Associate Project Officer (Learning Assessments)

OVERVIEW Position Number: 1CAUIS0107PA Grade: P-2 Parent Sector: Institute for Statistics (UIS) Duty Station: Montreal Job Family: Education Contract Type: Project Appointment Duration of contract: 1 year Recruitment open to: Internal and external candidates Application deadline (Midnight Paris Time): 08/07/2026 UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism Contract duration: 1 year, with the possibility of extension subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance.ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the official source of internationally comparable data on education, science, culture and communication. Within education, UIS plays a leading role in monitoring progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), providing the data and evidence that inform education policies and priorities worldwide. As countries and international partners generate increasing volumes of learning assessment data, UIS is expanding and modernizing its systems, methodologies and workflows to strengthen the quality, accessibility and use of global education indicators. This transformation is creating new opportunities—and greater operational complexity—in the management, validation and reporting of learning outcomes data. The Associate Project Officer (Learning Assessment) plays a key role in supporting this work. Working within a dynamic and collaborative international team, the incumbent helps coordinate activities across countries, partner organizations and UIS units, while contributing to data management, research, project implementation and knowledge sharing. By ensuring that information, processes and partnerships are effectively managed, the position directly supports the production of reliable evidence used to monitor learning outcomes globally and advance equitable, quality education for all.KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Learning Assessment Programme Support Support implementation of the learning assessment work programme, including production of the global learning indicator (Sustainable Development Goal 4.1.1), application of data eligibility criteria, and related technical workflows Assist in tracking workplans, deliverables and milestones, and coordinating with internal teams and external partners (implementing agencies, technical partners and countries) Maintain documentation of programme processes, decisions and technical guidance 2. Data Management & Quality Assurance Support management of learning assessment datasets and databases, including data ingestion, validation, version control, metadata documentation and harmonization, and tracking of country submissions and assessment cycles Assist in maintaining structured repositories of datasets, code and technical documentation Contribute to data quality assurance processes that safeguard the accuracy and credibility of learning assessment reporting 3. Analytical & Research Support Provide analytical support to indicator production, including assisting with data preparation, computation and the checking of results Conduct background research on learning assessment systems, international assessment frameworks and measurement methods relevant to the global learning indicator Support drafting of technical notes, guidance documents and background papers for governance and expert bodies Long Description 4. Project & Operational Support Support day-to-day project management, including progress updates, internal reporting, coordination of inputs to technical deliverables, and monitoring of timelines to identify bottlenecks Assist with procurement, contract follow-up and administrative coordination of project activities 5. Capacity Building & Knowledge Management Support preparation of training materials and technical guidance for countries, and help organize workshops, consultations and expert meetings, including follow-up Maintain structured knowledge