of the following fields is required: Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Fundraising, Management, Humanities, or another relevant technical field. A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• Work Experience: 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in market development, strategy, data analytics, business analysis, or business model innovation, including experience in fundraising, subscription-based industries, or related sectors is required. Experience working in or with developing and emerging markets, with a strong understanding of market dynamics and growth opportunities, is required.
• Skills: Demonstrated experience in understanding and translating abstract ideas or concepts into actionable steps is required. Demonstrated experience in analyzing complex data and translating insights into actionable recommendations and structured solutions, is required. Proven ability to lead or contribute to analytical workstreams, including business cases, financial modelling, market assessments, or performance tracking required. Experience working in a multi-cultural environment and across cross-functional teams, supporting coordination and delivery of shared objectives is required. Experience supporting or contributing to the design and implementation of business processes, tools, or operational frameworks is required.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is required.

Desirables:

• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.
• Experience in knowledge management, stakeholder coordination, or service delivery mechanisms (e.g., platforms, training, or engagement processes) is an asset.
• A strong understanding of UNICEF systems, processes, and operations of regional and country offices is an asset.
• Experience within UNICEF and/or the UN system is considered an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable male candidates from programme countries are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF's Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.