The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has opened applications for a Consultancy – Roster of Foresight Support Services Consultants under the UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence (OSE) in Florence, Italy.
The opportunity is designed for experienced professionals with expertise in strategic foresight, futures thinking, scenario planning, quantitative modelling, facilitation, knowledge management, and organizational capacity building.
The consultancy roster will create a standing pool of pre-qualified experts who may be called upon by UNICEF headquarters, regional offices, country offices, and other teams to provide short- to medium-term technical support on foresight-related initiatives.
The opportunity is listed as remote/work from home, making it potentially attractive to qualified professionals who can provide specialist expertise without being based in Florence.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, and interested candidates are encouraged to apply early. The stated deadline is 30 September 2026.
The Foresight and Policy Unit at UNICEF Office of Strategy and Evidence – Innocenti is establishing the consultant roster in response to UNICEF’s recurring need for specialized support in understanding and preparing for future challenges affecting children and societies.
Strategic foresight helps organizations explore possible futures, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and make better-informed decisions today.
Consultants selected for the roster may be engaged to support activities involving horizon scanning, trend analysis, emerging issues analysis, scenario development, systems mapping, backcasting, futures thinking, strategic conversations, and participatory foresight processes.
The roster is organized into four main streams:
- Strategic Foresight
- Facilitation and Participation
- Quantitative Modelling
- Knowledge Management and Capacity Building
Applicants can demonstrate their expertise in one or several of these areas.
Key Responsibilities
Depending on the assignment, consultants may provide technical expertise in strategic foresight methodologies and help UNICEF teams integrate futures thinking into policy, programming, organizational strategy, and learning processes.
Potential responsibilities may include designing and facilitating foresight exercises, conducting horizon scanning and trend analysis, developing future scenarios, supporting strategic planning, and facilitating consultations involving multiple stakeholders.
Consultants may also be expected to translate complex foresight findings into practical recommendations for decision-makers.
The work could involve collaboration with governments, international organizations, development agencies, research institutions, technical experts, and other stakeholders.
Applicants with experience working in complex and rapidly changing environments are particularly relevant to the roster. Experience in fragile, conflict-affected, or climate-vulnerable contexts is also considered an advantage.
Who Can Apply?
UNICEF is seeking highly experienced professionals with an advanced academic and professional background relevant to foresight and long-term planning.
Applicants are expected to have a Master’s degree or higher in areas such as:
- Futures studies
- Public policy
- International development
- Strategic planning
- Political science
- Economics
- Social sciences
- Systems thinking
- Innovation
- A related discipline
Specialized training or certification in strategic foresight, futures studies, scenario planning, horizon scanning, or related methodologies is desirable.
Candidates should generally have 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 areas.
Skills and Professional Experience
Strong candidates should demonstrate practical knowledge of foresight methodologies and tools, including horizon scanning, trend analysis, emerging issues analysis, scenario planning, systems mapping, futures wheels, Delphi methods, and backcasting.
Experience analysing major global trends and emerging issues is also important. These may include demographic change, climate change, technological transformation, governance, migration, and geopolitical developments.
Candidates should have excellent analytical, synthesis, communication, and report-writing abilities, together with the capacity to explain complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Experience designing and facilitating foresight workshops, strategic conversations, consultations, and participatory processes will be valuable.
UNICEF also highlights experience integrating foresight findings into policy development, programme design, organizational strategy, risk management, and decision-making.
Additional desirable experience includes working with children and young people through participatory approaches, supporting institutional capacity development, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and applying quantitative analysis or modelling to foresight.
Language Requirements
Excellent written and spoken English is required.
Knowledge of additional United Nations languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is considered an asset.
Consultancy and Remote Work Information
The position is categorized as a Consultant opportunity, with the duty station listed as Florence, Italy, while the vacancy specifies Remote/Work from Home.
It is important for applicants to understand that consultants engaged under an individual consultancy contract are not considered UNICEF staff members and are therefore not entitled to staff benefits such as leave entitlements and medical insurance.
Consultants are responsible for determining and meeting their own applicable tax obligations.
Selected consultants are also responsible for ensuring that any required visa and health insurance arrangements remain valid throughout the consultancy period.
For consultants working fully remotely who are not expected to visit UNICEF premises, interact directly with communities, or travel for UNICEF functions, the vacancy notes that the COVID-19 vaccination requirement does not apply.
Why This Opportunity Stands Out
This consultancy roster offers experienced foresight professionals an opportunity to potentially contribute their expertise to UNICEF initiatives addressing some of the complex challenges shaping the future of children and communities.
Rather than recruiting for only one fixed assignment, UNICEF is establishing a pre-qualified pool of experts that can be drawn upon for different foresight-related needs.
Professionals with strong backgrounds in strategic planning, public policy, systems transformation, futures studies, data modelling, facilitation, and organizational learning may therefore find the roster particularly relevant.
The opportunity may also appeal to consultants who have previously worked with governments, international organizations, research institutions, development agencies, or private-sector organizations on long-term planning and uncertainty.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified professionals should review the complete Terms of Reference (ToR) carefully before submitting an application. The ToR provides additional information about the consultancy roster and its requirements.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so candidates are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible rather than waiting until the final deadline.
Job Number: 595051
Contract Type: Consultant
Duty Station: Florence, Italy
Work Arrangement: Remote/Work from Home
Functional Areas: Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Minimum Experience: 8–10 years
Minimum Education: Master’s degree or higher
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Official Application: Apply through UNICEF Careers
Applicants should ensure that their CV, professional experience, academic qualifications, and demonstrated foresight competencies clearly correspond with the roster stream or streams for which they wish to be considered.
