Innovation Ecosystem Specialist

BACKGROUND Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP) is a World Bank assisted project with the objective of enhancing the Government’s capacity for digitally enabled public services delivery for citizens and businesses. Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoITT) is the Executing Agency of the project with implementation support from (i) Board of Investment (BoI), (ii) National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), (iii) Ignite – National Technology Fund and (iv) National IT Board (NITB). PROJECT DESCRIPTION DEEP aims to develop a framework and technology to promote digital services across Pakistan, significantly transforming citizen-centric unified services nationwide. A key component is the establishment of Civic Innovation and Technology Labs (CITLs) as collaboration hubs and platforms for citizens, government, startups, and academia to drive social and civic innovation and address community challenges through technology. Ignite – National Technology Fund, under the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication, focuses on fourth industrial wave technology and ecosystem development initiatives to create a knowledge economy in Pakistan. Ignite's national network of incubators nurtures startups, while technology innovation grants are offered to innovative, deep-tech projects. Ignite, known for its expertise in technology entrepreneurship, is mandated to establish and operate CITLs. The Digital Government Innovation Program (DGIP) under Component 1(e) – Civic Innovation (estimated cost US$13 million) – will accelerate data production, availability, exchange, and interoperability by supporting the creation of innovative citizen-centred digital services. It encompasses a multi-tiered competition cycle comprising Divisional, Provincial and National Hackathons; Pre-Seed Capacity Building; Seed Grants; and CITL Incubation and Acceleration Phases. The programme targets nationwide geographic diversity, gender inclusivity, and socioeconomic inclusion across all 16 Divisions of Pakistan. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT The Innovation Ecosystem Specialist is responsible for providing strategic planning, insight and overarching management of the Civic Innovation component under DEEP. This is the apex position within the PIU-Ignite responsible for the end-to-end design, coordination, operationalization, and quality assurance of the Digital Government Innovation Program (DGIP). The incumbent will serve as the primary interface between Ignite PIU, the World Bank, MoITT, provincial entities, and all programme stakeholders. Key objectives include: 1. Leading the strategic design, planning and adaptive management of the full Digital Government Innovation Programme (DGIP) cycle including Talent Hunt, Hackathons, Pre-Seed and Seed Grant phases, CITL establishment, and post-programme learning. 2. Ensuring programme alignment with the World Bank's fiduciary, safeguards, gender mainstreaming, and MEL requirements throughout implementation. 3. Building and sustaining a thriving civic innovation ecosystem that connects government, academia, civil society, and the private sector. 4. Overseeing all specialist positions under PIU-Ignite and ensuring cohesive delivery across the Hackathon Strategy, CITL, Evaluation, and Communications functions. 5. Mobilizing and sustaining strategic partnerships with international innovation bodies, development partners, provincial IT Boards, National Incubation Centres (NICs), and relevant federal ministries. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT The Innovation Ecosystem Specialist will undertake the following tasks (not limited to): A. Strategic Planning & Governance 1. Develop and continuously update the overall DGIP Programme Master Plan, including timelines, budget utilization, risk register, and milestone tracker, in coordination with Civic Innovation (CI)-DEEP team. 2. Ensure compliance with World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), gender action plan, and data protection requirements across all programme activities. 3. Lead the preparation of Annual Work Plans, Six-Monthly Progress Reports, and inputs for the civic innovation component. 4. Establish and maintain a risk management framework, identifying and mitigating implementation risks proactively. B. Ecosystem Development & Stakeholder Management 1. Map, engage, and formalize partnerships with key ecosystem actors including provincial IT Boards, National Incubation Centres (8 NICs), universities, think tanks, civil society organizations, and the private sector. 2. Represent CI-DEEP at forums, conferences, and policy dialogues relevant to digital government innovation and civic technology. 3. Facilitate Stakeholder Engagement Workshops for problem statement identification with higher management of relevant ministries, departments, and authorities using Problem Statement Canvas (PSC) and Design Thinking Canvas (DTC) methodologies. 4. Build and maintain a database of government problem statements, domain experts, and potential jury and mentor pools for each programme cycle. 5. Develop a sustainable ecosystem strategy ensuring programme continuity and institutional embedding beyond the project period. C. Programme Cycle Oversight 1. Provide strategic oversight of the full DGIP cycle: Outreach & Marketing; Application Process & Filtration; Pre-Seed Trainings & Demo Readiness; Divisional, Provincial, and National Competition phases; Seed Grant disbursement; CITL Incubation; CITL Acceleration Phase; and Post-Programme Reflections. 2. Ensure geographic diversity (more than 60% spread from any single region), gender inclusivity (minimum 30% female participation), and socioeconomic inclusion targets are met at each stage of the cycle. 3. Oversee the deployment and management of the dedicated digital dashboard for application submission, filtration, and evaluation across Talent Hunt and Competition tracks. 4. Supervise Seed Grant disbursement processes ensuring compliance with World Bank financial management and procurement guidelines. D. Team Cohesion & Capacity Building 1. Provide line management, performance oversight, and mentoring to DGIP team positions within PIU-Ignite including Hackathon Strategy Specialist, CITL Specialist. 2. Design and oversee a structured capacity-building programme for DGIP team, partner organizations, and government counterparts on civic innovation methodologies, design thinking, open data, and digital government. 3. Establish knowledge management systems to capture lessons learned, best practices, and institutional memory across all programme cycles. E. Policy & Knowledge Leadership 1. Oversee the integration of Open Data Portal and Sandbox to CITLs under DEEP to ensure integration with startups and effective utilization. 2. Oversee establishment of both Physical and Virtual CITLs under the Project. 3. Produce high-quality knowledge products including programme case studies, policy briefs, and evaluation summaries for government, donor, and public audiences. 4. Engage with international civic innovation models to benchmark and adapt best practices for the Pakistan context. CORE ACTIVITIES AND FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: The Innovation Ecosystem Specialist (Lead) shall work on the following activities: Inception & Framework: 1. Inception Report: Programme Master Plan, stakeholder mapping, risk register, and governance framework. 2. DGIP Operational Modality Manual: Programme design, selection criteria, grant modalities, CITL framework, and MEL framework aligned with World Bank requirements. 3. Partnership MoUs executed with Provincial IT Boards, NICs, and key academia/civil society partners. 4. Stakeholder Engagement Workshops for problem statement identification. Programme Launch & Cycle 1 5. Outreach and Marketing Campaign Report – Cycle 1, including geographic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity analysis. 6. Stakeholder Engagement Workshop Reports (all thematic workshops) with consolidated problem statement bank. 7. Talent Hunt and Speed Networking Event Report covering all 16 Divisions with psychometric test integration summary. 8. Pre-Seed Capacity Building Programme Report covering design thinking, business modelling, user validation, and demo readiness. 9. Hackathon Cycle 1 Completion Report: Divisional (16), Provincial (2), and National (1) competition results, jury deliberations, winning solutions, and lessons learned. 10. Seed Grant Disbursement Report – Cycle 1: grants awarded, compliance documentation, and disbursement status. 11. Mid-Programme Review Report submitted to MoITT and World Bank with adaptive management recommendations. CITL Operations & Cycle 2 Initiation 12. CITL establishment plan and implementation. 13. CITL Incubation Phase Report: startup progress, mentor engagement, open data and sandbox integration and utilization mapping. 14. CITL Acceleration Phase Report: startup graduation metrics – funding obtained, solutions adopted by government entities, international adoption. 15. Cycle 2 Programme Design Document incorporating lessons from Cycle 1. 16. Hackathon Cycle 2 Completion Report: all competition levels with comparative analysis to Cycle 1. Sustainability & Closure 17. Post-Programme Reflections and Lessons Learned Synthesis Report. 18. Ecosystem Sustainability Strategy: institutional embedding plan, government adoption roadmap, and private sector leverage strategy. 19. Knowledge Products Package: minimum 3 policy briefs, 5 case studies, and 1 programme documentary summary. 20. Final Programme Completion Report with comprehensive MEL data, PDO indicator contributions, and recommendations for scaling. QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE Essential Qualifications: 1) Minimum 18 years of education (Master's or equivalent) from a HEC-recognized or internationally reputable university in Innovation Management, Public Policy, Business Administration, Technology Management, Development Studies, or a closely related field. 2) Minimum 10 years of post-qualification professional experience in innovation ecosystem development, civic technology, digital government, or development programme management. 3) Demonstrated leadership experience (minimum 7 years) in managing large, multi-stakeholder, donor-funded programmes with national or international scope, preferably in the public sector or development sector. 4) Proven track record of designing and operationalizing innovation competitions, hackathons, incubation/acceleration programmes, or challenge prize mechanisms. 5) Strong knowledge of digital government frameworks, open data ecosystems, digital public infrastructure (DPI), and civic technology. 6) Demonstrated experience in World Bank or other major multilateral donor-funded projects, including compliance with fiduciary, safeguards, and MEL requirements. 7) Excellent stakeholder management skills with experience engaging senior government officials, international development partners, private sector, and academia. 8) Outstanding written and oral communication skills in English; Urdu language proficiency is an asset. ADDITIONAL SKILLS / EXPERTISE 1) Familiarity with international civic innovation models such as Code for America, NESTA, UNDP Accelerator Labs, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and comparable GovTech initiatives etc. 2) Experience in gender mainstreaming and inclusive design for technology programmes, particularly in Pakistan or South Asian or similar development context. 3) Knowledge of design thinking, human-centred design, and lean startup methodologies. 4) Experience managing team of diverse specialists and delivering results in politically complex environments. 5) Proficiency in project management tools (MS Project, JIRA, Asana, or equivalent) and data visualization platforms (Power BI, Tableau, Dashboards etc.). 6) Experience in knowledge management, programme documentation, and learning agenda development. 7) Understanding of Pakistan's digital economy landscape, the DEEP project context, and DEEP and Ignite's mandate is a strong advantage. SCHEDULE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT The Consultant will be appointed on a contract basis for 21 months. REMUNERATION AND OTHER BENEFITS 1) The consultant will receive remuneration as per the scope of work defined and based on the World Bank guidelines applicable to individual consultants for this position. 2) Travel expenses as approved by the World Bank and the Government of Pakistan. 3) This is a consulting-based appointment and does not offer medical or other benefits. REPORTING OBLIGATIONS The Innovation Ecosystem Specialist will report directly to the Project Director-Civic Innovation, PIU-Ignite, Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), and will maintain regular liaison with the MoITT PMU and Ignite-NTF Team. The incumbent is required to: 1) Follow all rules, directives, and fiduciary guidelines of the World Bank and Government of Pakistan for successful project implementation. 2) Adhere to working days and timings as per Federal Government of Pakistan directives. 3) Report to work in official attire and maintain professional conduct at all times. 4) Refrain from working for any other party or accepting paid employment during this contract without written approval from the Competent Authority. 5) Ensure all required reports for the Civic Innovation component are prepared on time and in accordance with World Bank and Government of Pakistan requirements. 6) Maintain strict confidentiality of project-related information and data. SELECTION CRITERIA Procurement will be carried out in accordance with the Open Competitive Selection of Individual Consultants in accordance with the World Bank’s “Procurement in Investment Project Financing, Goods, Works, Non-Consulting and Consulting Services, Fifth Edition, September 2023” (“Procurement Regulations”).