Futurists and Foresight Practitioners at Major Organizations
Having a futurist on your team or as a consultant may sound exotic, but they exist in many multinational companies and help the company keep ahead of the competition and changing trends.
Below is an example of some major companies, from Toyota to Disney, that have posted positions for foresight strategists. An excerpt of the job descriptions is provided to give you a peak on the roles and responsibilities foresight strategists (futurists) may have.
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Autodesk: Strategic Foresight Practitioner
We’re looking for a new team member who is enthusiastic about strategicthinking, working with thought leaders from inside and outside of Autodesk, andconstructing narratives that examine the Future of Work and explore how thisfuture will shape Autodesk and our customers. In doing so you will help informhow Autodesk can shape this future. This role sits within the Strategic Foresightteam under the Chief Technology Officer and spans the company in terms ofcrafting a strategic viewpoint on Autodesk’s role in helping people imagine,design, and make a better world.
The Lego Group: Innovation Strategy & Foresight Director
As a Strategy and Foresight Director you ensure that strategies and strategic options are developed with an anchor point in the future, in line with the companyvision, and while factoring in short and long-term business ambitions.Furthermore, the Innovation Strategy and Foresight Director will play a key role inbuilding up CPL innovation consultancy and in driving capability building ofstrategic foresight as a key field in strategy creation.
McDonald: Director of Foresight, Global Strategic Insights
The Director of Foresight, Global Strategic Insights will be a key member of theMcDonald’s Global Strategic Insights team and will help the company buildforesight capability, pushing the company’s thinking into the 5+ year horizon.
The successful candidate will have their finger on the pulse of future trends andintegrate them into McDonald’s current systems to help futureproof the business.This is a new function within the business, so ability to create capabilities and becomfortable with ambiguity is a must.
Arup: Senior Foresight Strategist
As a Senior Foresight Consultant you will play an integral part in the delivery of foresight products and services to internal based in London and report to the Global Foresight Manager. You will lead the design and delivery of projects, develop relationships, and facilitate high level stakeholder workshops and engagements.
The role will require a good understanding of the trends and issues shaping the future of the built environment as well businesses. We expect you to work closely with Service-, Business- and Skill Leaders, incorporating their awareness, priorities into your work. You are expected to build and manage external relationship and deliver foresight consulting of sectors
Toyota: Foresight and Trends Senior Analyst
Toyota’s Corporate Strategy & Planning, Business Insights team is looking for a passionate and highly motivated Foresight and Trends Senior Analyst.
The primary responsibility of this role is identifying, tracking, and analyzing societal and consumer trends, consulting and collaborating with client groups on business implications.
Reporting to the Business Environment Manager, the person in this role will support Business Insights objective to drive strategic thinking, innovation, and confident decisionmaking within the organization.
Disney: Consumer Foresight Sr. Analyst
We are seeking a Consumer Foresight Sr. Analyst to support the team
focused on providing breakthrough consumer insights and thought
leadership to the enterprise on the consumer of today and tomorrow.These insights will be identified through always-on scanning of secondary studies on shifting consumer values, marketplace signals, and behavioral trends to drive a deep understanding of potentially disruptive forces that will help identify opportunities, mitigate risks, and shape our future strategies.
Meta (fna Facebook): Foresight Strategist
For this position we are looking for experienced individual contributors who will help elevate the practice of research with creative but rigorous research and foresight methods. The right candidates will be strong communicators, knowledgeable about product design, passionate about understanding people, curious about the relationship between technology and society, comfortable in a flat, fast moving organization, and a great collaborator. This role will play an integral part in the growth of the business, bridging the divide between insight, foresight, and action.
National University of Singapore: Strategist/Foresight Practitioner
The Futures Office will design and conduct a horizon-scanning process to make sense of the different forces at play. The Office will also design and produce scenarios that will serve as sandboxes in which the NUS leadership can test its long-term strategies. We are hiring the “charter members” of this new Office that will establish the processes, structures and culture of futures thinking work within NUS. The Futures Office will not only serve the University leadership and the larger NUS family, but will serve as a centre of excellence for futures-thinking concepts and practices