(Re-advertisement) Foresight Consultant, Young’s People Programme, UNICEF Thailand Country Office, Bangkok, Job No #570976

The Young People’s Resilience, Connectedness and Empowerment (Young People’s) section of UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking a qualified foresight practitioner with experience in foresight program design and management in Thailand, to support the development of a long-term, foresight-informed strategy for the future of the Child and Youth Council of Thailand (CYCT), aimed at increasing its inclusiveness and effectiveness. Central to this effort will be the design and implementation of participatory foresight research and capacity building exercises, ensuring that key stakeholders (including CYCT leadership and members, the Department of Local Administration (DLA), the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and UNICEF) are meaningfully engaged in the process and equipped to implement the strategy long after the consultancy has been completed.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfilling their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a better future

UNICEF works to ensure the rights of all children in the East Asia and Pacific Region.  This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

• survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
• development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
• protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
• participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

The Young People’s Resilience, Connectedness and Empowerment (Young People’s) section of UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking a qualified foresight practitioner with experience in foresight program design and management in Thailand, to support the development of a long-term, foresight-informed strategy for the future of the Child and Youth Council of Thailand (CYCT), aimed at increasing its inclusiveness and effectiveness.  Central to this effort will be the design and implementation of participatory foresight research and capacity building exercises, ensuring that key stakeholders (including CYCT leadership and members, the Department of Local Administration (DLA), the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and UNICEF) are meaningfully engaged in the process and equipped to implement the strategy long after the consultancy has been completed.

Work Assignment (Home-based):

Assignment 1: Conduct foresight research to identify emerging issues on the margins of current thinking relevant to Thailand with a 10-year time horizon. Key areas of focus could include economics, ecology, governance, demographics, technology, and key intergenerational fairness issues.
Expected Delivery 1: Report identifying future threats and opportunities.

Delivery Schedule: 30 May 2024 (estimated 7 days)

Assignment 2:  Design and facilitate 3 trainings and workshops on foresight for a range of key stakeholders, including CYCT, DLA. DCY and UNICEF staff. The consultant will elicit, ideate, and design capacity development strategies that meet the needs of said stakeholders.
Expected deliverable 2: Successful design and facilitation of 3 foresight training workshops online or in-person for CYCT, DLA, DCY, UNICEF staff, and youth networks.

Delivery schedule: 30 September 2024 (estimated 12 days)

Assignment 3: Draft and present event report that captures insights from capacity building workshops relevant to the development of CYCT’s 10-year strategy, identifying and analyzing key trends, emerging issues, images of the future, and a stakeholder analysis.

Expected deliverable 3: Workshops report. (estimated 3 days)

Delivery schedule: 15 October 2024

Assignment 4: Design and facilitate 2 participatory foresight workshops that meaningfully engage key stakeholders (CYCT members, DCY and DLA staff and UNICEF, among others) in the development of a 10-year strategy for the CYCT, and present results of workshops to key stakeholders. The workshops should integrate foresight methods critical to strategic planning, e.g., scenario planning, backcasting, Three Horizons Approach, Causal Layered Analysis, etc..
Expected deliverable 4: 2 participatory strategic foresight workshops and presentation on the results of the workshops, providing recommendations for the development of CYCT 10-year strategy.

Delivery schedule: 1 December 2024 (estimated 10 days)

Assignment 5: Draft a 10-year strategy document that incorporates key strategic objectives, emerging issues validated by CYCT, DLA, DCY and UNICEF, alternative future scenarios, and action planning, and recommending strategies to sustain CYCT engagement in foresight and strategy execution.

Expected deliverable 5: 10-year CYCT strategy, including action planning that identifies next steps for key stakeholders.

Delivery schedule: 28 February 2025 (Estimated 10 days)

Assignment 6: Co-author programme report and case study that documents the participatory foresight process, capturing the insights and lessons learned from key stakeholders, on how foresight can be used to develop national youth participation strategies, and present it to wider government, CYCT and UNICEF networks.

Expected deliverable 7: Final programme report and presentation to key partners.

Delivery schedule: 15 March 2025 (estimated 4 days)

Duration of Contract:  1 May 2024 – 1 April 2025

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

– A minimum undergraduate degree in design, innovation, social science, international relations, international development, strategic foresight, futures thinking, or related fields. A postgraduate degree in one of these or related fields is an advantage.

– Demonstrated experience in the design of organizational strategy and project management, ideally through participatory approaches rooted in the Foresight field. Applicants should provide examples of at least two projects where they have led or significantly contributed to the strategy design using participatory methods.

– Strong training and facilitation experience, particularly with diverse and intergenerational groups. Applicants must demonstrate experience in facilitating workshops and training sessions that effectively engage participants from varied backgrounds, including youth with disabilities, LGBTQI youth, government officials, and members of marginalized communities.

– Demonstrated experience of working in Thailand, including a deep understanding of its cultural, social, and political context

– Fluent Thai language (both written and oral)

– Very good English (both written and oral)

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, and proposed daily professional fee in USD/Thai Baht by 21 May 2024.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.