The Role
We are looking for a dynamic and creative individual to work across the FCDO’s Frontier Technologies programme and USAID’s IDEAS Programme.
The Frontier Technologies (FT) programme is one of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO’s) most pioneering, exciting, and widely recognised initiatives. FT enables FCDO to explore, understand, test, and scale cutting-edge technologies across its geographic and technical portfolio.
There are four main components to the programme:
· Frontier Technology Livestreaming (FTL) - Providing funding and coaching for FCDO pioneers to experiment with the application of frontier tech and generate learnings
· Frontier Tech Futures - Exploring the future of frontier technologies, and their implications for FCDO priorities and work
· Evidence and Thought Leadership - Creating and curating evidence, insights and thought leadership to inspire and equip FCDO to understand how frontier tech can be applied
· Network - Fostering connections across FCDO staff, sharing opportunities and insights to deepen knowledge and learning about frontier technologies
USAID’s Innovative Design, Execution, and Acceleration Support (IDEAS) programme is a transformative mechanism designed to drive open innovation, inspire collective action, and foster high-impact local solutions. Through a comprehensive suite of services, IDEAS supports open innovation programs worldwide, bridging the gaps between ideation, implementation, and real-world impact. IDEAS is designed to empower the United States Agency for International Development’s Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices (M/B/IOs) to harness the full potential of open innovation. The mechanism serves to incentivize new, local, non-traditional, and private sector partners to participate in and strengthen local market systems. Alongside a consortium of partners, DT Global are providing design and implementation support throughout the life of the IDEAS programme.
Working closely with the Team Leader of FT and IDEAS you will support across all aspects of the two programmes.
Main Responsibilities
The Frontier Technologies Programme (FT)
Frontier Technology Livestreaming
· Provide support to pilot grantees overseas in delivering their pilots through coaching calls
· Assist in the management of the next Call for applications for pilots
· Support the management of tenders to identify tech providers and implementation partners
Frontier Technology Futures
· In collaboration with the Futures Manager, contribute to the delivery of Futures explorations working with FCDO country offices around the world
· Carry out research into relevant topics as needed.
· Create content including slide decks from research materials, developing scenarios, or writing blogs summarising the learning from an exploration
· Engage experts to support the explorations, creating/leveraging existing audiences within FCDO, and beyond, to disseminate our work
Network
· Manage the network workstream including developing the strategy, annual budget and workplan
· Help to co-ordinate networking events for FCDO staff such as lunch and learns
Evidence
· Scope potential deep dive topics:
o Completing literature scans to identify key gaps where a deep dive could add value
o Reaching out to different groups within FCDO to discuss value add of potential research pieces
o Assessing ongoing work in other aspects of the RED portfolio, to ensure the work is adding to FCDO’s knowledge base in specific areas
o Filling out scoping templates and presenting ideas to FCDO
· Support the management of deep dives by managing research partners or carrying out research (literature reviews, interviews, etc.) and writing the content of reports.
Innovation, Design, Execution and Acceleration Support (IDEAS)
Design, implementation and communications support
· Designing, executing, and accelerating open innovation programmes.
o Participating in research and design workshops, interviews and client meetings
o Managing in-country events (launch events, award events, bootcamps etc)
o Managing the evaluation process including identifying relevant assessors and judges for each open innovation programme
o Contracting and managing local implementation, communication partners and technical experts
· Servicing and managing open innovation program buy-ins from throughout the Agency.
· Communicating open innovation program results and impact.
Candidates may have some experience of working in international development, It is desirable that the candidate will have some experience of innovation, methods and technologies but willing to learn more from team colleagues.
DT Global is a signatory to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The Scheme was launched in January 2019 to address the specific problem of known sexual abusers moving between organisations undetected. The Scheme is a commitment to share information, during the recruitment process, about employees and other staff, who have been found guilty of misconduct.