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 Team of the UNICEF Thailand Country Office is seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a feasibility assessment of the pilot project for the future institutionalisation and scale up of integrated services for youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) situations, with the goal of facilitating its nationwide scale-up and supporting its adoption as a national policy instrument by the relevant Government authorities.
The specific objectives of this assessment are to:
- Document evidence of implementation progress to date and effectiveness of the pilot initiative.
- Cost the pilot initiative to determine the minimum costs of implementing the model and develop a costing tool that can be customized in the future as variables change.
- Assess the extent to which the integrated services could be implemented effectively at the local level in different settings, considering factors, such as available resources, and institutional setups.
- Propose modalities for institutionalizing the integrated services pilot in terms of coordination and planning, and programme delivery, including identifying relevant stakeholders and institutional/legal mandates that need to be in place.
- Provide an estimation of the cost of scaling up the pilot initiative, including potential gains from economies of scale.
Through these objectives, this assignment aims to build a strong evidence base to advocate for the sustainability of the integrated services model for youth in NEET situations and support its national-scale implementation in collaboration with relevant decision-makers.
Work assignment and deliverables:
The consultant is expected to carry out the assignments, as follows:
Assignment 1: Development of inception report
The consultant will develop a detailed inception report outlining the assessment framework, methodology, and work plan, with inputs from the Steering Committee. A kick-off meeting will be convened by UNICEF to ensure a shared understanding of the objectives, scope, and approach of the assignment, with inputs from the Steering Committee.[1]
The inception report should include:
- Desk review of key project documents and contextual information provided by UNICEF and relevant stakeholders upon the assignment’s inception. *Since some documents may be in Thai, the consultant must be able to translate them into English.
- A detailed work plan and timeline aligned with the Terms of Reference, outlining key milestones and deliverables.
- Methodology for the feasibility assessment, ensuring the specific objectives of assignment are addressed (per #2 above).
- Data collection tools (e.g., structured questionnaires, interview guides, focus group discussion protocols).
- Ethical considerations: Address ethical considerations in line with UNICEF’s Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection, and Analysis.
- Identification of potential risks in the data collection process and propose mitigation measures.
The draft inception report will be shared with key stakeholders for review and feedback. The consultant will incorporate the inputs received and finalize the report, ensuring alignment with stakeholder expectations and assessment objectives.
Expected Deliverable: Inception report in English
Delivery Schedule: By end of June 2025. (7 days)
Assignment 2: Development of draft feasibility assessment report
To prepare the draft feasibility assessment report, the consultant will:
1. Undertake key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), to collect evidence on the pilot’s implementation progress to date and effectiveness of the initiative (according to existing M&E framework). Data collection and review of financial data might entail contacting (remotely and/or in person) national or local authorities and/or other implementing partners, as deemed relevant to support costing projections (e.g., identifying relevant government HR costs etc)[2].
2. Review and analyse the pilot’s budget and expenditure data (including direct, indirect and “hidden costs” as well as fixed and variable costs) from each pilot site through project documents provided by UNICEF and/or through consultations with relevant stakeholders.
For the costing exercise, components that should be considered include:
• Services/activities provided
• Frequency of activities and duration
• Service provider-to-youth ratios and staff remuneration
• Supervision and capacity development of service providers
• Geography
• Delivery setting
• Programme scale
The consultant will analyse both qualitative and quantitative data – including gaps, challenges, and opportunities – to draw key conclusions and assess implications for institutionalizing and scaling up the integrated services model for youth in NEET situations.
The findings from this analysis are expected to inform the development of the pilot cost structure. This includes mapping key cost items (e.g., personnel, training, materials) by determining the actual unit cost of each component to be included in multi-year projections for scaling up. Additionally, the consultant will develop a costing tool that can be customized in future as variables change to assess financial feasibility and resource requirements for scale up.
To the extent possible, the costing analysis should include conclusions on the financial sustainability of the pilot, considering available information on current budget envelope of relevant Ministries, historic and committed funding to relevant programmes, as well as prospect funding, national and sub-national sources.
3. Consolidate the findings from the data analysis and produce a user-friendly report of maximum 50 pages.
Specifically, the report should include:
1) Evidence of the pilot’s current progress and analysis of its effectiveness.
2) Cost of implementing the pilot model and the costing tool that can be customized in the future as variables change.
3) Analysis of the extent to which the integrated services could be implemented effectively at the local level in different settings, considering factors, such as available resources, and institutional setups.
4) Proposed modalities for institutionalizing the integrated services pilot in terms of coordination and planning, and programme delivery, including relevant stakeholders and institutional/legal mandates that need to be in place.
5) Estimation of the cost of scaling up the pilot initiative, including potential gains from economies of scale.
6) Recommendations on a broader strategy for improving integrated services delivery of youth in NEET situations and vulnerable young people in Thailand.
Expected Deliverable: Draft report in English
Delivery Schedule: By end of July 2025. (28 days)
Assignment 3: Presentation of findings and report finalization
The consultant will prepare a PPT summarizing the content of the draft report and deliver a presentation for the assignment’s Steering Committee to present the findings. Based on feedback from UNICEF and the assignment’s Steering Committee, the consultant will finalise the report in a user-friendly format, along with the PowerPoint presentation.
Expected Deliverable: Final report in English and PowerPoint presentation, along with a policy brief (6 pages max) in Thai and English
Delivery Schedule: By end of August 2025. (8 days)
Duration of Contract: 1 June 2025 – 30 September 2025
Duty Travel: The consultant will be expected to travel to 5 target locations (Na Phu Sub-district in Udon Thani, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat) to collect data and meet key stakeholders. It is estimated that the consultant will travel for approximately 10 days during the project.
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Qualifications or specialized knowledge/ experience required
• Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Administration, Social Policy, or relevant fields.
• At least 8 years of demonstrated experience in conducting feasibility assessments, costing exercises, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, data analysis and development planning.
• Knowledge of the Thai public finance system, including at local level.
• Previous work experience with government, development agencies or UN agencies.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Good writing and communication skills in English.
• Ability to work with local language documents (via use of ai translation tools or support from a translator); and proven ability to conceptualize, write briefs, concept notes in English language.
Interested candidates are requested to submit CV, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, technical proposal, and financial proposal by 7 May 2025
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 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. Consultants 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.
[1] A Steering Committee, comprising representatives from UNICEF, NESDC and MoL will be established to provide strategic oversight of the assessment and ensure meaningful engagement with key stakeholders throughout the assignment.
[2] *Translation support may be required for KIIs and FGDs involving participants who are not proficient in English. The consultant will be responsible for any financial costs incurred for translation services.
