Consultancy - Roster of Foresight Support Services Consultants - UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence, Florence, Italy - Remote/Work from Home

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

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For every child, the right to a future

The Foresight and Policy Unit at UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence - Innocenti (OSE) is establishing a roster of qualified consultants to respond to a recurring need for on-demand, short- to medium-term technical support across a range of foresight methods and applications (strategic foresight, horizon scanning, and futures thinking). The roster will serve as a standing, pre-qualified pool of experts from which UNICEF and its country, regional, and headquarters offices can draw upon to support foresight-related initiatives. The roster of consultants is organized along 4 roster streams: Strategic Foresight; Facilitation and Participation; Quantitative Modelling; Knowledge Management and Capacity Building.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the supervision of the Foresight and Policy team, individual consultants may be called to provide technical expertise in strategic foresight approaches, facilitate foresight processes and workshops, or support the integration of futures thinking into UNICEF’s policy, programming, and organizational learning processes. Applicants are requested to demonstrate competencies and experience in one or several of the areas for which they wish to be considered.

1. Strategic Foresight Methodology and Analysis

2. Facilitation and Participation

3. Quantitative Modeling (data, modeling, and digital tools applied to Foresight)

4. Knowledge management and capacity building Strategic and Programmatic Support

If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please review the complete ToR here:  Foresight support services roster EXT.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

• Education: Advanced university degree (Master's or higher) in futures studies, public policy, international development, strategic planning, political science, economics, social sciences, systems thinking, innovation, or a related field.

Specialized training or certification in strategic foresight, futures studies, scenario planning, horizon scanning, or related methodologies is desirable.

• Work Experience: At least 8–10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in strategic foresight, futures thinking, scenario planning, systems transformation, public policy, organizational strategy, innovation, or related fields.
• Skills: Strong knowledge of strategic foresight methodologies and tools, including horizon scanning, trend analysis, emerging issues analysis, scenario planning, systems mapping, futures wheels, Delphi methods, and backcasting.
  • Demonstrated capacity to analyse megatrends and emerging issues affecting sustainable development (e.g. demographic change, climate change, technological transformation, governance, migration, geopolitical shifts).
  • Strong analytical, synthesis, and report-writing skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
  Work-based Experience
  • Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating foresight exercises (horizon scanning, trend analysis, scenario development, backcasting, visioning, and strategic conversations).
  • Proven experience providing technical advisory support to governments, international organizations, development agencies, research institutions, or the private sector on foresight and long-term planning.
  • Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops, consultations, and participatory foresight processes involving diverse audiences.
  • Experience integrating foresight insights into policy development, programme design, organizational strategy, risk management, or decision-making processes.
  Facilitation skills
  • Excellent facilitation skills, including virtual, in-person, and hybrid formats.
  • Proven ability to engage senior decision-makers, technical experts, and diverse stakeholder groups.
  Additional criteria
  • Experience working in complex, uncertain, or rapidly changing environments, including fragile, conflict-affected, or climate-vulnerable contexts.
  • Experience fostering collaboration across sectors and disciplines.
  • Experience in participatory methods with children and youth
  • Experience supporting capacity development and institutionalization of foresight approaches within organizations.
  • Experience in quantitative analysis and modelling
• Language Requirements: Excellent written and spoken English required.
  • Knowledge of additional UN languages (such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

NOTE: Interested and eligible applicants are encouraged to send their application earlier and before the deadline as UNICEF Innocenti will review the applications on a rolling basis.

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 Individual Consultants. Consultants are solely 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 for ensuring 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants 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.