Head - Thailand Policy Lab

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

The UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021 embraces the complexity of development and commits the organization to help countries to find faster, more durable solutions to achieve Agenda 2030. Important development trends like urbanization, climate change, and rising inequalities pose significant challenges to achieve the 2030 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP has begun incubating several strategic initiatives aimed at ensuring UNDP is ‘fit for purpose’ to deliver a new generation of solutions in line with the challenges the world faces. One such key strategic initiative is the Country Accelerator Lab Network. The initiative is a recognition that increasingly interrelated development challenges require going beyond “business as usual” and single point, linear and silver bullet responses in development. Instead, they call for interdisciplinary approaches and non-linear solutions that crowd in the collective efforts of a variety of partners and tap into local insights and the knowledge of people closest to the problem and the solutions.

The initiative is also a recognition and investment in the emerging momentum among a growing number of UNDP Country Offices to adopt disruptive, cutting edge methodologies with contextual, country-based insights and expertise to accelerate impact and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

As an upper-middle-income country, Thailand has advanced far beyond having many of the more basic development challenges affecting other nations. However, several challenges remain.  Even in areas where Thailand has advanced and even become a model for other countries, improvements are possible. Those challenges are no longer best solved by conventional approaches and innovation is better suited.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences highlight the irrelevance of traditional ways of formulating public policies and delivering public services that are not sufficiently agile, efficient and effective to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

In Thailand, for many years UNDP has been investing in exploring innovation by providing seed-funding to initiatives with the belief that innovation happens through practical explorations of new ways to address old development problems.

To accelerate innovation in public policy and services, UNDP and the Royal Thai Government through the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) see an opportunity to accelerate innovation for policies and public services in Thailand and have entered in an agreement to establish a policy innovation platform “Thailand Policy Lab”  or “TPLab” to connect and build capacities of various stakeholders in Thailand including government; academic; private sector; and citizen, to accelerate the impact of innovation in public policy and services in Thailand, and exchange knowledge and experience with other countries in the Asia Pacific region and beyond. 

The Thailand Policy Lab (TPLab) will provide 3 core capacities to partners in Thailand as follow:

a. Exploration

• Exploring the strategic risks under uncertainties, horizon scanning in Thailand and to identify under-the-radar trends and outliers and spot future trends that are relevant for policy formulation and public service development.

b. Portfolio Options & Experiment

• Articulating the possible strategic options against the strategic risks
• Designing and running multiple policy experiments to build Portfolio Options & Experimentation for accelerating impact in selected priority areas
• Experimenting evaluation (e.g. RCT, real-time monitoring, big data, lean impact measurement)

c. Learning 

• Accelerated learning, capacity building, and regional/global positioning for Thailand (e.g. On-the-job learning opportunities for government officials at different levels (line ministry level, local government, and public administration)

Head of TPLab will lead the formulation and oversee the implementation of the innovation agenda of the TPLab in support and alignment with the plans of the Royal Thai Government and UNDP in Thailand.  Head of TPLab will work in close collaboration with government agencies, CSOs, private sector and relevant UNDP program and operation teams to ensure successful acceleration of innovation to improve public policy and services towards the achievement of the SDGs.

She/He reports to the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Thailand and works closely with team of UNDP and NESDC.

1. Strategic management and leadership of the innovation agenda of the TPLab

• Manage TPLab team and ensure the delivery of desired outcomes.
• Develop TPLab’s strategies for supporting the acceleration of innovation to improve public policy and services towards the achievement of the SDGs.
• Take lead in planning and managing complex projects from the initial ideation phase to the final execution.
• Advise TPLab team on policy matters to guide development of projects.
• Provide information support and suggestion for the UNDP and NESDC on the innovation policy development and related issues.
• Lead capacity-building efforts based on the training needs identified by TPLab.

2. Resource mobilization and building partnerships with key government agencies, private sector and UN stakeholders

• Represent TPLab in meetings with stakeholders and strategic partners.
• Communicate TPLab positions in public presentations.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with partners including government agencies, private sector, CSO, co-donor organizations, development/alliance partners, and external consultants.
• Lead the overall resource mobilization for the future sustainability of the TPLab.
• Contributes to embedding the TPLab into the national, regional, and global innovation networks and continuously expands the expertise base available to support TPLab’s work with its clients.
• Engage with investors and support UNDP Thailand and the Royal Thai Government in attracting investment into successful prototype projects.

3.  Ensure provision of top-quality advisory services and facilitation of knowledge building and management focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Design and implement knowledge sharing and communication strategies of TPLab.
• Organize knowledge sharing for the communities and partners in line with promoting the innovation policy in practice.
• Organize trainings for staff and relevant clients with the aim of building new skillsets.

Education:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, International Development, Social Sciences or related disciplines. PhD in related field would be an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years experience of increasing responsibility in public sector, private sector, or international organizations - ideally with experience in public policy process, innovative management approaches, public and private sector innovation strategies, corporate strategies or development financing.
• Proven experience in working with governments or international organizations on innovation.
• Solid experience in leading, supervising and motivating staff and office management.
• Demonstrated experience in innovative approaches in development work.
• Knowledge of UNDP or the UN System is desirable.
• Extensive experience of coordinating international and multi-sector stakeholders including private, public and the civil sectors partners.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Thai.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.