Futurist- COVID-19 Futures Support Team

Background

Over the past year, the Data, Strategy and Innovation (DSI) Group has been working with Member States and countries to apply futures approaches to longer term health systems planning. Traditional planning generally strives to overcome problems and issues being faced at the time of planning and/or derived from experiences in the recent past. This retrospective approach can result in short-sighted responses that may not meet the challenges posed by a rapidly changing world with emerging environmental threats, political and demographic shifts and technological opportunities. By contrast, a strategic health futures dialogue is based on a prospective approach, by which a vision for the future is developed and policies and plans to achieve that vision are formed through backcasting.  

This approach has been modified and coupled with an agile methodology to respond to the rapidly growing pandemic. Multidisciplinary teams tasked with looking at the future through a specific impact lens (e.g. NPIs, equity, economy) will be established: the teams will work over short sprints; describing future scenarios; and the impact on health systems and health status. Using a backcasting approach, the teams will then identify strategic actions for WHO and countries that future proof systems and responses, manage hyper change and build resilience.

Over the course of the pandemic, this approach will be applied and modified to give strategic advice to senior management within the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific as well as shape guidance for countries.

Purpose/Specific Objective of the Activity

To support the coordination of futures think tanks and explore a broad futures approach in delivering strategic insights for the Western Pacific Region on COVID-19 scenarios and their consequences over the next 18 months. The futures think tanks will drive thinking and strategy on ways to address the pandemic by building resilience among countries and governments and creating future-proof organizations and systems.

Method(s) to carry out the activity
 

Output 1:          Support to the WPRO think tanks  
 

Deliverables

• Provide support to the day to day running of the think tanks.
• Trouble shooting and supporting the team to keep track of progress.

Output 2:          Development of the outputs for the think tanks
 

Deliverables

• Creating stakeholder specific formats for the think tank team to provide feedback in.
• Supporting each of the think tanks to create graphics and slide sets to guide strategic messaging.
• Drafting short narratives that explain the outputs.
• Working with external futurists to identify new ways of communicating the futures work to the general public.

Output 3:         Working with WHO staff and other contractors to develop a webpage to communicate the outputs of the think tanks and longer-term work of strategic health futures dialogue 
 

Deliverables

• Identify and format key content to be communicated including futures wheels, graphic content and key information to be shared.
• Provide direction to the website developer on overall aesthetics.
• Proactively seek feedback from end users.
• Support the end-to-end process development for the webpage.

Output 4:         Support to developing and informing COVID-19 responses in the Western Pacific region using futures thinking and foresight methodologies

Deliverables

• Ongoing support to COVID-19 discussions at Regional and country levels.
• Supporting the translation of outputs and results of COVID-19 discussions into subject-specific formats.

Education/Qualifications
University degree in medicine, business management or other relevant degree in social or natural sciences.
Desirable: Master's degree or PhD in management, business administration, public health or related studies.

Experience
At least five years’ experience strategic planning, training and workshop methodologies including some experience within an international context. Experience in programme implementation.

Technical skills and knowledge
Excellent in report writing and data analysis. Good knowledge of the dynamics of the international public health work. Excellent people and communication skills (oral and written). Ability to work effectively and deliver outputs in a timely manner.

Languages
Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English is essential. Working knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage

Competencies

• Producing results
• Communication
• Moving forward in a changing environment
• Fostering integration and teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Place of Assignment
Work will be done remotely.

Additional information
WHO will review all the proposals and take the best proposal, based on the prevailing industry rates

Please submit following documents to the Supply Officer (WPRO) at wproungm@who.int  by 22 May 2020. (Subject: Tender Notice 192009)
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• Expression of interest (cover letter) 
• Proposed fee and timelines
• Portfolio and samples of work
• WHO personal history form or CV
• Please note that the application may be closed before the indicated closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received
• Only the successful candidates will be contact