OVERVIEW
Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)
Duty Station: Paris
Job Family: Social and Human Sciences
Type of contract : Non Staff
Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months
Recruitment open to : External candidates
Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 04-DEC-2025
UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
In November 2021, 193 Member States of UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the โโEthics of Artificial Intelligence โโ(the Recommendation). This global standard aims to leverage โโthe positive impacts of AI while addressing its inherent โrisks. Countries around the world are โโnow in the process of implementing the Recommendation, with UNESCO โsupporting them โโthrough various capacity-building efforts, funded through partnerships with multiple donors, โโโincluding the Government of Japan, the European Commission, and the Patrick J. McGovern โโFoundation.โ
The Digital Flanders Agency has launched an Artificial Intelligence Expertise Center (AI EC) โโtasked with enhancing and โguiding the adoption of AI across Flemish public administrations. โโThe capacity and capability of the AI EC need to be โstrengthened to empower it to fulfill its โโcoordination role among Flemish public administrations in the facilitation and โimplementation โโof AI projects.
To this end, the Consultant will work on the project AI-Ready Flemish Public Administration project, funded by the European Commissionโs SG REFORM. The project aims to foster Flemish public administrationsโ AI-readiness and โโincrease the โadoption of AI across the Flemish public administrations in a safe, robust, โโtrustworthy, and ethical manner. Through โits three pillars, the project focuses on โโstrengthening (i) institutional capacity for AI governance, (ii) technical โcapacity for AI projects, โโand (iii) human capacity for AI awareness, literacy and skills within the Flemish public โโโadministrations.
SCOPE OF WORK
The Consultant will work under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for โโSocial and Human Sciences Sector (ADG/SHS) and under the direct supervision of the Head of โโEthics of AI Unit at UNESCO Headquarters. โThe primary functions of the Consultant will be to lead the delivery of work under the institutional capacity pillar, and to contribute to the legal working group of interested stakeholders within and across Flemish public administration entities.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROJECT
The Consultant shall undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
- Produce a Monitoring Legislation Dashboard
a) The consultant will review and update a comprehensive overview of โEU digital โlegislation, non-binding guidelines, and interpretative documents relevant to AI for the Flemish public administration.
b) Actionable suggestions must be made โregarding the concrete use and uptake of the EU โlegislation dashboard during and beyond the duration of the โproject, including the interface as โwell as mechanisms for information collection and dissemination.
- Facilitate feedback and refinement of the Monitoring Legislation Dashboard
a) The Consultant will lead the testing and refinement of the dashboard model: once the initial version of the government AI โlegislation dashboard โis developed, it must undergo testing and refinement to ensure its โfunctionality and usability. The goal is to โcreate a user-friendly and reliable tool that effectively โmonitors and disseminates information about EU โdigital legislation, non-binding guidelines, and โinterpretative documents relevant to AI.โ
b) Whilst scoping discussions are still underway, previous project experience has demonstrated the effectiveness of facilitating in-person feedback workshop(s) in Brussels for this type of ask. If so required, the Consultant will lead the workshop, in both its design, facilitation and content.
- Writing optimal AI Governance Recommendations
a) The project has created a set of option AI governance recommendations tailored to the Flemish context. Based on an updated review of digital legislation and their institutional expertise, the consultant will advise on stakeholder โroles, responsibilities and which resources must be provided to ensure โeffective implementation of a potential Flemish AI โstrategy and adherence to guiding principles.4. Represent UNESCO at the Legal and Ethical Working Group.
a) The Consultant will be the key UNESCO contact point of a working group of interested stakeholders, bringing together civil servants across the public administration. The group will serve as the primary stakeholder group for the Monitoring Legislation Dashboard. The tasks will include coordination, relationship management and clear communication of the project goals and timeline.
b) Substantively contribute to deliverables with an institutional component which other Team members are leading. This would include reviewing drafts, providing feedback and supporting with the latest institutional knowledge. Deliverables falling under this category would include:
UNESCOโs Readiness Assessment Methodology for Flanders Final project reporting.5. Ethics of AI Team General Tasks
a) Engaging substantively as part of the Ethics of AI team in the regular efforts to link its work โwith the high-level โprocesses related to ethics and governance of AI (including within the UN โsystem, G20 and G7 platforms, GPAI, โand public administrations across member states, and others).
b) Contributing to other ongoing work of the Ethics of AI Team: contributing to ongoing research โand analysis โconducted by the secretariat; participating in meetings; presenting the work to โdifferent stakeholders; โsupporting the secretariat with the preparation of different materials such โas speeches, presentations, blogs, โwhite papers etc.
COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Professionalism (C)Accountability (C)Communication (C)Innovation (C)Teamwork (C)Results focus (C)Planning and organizing (C)Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
- For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced university degree (Masterโs or equivalent) in governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, or other related fields.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies at the national and/or international level. A PhD can count as work experience.
Proven experience involving EU digital legislation is mandatory.Long Description
Skills and competencies
- Very good understanding of artificial intelligence's ethical, legal, social and governance issues and related digital technologies.
Languages
Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English.DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Ph.D. or equivalent in governance of artificial intelligence, ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence or digital technologies, law and technology, or other related fields.Work Experience
At least one (1) year of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence acquired at the international level. Experience working with Flemish public administrations is considered highly desirable; experience working with Dutch public administrations is considered an advantage. Experience dialoguing with communication and graphic design teams to translate complex legal concepts into easy-to-understand visual knowledge products is considered highly desirable. Experience in leading trainings and public speaking engagements on topics of digital legislation is considered highly desirable. Demonstratable experience with asynchronous communication and remote-first teams is considered highly desirable.Languages
Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of Dutch.SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS
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.
Before submitting the Employment History form (Word file) to the โMy Employment History Form / My Documentsโ section of the online application, the candidate must add the following elements at the end of the file: CV, a one-page statement laying out how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment and explaining how they would approach the work. The salary expectations for the assignment, which should be quoted in US dollars on a monthly basis for a 11-month period (full-time working).
Please note that the consultant salary expectations must be expressed in gross amounts. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties in accordance with local laws. UNESCO will not reimburse any taxes, duties or other contributions for which the Project Coordination Consultant may be liable in respect of any payments made to him/her under the terms of this contract.
Only applications with the above-requested information can be considered.
The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as an 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.
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