Consultancy – Research consultant – AI in Education – Global Office of Research and Foresight – approx. 36 working days (Remote/Work from home)

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, answers 

UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight has built a strong evidence base on education, investigating what works to improve education systems, and testing innovative education practices to improve children’s learning. Innocenti has built implementation research into digital learning programmes in both development and humanitarian settings, focusing on how technologies are utilized in practice in classrooms and built into education systems. The Innocenti team has also generated multi-country evidence on children’s broader digital engagement and online safety (Disrupting Harm, Global Kids Online) and is leading policy work on AI and children, and strong ethical frameworks. Building on this evidence base and expertise, together with PG Education we have identified an initial list of five possible areas where UNICEF could responsibly, ethically, and effectively guide the potentially transformative power of AI in education to:

• Power more effective personalized learning systems.
• Support teachers’ professional development
• Support cheaper and faster educational content production to improve accessibility.
• Drive AI literacy as a core education outcome.
• Drive system-level change where AI can support better decision making through analyzing trends and patterns in education data, including potential for use of AI in research and analysis of pedagogical practices through classroom observations.

There may be other areas where UNICEF could focus, or some of the above may not be areas where we can best invest our efforts.

How can you make a difference? 

UNICEF is seeking to develop a strategy for engagement on AI in Education that is laser focused, avoids duplication (including with other UN agencies), meets real needs, and builds on our evidence base and AI strengths. The consultant will conduct a scoping exercise investigating the current state of play and interventions (and by whom), gaps, challenges, and opportunities for intervention based on needs of education systems with a focus on LMICs.

The work should draw on the list above as a starting point but adapt as needed from the research and interviews, including with relevant UNICEF Innocenti teams. Overall, there should be a particular focus on relevance to UNICEF country programmes. As an outcome, the consultancy should inform UNICEF about the current map of AI in education activity areas and make recommendations on where we can best add value in ways that leverage UNICEF’s strengths. The consultancy will guide our future workplans and funding efforts, and should include insights into funded topics and opportunities.

Major areas of work and responsibility

1. Conduct desk research into the use of AI in education, current state of implementation, with case studies on its use in different country contexts from low- and middle-income countries.
2. Design and carry out interviews with key UNICEF staff across the organization relevant to work on AI in education, including from regions, countries, and HQ (Innovations office, Programme Group, ICT-D).
3. Draft final report on the scoping exercise, and presentation with key messages.
Supervision
4. The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Policy Specialist, Digital Engagement and Protection. Work would be reviewed, guided and completed in close collaboration with the Education Unit, with the Education Manager acting as focal point for education.

Find attached the full Terms of Reference:  GORaF-Terms-of-Reference-AI in Education.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Education, Information Systems, Computer Science or related social sciences
  *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience in conducting research.
• Experience researching or implementing education technology programmes, with experience in low- and middle-income countries preferred. Experience researching or implementing AI in education technology programmes is considered a strong asset.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and excellent attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well as part of a geographically dispersed team and to forge and manage partnerships.
• Experience working within large scale innovative education partnerships.
• Ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment; experience working in the UN or other international development organization.
• Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency, and accountability.
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.