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The Head of Learning Assessment and Policy Data serves as the Institute’s senior authority and strategic lead on the measurement of learning outcomes and of the policies to achieve them. Provides overall vision, leadership, and technical oversight for UIS’s global portfolio covering learning and its policy determinants, ensuring methodological rigor, international comparability, and strategic relevance to SDG 4.
Job Responsibility:
Define and lead the strategic vision, priorities, and work programme for learning assessment and Policy Data at UIS
Provide senior technical and managerial leadership to the Learning Assessment and Policy Data team
Oversee planning, budgeting, performance monitoring, and reporting for the learning assessment and policy data portfolio
Provide authoritative oversight of global frameworks and standards for learning assessment
Ensure the continued relevance, technical robustness, and global acceptance of UIS learning assessment methodologies and reporting tools
Guide the development of innovative statistical and psychometric approaches
Lead the integration and streamlining of policy data relevant to learning and its determinants
Provide overall governance and oversight of validation and quality assurance mechanisms for learning and policy data
Lead high-level engagement with Member States, UN agencies, development partners, donors, assessment organizations, and academic institutions
Represent UIS as the global technical authority on learning assessment and policy determinants
Set and oversee a strategic research agenda focused on the measurement of policies for learning
Oversee the development of innovative approaches to learning-related SDG 4 policy indicators
Provide strategic oversight of capacity development initiatives
Advise UIS senior management and UNESCO leadership on trends, risks, and strategic opportunities
Requirements:
Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in statistics, psychometrics, education measurement, economics, or a closely related quantitative discipline
A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in learning assessment, education measurement, or related fields, including leadership of complex international programmes
Extensive experience across the full learning assessment cycle, including framework development, standard setting, psychometric analysis, reporting, and policy use
Proven experience in leading global or multi-country initiatives involving diverse stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to translate advanced technical concepts into strategic guidance, policy-relevant outputs, and operational tools
Demonstrated ability to engage with text-as-data statistical methods
Experience in resource mobilization, donor engagement, and programme governance
Recognized senior expert knowledge of learning assessment methodologies, curriculum and education policy analysis
Strong strategic leadership, people management, and decision-making skills
Ability to operate effectively at both technical and policy levels in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Excellent analytical, drafting, and communication skills
High level of integrity, sound judgment, and diplomatic skills
Fluency in either English or French and working proficiency in the other
Nice to have:
Doctorate degree or equivalent
Experience working with low- and middle-income countries and familiarity with capacity constraints in national assessment systems
Experience with innovative assessment approaches or computational methods applied to textual data
Knowledge of another official UNESCO language (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, or Spanish)