Role Purpose & Objectives
Under the overall authority of the Director of the UIS and with direct supervision from the Sr. Regional Advisor/Head of Regional Field Network—and administrative oversight from the Director of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean—the incumbent will:

• Enhance the UIS core set of education indicators in the region.
• Collaborate with member states to strengthen their capacity in monitoring SDGs.
• Secure national commitments to SDG4 benchmarks through targeted data collection and capacity-building activities.

Key Objectives:

• Improve data quality, timeliness, and completeness.
• Support regional initiatives and strategic actions aligned with UIS and UNESCO goals.
• Foster sustainable partnerships and resource mobilization for long-term capacity development.

Key Responsibilities

Data Collection
Develop & Implement Workplan:

• Create a detailed plan aimed at improving the quality, timeliness, and completeness of data against the UIS Core System of Education Indicators.

Monitor & Validate Data:

• Track response rates and data quality from member states; coordinate necessary actions to enhance data reporting and secure country validation for key indicators.

Support Regional Programmes:

• Facilitate the implementation of UIS activities, including education, literacy, learning outcomes, science & technology, culture, and communication & information statistics.

Expected Deliverable: Increased data accuracy and enhanced member state engagement.

Capacity Development
Plan Development (in Collaboration):

• Work with the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education for Latin America and the Caribbean to:
• Develop medium-term plans that prioritize the strengthening of SDG4 reporting and monitoring.
• Map key stakeholders and expand the UIS network at national and regional levels.
• Design and implement a regional resource mobilization plan for capacity building.

Policy & Report Development:

• Assist in the creation of policy briefs, regional/national studies, and reports on SDG4.

Enhance Data Capabilities:

• Provide training and technical support to build member states’ capacities for effective data collection and dissemination.

Contribution to UIS Core Work
Reporting & Documentation:

• Contribute to the preparation of technical documents, reports for UIS and UNESCO governing bodies, and communications for external stakeholders including donors and development partners.

Coordination & Liaison:

• Maintain active collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Santiago, the Regional Bureau for Education, UNESCO national and cluster Offices, and the Regional Bureau of Science and Culture.

Additional Support:

• Undertake any supplementary activities necessary to support the UIS mandate and ensure overall success.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in statistics, economics, demography, education or social sciences with a substantial applied statistics / data sciences component.

Work Experience

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible relevant professional experience as a statistician working with administrative, finance, survey, and/or assessment data relating to education of which preferably at least 3 (three) years acquired at regional / international level strengthening education data capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Experience with partnership development and resource mobilisation.
• Experience in capacity building and developing field projects.
• Experience with relevant coding languages (e.g., Python, R), data visualisation tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and database management (SQL).

Skills/competencies

• Ability to explore innovative options to deliver education data, including understanding how to leverage on emerging methodological and technology opportunities.
• Capability to prepare analytical and dissemination products on complex technical issues suitable for a general policy audience.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English or Spanish and a working knowledge of the other.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Advanced university degree (PhD degree or equivalent) in statistics, economics, demography, mathematics, education, social sciences or related areas.
• An advanced degree in applied statistics / data science.

Work Experience

• Experience in applied research, education data analysis and statistical modelling.
• Experience working in developing countries with National Statistical Offices or Planning Units.
• Experience with modernization of official statistics.
• Experience with current initiatives and issues in the area of data management.
• Experience of working with learning assessments
• Experience in the UN system or a similar agency.

Languages

• Knowledge of another official language of UNESCO (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish)