OVERVIEW
Parent Sector : UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)
Duty Station: Montreal
Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]
Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]
Job Family: Education
Type of contract : Non Staff
Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months
Recruitment open to : External candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 28/02/2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
Background
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the statistical office of UNESCO and is the UN depository for global statistics in the fields of education, science, technology and innovation, culture and communication. Over the past 25 years, the UIS has significantly improved UNESCOโs statistical program, delivering timely, accurate and policy-relevant statistics essential in todayโs increasingly complex and rapidly changing social, political and economic environments.
The international development community has entrusted the UIS with the mandate to develop the methodologies, standards and indicators crucial for achieving SDG 4 โ Education 2030 as well as key targets in science and culture, in close consultation with partners. UIS efforts span several areas, including setting measurement standards, developing indicators, collecting and disseminating data, and building capacities of countries to produce their own data to report on and monitor progress towards SDG 4 and other targets.
The UIS has positioned itself at the center of key debates of global development agenda in recent years and is continually seeks ways to strengthen its delivery. The Transformation Proposal endorsed by the UIS Governing Board in 2022 called for reinvigorating and re-specifying the UIS mandate and spirit, and for adopting a new, streamlined, organizational structure aligned with its core functions. A key aspect of the transformation process is concentrating resources on the fundamental functions the Institute must perform, those functions that no other institution can (naturally) play and which serve the strategic education goals set by the international community.
To revise and implement the recommendations of the Transformation Proposal, UNESCO UIS is seeking expertise in carrying out an analysis of the current fitness of staff allocation across units to tasks, whenever possible benchmarking against relevant organizations or specific units/initiatives within them.
Purpose
The UIS would like to carry out an analysis of the cost and efficiency of its education statistics functions with a particular focus on current fitness of staff allocation (across units) to tasks. The analysis will include benchmarking against relevant organizations (UN bodies, non-profit/academic organizations) or specific units/initiatives within them and lead to a set of recommendations on organizational structure and staffing.
Long Description
Main Responsibilities and Tasks
A. Data Analysis on UIS Efficiency
Activity 1 โ Calculation of Inputs and Outputs at UIS
Activity 2 โ Benchmarking on Organizational Efficiency
Select comparator/peer organizations and their relevant units/departments, in consultation with the consultancy team and UIS senior staff. Identify data sources to help compile and measure relevant outputs and inputs in the comparator organizations. This can include publicly available information (annual reports, public financial statements or annual budgets) or other sources. Compare outputs with their associated inputs and costs, for each of the comparator organizations, similar to Activity 1. This should have a particular focus on outputs per staff. Produce a short document that includes summary tables comparing UIS efficiency to that of relevant units at comparator organizations.Long Description
Activity 3 โ Analysis of UIS Organizational Structure & Benchmarking
UIS Analysis: Analyze the internal organization (size, structure and composition) of relevant units (โSectionsโ) within UIS, describing staff composition by function and seniority level. This will also include analyzing the size, structure and composition of โsupport unitsโ (e.g., IT, Human Resources) at UIS. Comparative Analysis: Analyze the internal organization (size, structure and composition) composition of the relevant units at the comparator organizations (selected for Activity 2), describing staff composition by function and seniority level. This will also include analyzing the size, structure and composition of โsupport unitsโ (e.g., IT, Human Resources) at select peer institutions, in consultation with UIS senior staff. Produce a short document that includes summary tables comparing UIS organizational structure to that of other institutions. State, where apparent, existing imbalances at UIS relative to other institutions, and relative to the functions proposed by the Transformation Proposal.Activity 4 โ Organizational and Staffing Review and Recommendations
Based on the organizational recommendations in the 2022 Transformation Proposal (to be provided), any updates in intention since then and any adjustments proposed by the consultancy team, produce a short (draft) document that puts forth a recommendation on staffing (size and composition) for key sections at UIS.Activity 5 โ Contributions to Project Deliverable (Report)
Revise the draft of Deliverable 4 (Activity 4) by responding to initial feedback from the project team and UIS senior staff. This product will be a section of a larger report, which will be co-produced with other team members, and which will contain other analyses (on the UIS mandate, business model, benchmarking, etc.). This will require close collaboration with team members to a) ensure that organizational and staffing recommendations are also grounded on the teamโs other analyses, and b) to produce a coherent, integrated report. Produce report section on staffing recommendations.Long Description
Deliverables
The consultant will submit the following deliverables to the UIS related to the following activities:
Activity 1 -Calculation of Inputs and Outputs at UIS
Short summary document (10-15 pages) that includes methods, data, findings and recommendationsActivity 2 โ Benchmarking on Organizational Efficiency
Short document (10-15 pages) comparing UIS efficiency to that of relevant units at comparator organizations.Activity 3 โ Analysis of UIS Organizational Structure & Benchmarking
Short document (10-15 pages) comparing UIS organizational structure to that of other institutions.Activity 4 โ Organizational and Staffing Review and Recommendations
Short draft document (10-15 pages) with a recommendation on staffing at UIS, building on 2022 Transformation ProposalActivity 5 โ Contributions to Project Deliverable (Report)
Report section on organizational and staffing recommendations.COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C)Communication (C)Innovation (C)Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)Planning and organizing (C)Results focus (C)Teamwork (C)Professionalism (C)
- For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced degree (Masterโs or PhD) in Business, Business Administration, Economics, Data Science, Public Policy, or related field.Experience
A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience