Digital Public Goods (DPG) Technical Advisor

About the Program

The UNICEF StartUp Lab is a six-month tech accelerator programme for impactful startups and businesses working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals for children and young people, across several sectors including education, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and child protection. The programme is led by UNICEF in Ghana, supported by KOICA and implemented by MEST Africa.
Since its inception in 2019, the UNICEF StartUp Lab in Ghana has engaged with nearly 80 tech-enabled social impact startups, collectively impacting over 200,000 children and adolescents.
The UNICEF StartUp Lab also serves as a catalyst for open-source innovation, incubating Digital Public Goods (DPGs) that are scalable, adaptable, and designed to benefit children and communities globally. The Lab has provided funding for startups to develop and enhance their product prototypes and has played a pivotal role in the successful discovery and development of four Digital Public Goods in Ghana

Role Description
As a DPG Technical Advisor, you will be the technical champion for open source projects (software, data, content, and AI) from ongoing cohorts and the alumni community of the Lab, seeking recognition as digital public goods (DPGs). You will be responsible for supporting and assessing DPG applications, managing relationships, and engaging with product owners, developers, and contributors to help build a DPG product community. In this role, you will be sharing your passion for open source and leveraging your technical background to educate technical and non-technical stakeholders about the DPG Standard and DPG application process; with a unique opportunity to help us evolve DPG-related criteria and processes. In addition, this role will create new assets and resources, in addition to improving existing documentation, hosting webinars, and running workshops.

Responsibilities:
DPG assessment and support
● Own the DPG application and review process. This includes:
○ Being a pivotal resource to review USL solutions against the DPG Standard.
○ Manage application and sourcing pipelines and tracking systems.
○ Handle communications and engagement with applicants.

Job Description - Digital Public Goods (DPG) Technical Advisor
○ Properly document and report process outcomes.
○ Review technical and non-technical documentation.
○ Track and timely management of issues, consultations, and inquiries.
○ Facilitate discussions and host regular check-ins with the review team for consensus-building.
● Support DPG applicants - guide individuals through the application process, document learnings, and improve or create new resources and assets through feedback loops.
● Provide technical assistance - engage with USL startup founders and relevant stakeholders on their DPG-related work and train them on the compliance requirements to become DPG, such as tech architecture, licensing, documentation, and others.
DPG advocacy and community engagement
● Evangelize - Respond to inquiries, educating and evangelizing about the DPG Standard, its indicators, and related topics. Including participation in public events and conferences.
● Share knowledge and communicate - Identify, collate, and share interesting opportunities from the ecosystem that would be relevant for DPGs and maintain direct
communication channels with product owners.
● Education and training - Create resources to improve and facilitate the nomination process, including webinars, guides, instructional videos, office hours, community calls, and email.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
● Technical Foundation: A university degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related technical field plus 2 years of professional experience, OR a minimum of 3 years of equivalent professional experience in software development, software quality assurance (QA), technical roles, or developer advocacy.
● Open Source Knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of open-source principles, licenses, and development workflows. Ability to read and understand code and grasp system architecture designs and technical documentation.
● Understanding of the DPG Standard: Familiarity with the core concepts and requirements of the Digital Public Goods Standard.
● Technical Communication & Advocacy: Proven ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Experience engaging

Job Description - Digital Public Goods (DPG) Technical Advisor with technical communities, responding to inquiries, and creating educational or explanatory content.
● Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. Ability to deliver presentations and facilitate discussions (e.g., webinars, workshops).
● Experience in Technical Guidance: Some experience providing technical support, guidance, or mentorship.
Preferred Qualifications
● Extensive Open Source Experience: Significant experience actively contributing to, maintaining, or managing open-source projects.
● Code Review & Technical Assessment: Direct experience performing code reviews and assessing technical solutions for quality, adherence to standards, and open-source readiness.
● Community Building Experience: Experience in building, growing, maintaining, and supporting technical communities, particularly in the open-source space.
● Developer Advocacy / Technical Evangelism: Previous experience in a developer evangelist or technical advocacy role, especially related to open source or digital public goods.
● Content Creation: Demonstrated ability to create engaging educational content in various formats (e.g., slide decks, guides, videos, one-pagers).
● Familiarity with Diverse Tech Stacks: Experience with a variety of programming languages, frameworks, databases, and toolchains relevant to web or mobile application development (e.g., version control, CI/CD).
● Experience with Startups or Innovation Ecosystems: Familiarity with the challenges and environment of startups or technology innovation labs.
● Knowledge of Open Data, Open Knowledge, or Open Content: Experience or familiarity with communities and projects in these areas is an asset.
● Understanding of Tech for Development: Knowledge of technology applications in key areas such as GovTech, CivicTech, Responsible AI, and their relevance in international development contexts.

Job Description - Digital Public Goods (DPG) Technical Advisor
● Public Speaking: Experience and comfort with public speaking engagements related to technical topics.

Application deadline
Applicants should please submit a resume and a one-page maximum cover letter via the Jobbylon platform no later than 11:59 PM GMT on Sunday, May 25, 2025.
Applicants will be assessed on their expertise and experience.