BACKGROUND INFORMATION

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

UNESCO Education Sector’s Futures of Learning and Innovation Division steers human-centered digital transformations in education and guides international efforts to establish new and more human-centered trajectories for education in a digital age.
In a time of rapid digital transformation, education systems are scrambling to ensure public education is supported in online and digital spaces as well as in the vital physical and social spaces of schools and universities. They are also working to ensure online education complements and enriches school education and vice-versa. But too often public education stops where the digital begins. In many countries around the world, it is not at all clear where learners, teachers and parents can go to access digital learning content that is free, quality controlled, age appropriate and aligned with the curriculum. The options that are available tend to be for-profit, riddled with advertising, poorly reflective of local customs and culture, and tailored for data extraction.

The UNESCO-UNICEF Gateways to Public Digital Leaning Initiative, managed by the Futures of Learning and Innovation Division, responds to this challenge. Lead by UNESCO and UNICEF, the Gateways Initiative helps countries establish and improve their public digital learning platforms. It seeks to ensure that that public education extends into the digital realm and that in the future every student, teacher and parent has a clear destination to access good quality digital learning content.
The Gateways Initiative was launched at the Transforming Education Summit in direct response to the Member States’ Call to Action: Assuring quality public digital learning for all. It actualizes country commitments to “establish and iteratively improve national digital learning platforms” and to “empower teachers, learners, and families” through these platforms.

In line with the Call to Action, unlocking the transformative potential of digital learning requires three keys: connectivity, capacities and content. Numerous international initiatives are working to make connectivity and devices more universal and to build the digital capacities and skills of children and adults. Content, however, is routinely overlooked. Gateways Initiative works with governments to help make free and high-quality digital learning content easy-to-find and easy-to-use.

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Junior Professional Officer (JPO) will work under the overall supervision of the Director of Future of Learning and Innovation Division and the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist.

Within this context, the JPO will be responsible for:
• Supporting substantively and logistically the work of UNESCO’s Futures of Education team, particularly projects on digital learning futures, including the Gateways to Public Digital Learning Initiative.
• Conducting background research on AI and education to support the development of a UNESCO report about AI and the future of learning.
• Supporting categorization tasks and trends analysis related to public digital learning platforms.
• Supporting the preparation of summaries, data fact sheets and other communication materials to clarify UNESCO positions on various aspects of digital learning futures.
• Supporting the development of fundraising proposals and outreach to donors.
• Supporting Programme Specialists to help UNESCO develop positions about best practices related to public digital learning platform and uses and misuses of new AI applications in education, particularly large language model AI utilities.
• Working with UNESCO staff members to help prepare and polish talking points, speeches and slide presentations.
• Assisting in data collection and data visualization projects.
• Helping to update web content about ED/FLI programmes and projects.
• Supporting the organization and implementation of ED/FLI events.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in an social science or humanities field, ideally reflecting an focus or interest in education.

Work experience:

• Preferably a minimum of two years of professional experience in education or other social science or adjacent fields.
• Professional writing and research experience.
• Demonstrated interest in debates about the social implications of technology and technology developments.
• Demonstrated ability to propose novel ideas.
• Experience developing and sustaining partnerships with outside individuals and organizations to advance shared objectives.

Competencies and skills:

• Strong analytical and drafting skills.
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English and able to exchange information on complex issues.
• Strong problem solving skills.
• Reads widely and stays abreast of trends and innovative concepts, opinions and practices (in education and technology).
• Shares ideas with others.
• Good organizational, time management and project implementation skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and to maintain good working relations with professionals in a multi-cultural environment.
• Integrity and professional discretion.

Languages:

• Excellent knowledge of English; knowledge of French and/or another UNESCO official language is an asset.

LEARNING ELEMENTS

• Develop familiarity with UNESCO’s work and mission, in particular in education, within the wider international education and development community;
• Develop the ability to analyse and integrate knowledge in a complex environment, formulate judgements and communicate them;
• Deepen understandings for the ways research, foresight and innovation can help influence education policies at both global and national levels;
• Develop interpersonal skills to work effectively in an international environment involving multiples stakeholders and partners.

HOW TO APPLY

Note: This post is opened in the context of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme sponsored by the Government of United States of America and is addressed exclusively to candidates who have U.S. citizenship, who have not already completed a Young Professional (YPP) or Junior Professional (JPO) contract.

To apply for the JPO Programme of the United States of America, the candidates should meet the following criteria:
1. Nationality: Candidates should have U.S. citizenship.
2. Age: 32 years maximum (born before 31 December 1992)
3. Diplomas: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) with three (3) years of relevant working experience or, a Bachelor’s degree with five (5) years relevant working experience.
4. Languages: Fluency in English (oral and written) and knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

The candidates should directly apply through the UNESCO Career Website.