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 Funding Formula Pilot Programme Phase 5 aims to test the impact of an equity-based school funding model on educational equity, learning outcomes, and management efficiency in small, remote public schools under the government of Thailand. Ultimately, the pilot will generate evidence to support advocacy efforts and inform the potential adoption of an equity-based budget formula into preparation of its budget proposal by the government.

The Pilot has been designed and financed by the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) in collaboration with a leading University in Thailand. UNICEF has continuously provided technical guidance - grounded in global evidence - and quality assurance since the onset of the project in 2021. The research pilot aims to assess the impact of availability of school-based additional funding on equity, educational quality, management efficiency, and student learning outcomes in small, remote schools. The research employs the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) methodology focused on 60 treatment schools—divided into two treatment groups (equity-constrained versus discretionary spending)—and 120 control schools.

In Phase 1 and 2 (2021-2022) of the initiative, the equity-based school budgeting formula was estimated and designed to address structural disadvantages related to school size, geographic location, and student vulnerability—factors not adequately captured by the existing Free Education Programme (FEP) funding formula. In Phase 3 (Pilot Year 1: 2023-2024), the revised formula was implemented in the treatment schools and two rounds of budget disbursements (Rounds 1 and 2) and one round of baseline data collection were completed. Phase 4 (Pilot Year 2: 2024-2025) included two additional rounds of budget disbursement (Rounds 3 and 4) and limited follow-up data collection to investigate the programme’s impact on equity in education. In Phase 5 (Pilot Year 3: 2025-2026), the Pilot will provide additional rounds of disbursement (Round 5 and 6) to evaluate the impact of the pilot intervention on education inequality and learning outcomes.

The assignment has two main objectives:

(1) To provide technical support and quality assurance for the Pilot, including the systematic documentation of lessons learned and their comparison with relevant international evidence.

(2) Develop an evidence-based policy brief that draws on data and lessons from the Equity-Based Budgeting Pilot to: (i) present costed option(s) for scaling a revised funding formula to small schools; and (ii) offer broader strategic recommendations on the overall adequacy and effectiveness of school-based financing (beyond small schools) on educational equity in Thailand.

 

Work assignment and deliverables:

Note:

1. The consultant is required to have regular debriefing with UNICEF.

2. Reimbursement will be made based on the actual number of days and upon satisfactory completion of deliverables.

 

Duration of Contract:   15 July 2025 - 31 December 2026

 

Duty Travel: The assignment will include two duty travels to Thailand. Any additional duty travel, if required, may be reimbursed subject to prior agreement with UNICEF.

 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

 

Qualifications or specialized knowledge/ experience required

• Advanced university degree in Economics, Public Policy, Education, or related fields

• A minimum of 10 years of research experience in education and public finance

• Experience in conducting research in the context of high middle-income countries

• Experience and understanding of Thailand’s education system

 

Technical proposal

Applicants are requested to submit a technical proposal of 1,000 – 3,000 words in length, detailing their approach to undertaking this assignment. The following criteria will be used to evaluate the proposal.

 

1. Understanding of the assignment

2. Proposed approach and methodology Quality of the proposed approach, methodology, and conceptual framework Implementation plan on quality assurance and policy brief

 

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, technical proposal, and financial proposal in USD by 2 July 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.

--------------

 

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.