Innovation Ecosystem Building and Community Engagement in the Caribbean Consultant
Location:
The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.
IDB Lab Discovery Unit is an expert in innovation ecosystem building, who will bring regional and global best practice, expertise and networks, with the aim of strengthening the innovation ecosystem in the Caribbean.
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group, the leading source of development financing and expertise for improving lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. The purpose of IDB Lab is to drive innovation for inclusion in the region, mobilizing financing, knowledge, and connections to test early-stage private sector solutions with the potential to transform the lives of vulnerable populations affected by economic, social, and environmental conditions. Since 1993, IDB Lab has approved more than US$ 2 billion in projects deployed across 26 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. www.idblab.org
About this position:
IDB Lab is the innovation laboratory for the Inter-American Development Bank Group. It mobilizes financing, knowledge, and connections to catalyze innovation for inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab uses innovation as a powerful tool to transform the region, providing unprecedented opportunities to address poor and vulnerable populations. Going forward IDB will focus its efforts on five thematic verticals: (i) agriculture and natural capital; (ii) essential infrastructure services including mobility, energy, water/sanitation, connectivity, and housing; (iii) financial inclusion; (iv) education, talent, and employment; and (v) health. Climate change and environmental sustainability, gender, and diversity are key cross-cutting priorities. In almost three decades, IDB Lab has financed more than 2,300 projects in 26 countries in the region, deploying more than US$2 billion, together with more than 1,500 executing partners from all over the region and the world. IDB Lab sources project ideas through various channels such as open innovation calls, or challenges.
In August 2022, IDB Lab received approval from its Donors Committee for the establishment of a blended finance facility to consolidate a Caribbean investment ecosystem for inclusive private sector innovation (“CARIBEquity” – also “the Facility”). The Facility will be co-financed by the European Union under its 11th EDF Intra-ACP and within the framework of the EU-IDB Financial Framework Partnership Agreement, signed in 2020. The Facility will be executed by IDB Lab. The main objective of this Facility is to consolidate a Caribbean investment ecosystem for inclusive private sector innovation, enabling early stage and growth-oriented Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to innovate, thrive and create jobs. To accomplish this objective, the Facility will be structured around three (3) interlocking, mutually reinforcing intervention areas: Pillar 1: Deploying investment capital in startups and high-growth potential companies; Pillar 2:
Strengthening innovation ecosystem actors to expand investment, knowledge-sharing, and networks; Pillar 3: Fostering public sector-driven innovation through public-private engagement.
CARIBEquity beneficiary countries are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago
We are looking for a dynamic, self-motivated, passionate Innovation Ecosystem Builder and Community Engagement Consultant. As an Innovation Ecosystem Builder and Community Engagement Consultant, you will be responsible for orchestrating and fostering engagement, connections, and knowledge sharing across the Caribbean innovation ecosystem, leveraging regional and global networks, best practices and approaches. You will work under the supervision of the IDB Lab Specialist in Barbados along with the CARIBEquity project team.
What you’ll do:
• Maintain and grow a database of innovation ecosystem actors in the Caribbean, including but not limited to, startups, incubators and accelerators, investor networks, corporates, government innovation agencies, and academia.
• Develop a community building strategy for the innovation ecosystem in the Caribbean, building in best practices and approaches, tailored to needs of nascent innovation ecosystems.
• Build connections and exchange knowledge of relevant initiatives, best practices, networks in innovation ecosystem building from outside the region for application to the CARIBEquity Facility members.
• Implement community-building strategy, including organization and facilitation of virtual and in-person events, including workshops, fireside chats, community-building activities, and seminars, etc. This will include identifying and coordinating panelists, curating agendas, promoting and hosting events, etc.
• Facilitate participation of ecosystem actors in in-person events, including technical coordination, logistics, and reimbursement of expenses.
• Create opportunities for engagement and agile feedback loops (e.g., social media surveys/pulse checks) with innovation ecosystem to identify priorities topics, areas of interest, needs, gaps and paint points, etc. that drives the agenda for community building and engagement.
• Curate engagement around topics relevant to innovation, technology trends, entrepreneurship, funding opportunities, and regulatory developments, building on the five thematic areas and two cross-cutting priorities of the program.
• Actively foster opportunities for greater engagement and synergies between IDB Lab, IDB Group, EU, CARIFORUM, other donors, while ensuring alignment and attainment of CARIBEquity goals and impact.
• Develop and source content for CaribEquity social media and communications (e.g., blogs, social media posts, vlogs, etc.).
• Leverage social media platforms and online channels to showcase innovative projects and promote ecosystem activities in collaboration with key influencers in the Caribbean innovation ecosystem.
• Actively encourage collaboration between startups, academia, industry, and government to drive applications towards CARIBEquity Calls for Proposals, etc.
• Provide technical inputs to support Calls for Proposals, review and engagement with selected project partners and provide recommendations for implementation of innovation ecosystem projects
• Ensure synergies between activities under CARIBEquity, and support implementation of wider innovation ecosystem work to be conducted under the Facility
Deliverables and Payments Timeline:
Services will be paid as follows, upon approval of the deliverables by the supervisor.
Deliverable #
Percentage
Ecosystem Database & 12-month
Engagement Strategy
10%
Implementation Report 1, including (i) events held*; (ii) feedback from ecosystem and lessons learned and best practices; (iii) upcoming work plan; (iv) content developed/sourced for the period.
Updated Ecosystem Database of new partners
*Should include details of events held, presentations delivered, list of panelists and attendees, main takeaways, follow-up, etc.
30%
Implementation Report 2, including (i) events held*; (ii) feedback from ecosystem and lessons learned and best practices; (iii) upcoming work plan; (iv) content developed/sourced for the period.
Updated Ecosystem Database of new partners
*Should include details of events held, presentations delivered, list of panelists and attendees, main takeaways, follow-up, etc.
30%
Final Implementation Report, including (i) events held*; (ii) feedback from ecosystem and lessons learned and best practices; (iii) content developed/sourced for the period; (iv)
recommendations for expanded community building and engagement strategy.
Updated Ecosystem Database of new partners
*Should include details of events held, presentations delivered, list of panelists and attendees, main takeaways, follow-up, etc.
30%
What you'll need
• Education: Master’s degree (or equivalent advanced degree) in Business Administration, Economics, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, or other fields relevant to the responsibilities of the role.
• Experience: 5 years of progressive experience in innovation ecosystem development, including within accelerators, incubators, enterprise support organizations, start-ups. Proven experience with building innovation ecosystems, including deep knowledge and understanding of best practices. Must have solid understanding of the particular nuances of the Caribbean innovation ecosystem, and or similar early-stage ecosystems. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and build synergies with diverse stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. A strong network of relevant actors in innovation ecosystems within and outside the Caribbean region is essential.
• Languages: Proficiency in English and one of the other Bank official languages (Spanish, French or Portuguese) is required.
Key skills:
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