Parent Sector : Field Office
Duty Station: Bangkok
Job Family: Programme Coordination
Type of contract : Non Staff
Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months
Recruitment open to : External candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Bangkok Time) : 08/05/2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The UNDP has estimated that the combined population of ten ASEAN member States has reached more than 690 million in 2024 with the significant proportion of young people with median age of 30.2 years. The region is also vibrant in its economic development with disparity among the countries in terms of socio-economic development. Education development has been playing a critical role in the socio-economic development in the countries in the region. With its diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultural nuances, and educational systems, ASEAN acknowledges the pivotal role education plays in fostering human capital development, promoting social cohesion, and enhancing global competitiveness.
Despite progress in education across the ASEAN region, significant challenges persist. Disparities in access, quality, and relevance of education remain pronounced, hindering inclusive and sustainable development. Moreover, the impact of COVID-19, the emergence of digital technologies, demographic shifts, and globalization necessitates a reevaluation of education systems to meet evolving needs. Therefore, it is important to understand how education development is undertaking in the region to embrace the achievements, identify the gaps and issues and challenges to mitigate or to respond in a timely manner. In this context, preparation of an “ASEAN Education Status Report” which includes situation and contextual analysis of the sector are crucial to identify key issues, trends, and opportunities in ASEAN's education landscape has been planned. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be utilized to understand the education system in the region. To the extent possible, the analysis would include understanding the context, policies, cost and finance, education performance and system’s capacity of the region.
The findings of the study will be utilized for the policy dialogues and provide foundation for the development of ASEAN work plan for 2026-2030.
The primary objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of education data using global, regional, and other policy-relevant indicators to identify key patterns and trends and generate policy-relevant information for the ASEAN Education Status Report.
Under the overall authority of the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, and the direct supervision of the Senior Regional Advisor of UIS-AIMS units, the Individual Specialist shall perform the following activities:
a. Undertake in-depth analysis of the contextual situation of the ASEAN region to understand the key development trends, issues and challenges e.g. demographic shift, socio-economic development, climate change, migration, youth employment, ICT and digital development etc.
b. Undertake Quantitative data Analysis
Compilation and Collection: Gather educational data and statistics from various sources using appropriate tools and processes.
Organization: Organize the data using standard formats, including data cleaning for analysis.
Analysis: Use appropriate indicators and methodologies to assess trends and patterns in education development, identify gaps in achievements, and highlight issues and challenges in sub-sectors such as ECE, Basic Education, Post-Secondary, and Higher Education.
Visualization: Visualize data and information for policy discussions and advocacy purposes.
c. Undertaking Qualitative data analysis
Support: Collect and analyze case studies and good practices from ASEAN Member countries to complement quantitative analysis.
Participation: Participate in webinars and consultations with member states to discuss education development issues and challenges and identify policy gaps.
d. Policy Analysis to understand the education policy landscape
Policy Review: Conduct a comprehensive review of national education policies in ASEAN member countries.
Collection and Analysis: Collect, compile, and analyze national education midterm and long-term plans, such as education sector or development plans.
e. Preparation and finalization of the Status Report
Preparation: Prepare the report following agreed outlines and appropriate formats.
Peer Review: Support the peer review process to gather comments and feedback from experts and member states.
Finalization: Finalize the report by incorporating feedback from the peer review process.
In line with UNESCO’s overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the Individual Specialist is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible.
• Monthly/Periodic updates on the progress of the assignment
• Draft outlines of the report
• Final annotated outlines of the reports with data analysis plan
• Draft report with approximately 65-70 pages without Annexes
• Final report
Timeframe
1 June 2025 – 30 April 2026
Education
• An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in international development in education, economics, or other education-related fields with a focus on quantitative analysis is required. A first-level university degree in these fields may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
Work Experience
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in education data gathering, data processing and analysis for generating policy relevant documents and reports e.g. regional and sub regional Education report is required
• Experience in the use of statistical software for data validation, processing and analysis, such as R, STATA or Python is required.
• Good knowledge of MS Excel, MS Access and SAS is required.
• Experience with analytics and data visualization applications (MS PowerBI, Qlik, Tableau or similar).
Skills and competencies
• An aptitude for numbers and the ability to present statistics in tabular and graphic form are required.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to manage and analyze large data sets with a statistical package.
• Demonstrated writing abilities including contribution to or (co-) authorship of technical papers and analytical reports, preferably in the field of education monitoring or a related area.
• Good organizational skills are essential for the timely implementation of work plans, as well as an excellent team spirit and the ability to maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural environment.
Languages
• Excellent knowledge of English.
Education
• University degree or advanced university degree in Education , analytics, statistics or a related field is desirable.
Work Experience
• Experience with official statistics is desirable.
• Experience in data processing is desirable.
• Experience in working with the United Nations system or similar international organization is desirable.
• Experience of working in education statistics.
• Professional experience in a government or international organization.
• Experience of working in a development context.
Interested candidates should click on “Apply Now” and download and complete the Employment History form (Word document) in ‘Employment History Form / My Documents’. Before uploading the document, at the end of the word document, please insert the extra pages with the following required information:
(1) an up-to-date curriculum vitae;
(2) a statement indicating how your qualifications and experience make you suitable for the assignment;
(3) an indication of the approach you would adopt to carry out the assignment, including any inputs that may be required from UNESCO; (maximum 2, A4 pages);
(4) the overall cost of the assignment, expressed as propose fee in total and a monthly rate.
The complete application must be submitted no later than 8 May 2025, at midnight (Bangkok time).
Note:
Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview.
UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.
Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.
UNESCO applies a zero tolerance policy against all forms of harassment.
UNESCO is committed to achieve and sustain gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities, as well as nationals from non-and under-represented Member States (last update here) are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.
UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.