Head of Education

OVERVIEW

Post Number : 1CAUIS0095PA

Grade : P-5

Parent Sector : UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)

Duty Station: Montreal

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Project Appointment

Duration of contract : 2 years, renewable

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 04-NOV-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Duration of contract: initially 2 years, with possibility of extension subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Established in 1999, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) serves as UNESCO’s statistical agency for its 193 member states (MS) and 12 associated members.  The UIS agenda is focused on the delivery of cross-national comparable data for Global, regional and development agendas, covering the fields of education, science, culture, and communication and information. The UIS delivers the technical support for MS to produce transformative data based on the 3 pillars (Standards and methodologies; Data production; Brokering and outreach). The UIS’ vision, described in its 2022-2029 Medium Term strategy, is to ensure that countries’ policies and decision-making are informed by sound statistical information; that they can benchmark progress towards national and international goals and learn from the experience of others. The UIS is seeking to build a management team that will lead the successful implementation of that vision.

The UIS provides the data and technical inputs for global, regional and funding mechanisms for education work, such as the UN Transforming Education Summit, the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM), G7, G20 and the GPE results framework. The UIS meets data needs for emerging priorities, for example through its work with UNICEF, World Bank, OECD and the GEMR on the Joint Survey of national education responses to COVID 19. Within the mandate of strengthening reporting, the UIS in partnership with the Global Education Monitoring report (GEMR) achieved consensus on the adoption of an SDG 4 benchmarking process and supports countries in setting and monitoring targets for 2025 and 2030 as co-leaders of the data and monitoring function of the GCM.

Under the overall authority and supervision of the Director of UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the incumbent, as Head of Education Data and Indicators Section leads the development and implementation of the section’s work plan, ensuring alignment with the UIS transformation agenda and coherence across teams. The incumbent manages the work of three units: Administrative Data, Household Survey Data, and Data Standards and Integration. S/he will be responsible for the timely update of the global education indicator database, maintaining high standards of quality, comparability, and relevance.  More specifically, the incumbent’s main activities will include the following:

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Main responsibilities and tasks

1. Strategic planning and work plan execution

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of the section’s work plan, ensuring alignment with UIS strategic priorities and transformation direction.
• Lead the development of the statistical processes ensuring efficiency and quality with a system of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and clear-cut defined workflows for the production and update of the indicators under the section’s responsibility.
• Monitor and validate the timely update of the global education indicator database, ensuring compliance with UIS standards and methodologies.
• Oversee programmatic and administrative tasks including budgeting, performance monitoring, and reporting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop a work program to achieve these objectives ensuring the production of reports to member states and inputs to maximize the effectiveness of the Regional Field Network (RFN)  work.
• Initiate and introduce necessary changes to ensure the section activities respond to current and emerging data needs.

2. Statistical frameworks, standards and tools

• Oversee the maintenance, revision, and development of the statistical frameworks, standards, and tools that underpin UIS education indicator production. .
• Ensure that tools and documentation for data capture, validation, and indicator calculation are regularly updated and disseminated to partners and countries.
• Lead the integration of data from multiple sources, including administrative records, household surveys, and modelled estimates.
• Promote the harmonization across data sources and alignment with SDG 4 monitoring requirements.
• Develop and maintain the ISCED governance mechanisms, strengthen implementation and coherence of the classification system.
• Contribute to documents that support the work of governance mechanisms including the Technical Cooperation Group on the Indicators for SDG 4-Education 2030 (TCG) and the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) as needed.

3. Administrative data production

• Propose a workplan on production of indicators based on administrative data using all possible sources, revise the collection tools as needed.
• Contribute to the development of a Statistical Quality Assurance Framework by development of the administrative data KPIs.
• Oversee the management of activities related to the production of administrative data ensuring that norms and standards are implemented, with clear KPIs and substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion.
• Monitor KPIs for the section’s work on administrative data.
• Ensure that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates.

4. Household survey data production

• Provide strategic leadership to produce education indicators from household surveys and censuses, ensuring methodological rigor and comparability.
• Oversee the integration of survey-based and administrative data to strengthen coverage of participation, completion, and learning indicators.
• Guide the analysis of equity and socio-economic disparities in education, ensuring UIS reporting reflects inclusion and gender dimensions.
• Coordinate with national authorities and partner agencies (e.g., ILO, ECLAC, GEM Report) on data production, validation, and harmonization
• Lead the development of methodologies, tools, and guidance to support survey-based education statistics and indicator calculation. 

5. Partnership management and data contributions

•  Support the RFN in country engagement through business analytics, tools, training and technical assistance
• Manage strategic partnerships with key partners (OECD, GEMR, ECLAC, ILO, etc) to ensure timely and quality data contributions to the UIS global indicator database.

Long Description

6. Support to SDG4 coordination

• Support the Director in the preparation and organization of deliberations of the Education Data and Statistics Commission,
• Support the Director in coordinating UIS engagement with UNESCO, the GEM Report, and global SDG 4 partners for coherent reporting and analytical outputs.
• Oversee the development and dissemination of SDG 4 metadata, standards, and methodologies, in line with UN Statistical Commission processes.
• Promote country capacity development and technical assistance for national SDG 4 monitoring aligned with UIS standards.

7. People and talent management 

• Provide all staff under her/his supervision with clear objectives and expectations, aligned organizational strategy and policy along with the needed direction to achieve results
• Regularly discuss performance with staff, giving timely constructive feedback, identify learning goals for staff and ensure a supportive environment for personal and professional development; recognize individual contribution and acknowledge team success
• Commit time and energy to the well-being of all direct reports
• Ensure the section is strategically staffed for effective delivery of the section as defined in bi-annual work programs of the Department.
• Manage, mentor, guide, develop and train staff under his/her supervision.
• Put in place, with the assistance of the Human Resource, talent management mechanisms, to build a talent pool of the section to maintain effective delivery and business continuity.

8. Work program validation and execution

• Provide strategic advice and support, as a member of the senior management team, to the Director and contribute to the Institute’s work programme development and implementation.
• Carry out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance.
• Review and validate objectives and work program ensuring alignment with the UIS Governing Board decisions and guidelines from the UIS.DIR ensuring staff under his/her responsibility understand the implications for the section.
• Contribute to the UIS reporting, including the preparation of documents for UIS and UNESCO governing bodies; and for other internal and external stakeholder including donors and development partners.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in statistics, economics, mathematics, education or social sciences with a substantial applied statistics / data sciences component.    

Work experience

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience in education data and statistics, especially with developing countries, of which preferably 5 years acquired at international level either within a UN or similar agency or in a Government Ministry or agency.
• Experience of leading and managing statistical data production programmes/projects in education is required.
• Experience in designing and implementing project and programme activities pertaining to effective data collection, processing and dissemination is required. 
• Experience working as a statistician, researcher or analyst on programmes or activities in the field of education statistics.
• Extensive and in-depth experience on statistical work in developing countries with National Statistical Offices or Planning Units.

Skills/competencies

• Senior expertise in statistical framework, standards, methods and tools in the production of education data and indicators
• Senior expertise in statistical production processes and procedures, including data quality assurance standards and procedures
• Expert level proficiency in the use of statistical data analysis programmes.
• Strong analytical and empirical skills for interpreting data and informed policymaking.
• High degree of diplomacy, discretion with proven ability to function under uncertainties.
• Ability to think strategically and to design long term plans and programs in line with the strategic priorities.
• Good leadership and ability to attract, motivate and retain high quality professional staff
• Demonstrated capability to plan and manage projects.
• Ability to manage an effective and collaborative team in a multicultural environment.

Language

• Excellent knowledge of English ( written and spoken).

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• PhD or equivalent degree in statistics, economics or related field.

Work experience

• Experience working on education data and statistics in countries in LDC (Least Developed Countries) and/or Africa.
• Experience in partnership development and resource mobilisation.

Languages

• Good knowledge of French.

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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