Research Analyst [Open to Tier 1 & 2 applicants]

Background

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.

TP Lab Goal: People Centered - Inclusive Policy Innovation. Enhance competitiveness of the country and support the OECD accession

• Strategic Development and Policy Innovation for Transforming the Public Policy Process in Thailand – Developing systemic policy recommendations using innovative approaches and methodologies like learning orientation, systems thinking, human centered design thinking, inclusive participation, foresight and scenario planning etc. Finalize findings into formal policy recommendations and comprehensive knowledge products. Deliver the formal policy recommendations through relevant official channels and disseminate tailored knowledge products to stakeholders and sector-specific audiences for practical implementation.- Policy Systems Transformation
• Development of Policy Innovation Recommendations for Addressing Critical and Emerging Issues – Developing Issue-Specific Policy Recommendations using innovative processes and methodologies that emphasize learning orientation, systems thinking, human centered design thinking, inclusive participation, foresight and scenario planning etc. Developing Issue-Specific Policy Recommendations. Thematic areas are such as:
  • Economic: Food Value chain (Norhern Food Valley and scaling to other regions)
  • Social: Justice Transofrmation – Technology Facilitated Gender based Violence or Anti-Corruption
  • Climate: Green skills, green jobs, Just Energy Transition
• Learning community of innovators strengthened through development services, capacity building and networking – Increase access, awareness, multi-partners engagement and capacity of policy-making personnel, key stakeholders and public to updated information and knowledge on policy innovation, good practices and lessons learned in Thailand and other countries. Increase public and stakeholders’ awareness and engagement in policy innovation in policy innovation in various levels including public, private, academies, CSOs, NGOs, vulnerable groups, etc. through trainings, and knowledge products
  • Be a space for regional policy innovation – by gathering network of international experts and development practitioners in this region for the knowledge exchange and experience sharing.
  • Be a mechanism to position Thailand as a champion in policy innovation in the region - by enhancing capacity of Thai government agencies in terms of knowledge, skill and hands-on experiences in applying policy innovations for policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.
  • Be a learning platform for community of global innovators - by developing knowledge products including experience of Thailand and extend knowledge of policy innovation among various stakeholders such as experts, decision makers, government agencies, local administrative organisations, civil society organisations, academia, private sectors, social enterprises etc.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Research Analyst will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Head of Thailand Policy Lab/ Project manager, and alongside the Thailand Policy Lab members, including the Policy Innovation Analyst, Policy Analyst and Project Associate.

Policy Research and Analysis

• Responsible for the research and analysis work for the systems Transformation for Policy Innovation. And support the work of thematic issues for policy innovation transformation for pillar 1, 2 and 3 of TPLab’s work;
• Lead comprehensive research initiatives on complex policy issues spanning multiple domains, applying advanced data analysis techniques and policy innovation tools to generate evidence-based recommendations;
• Serve as Task Manager for assigned policy pillars, coordinating cross-functional teams throughout the policy development lifecycle.

Innovation and Research

• Lead the research, design and implementation of policy experiments through the Thailand Policy Lab, utilizing innovative methodologies for testing solutions to complex challenges. Creating well-designed policy experiments with clear evaluation frameworks that generate actionable evidence;
• Develop high-quality research papers, policy briefs, and tec