Education Research Officer

The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) is UNESCO's Category 1 Research Institute that focuses on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.7 towards education for building peaceful and sustainable societies across the world. UNESCO MGIEP leads the conceptualization, design, and formulation of strategies in education for peace and sustainable development by (a) designing and conducting training and research to build empirical evidence on the benefits of cultivating and assessing social emotional learning (SEL) to enhance learning that nurtures peaceful mindsets and human flourishing (b) translating this evidence in designing online courses for formal and informal learning in education systems using interactive digital pedagogies that are implemented in a GDPR compliant learning experience and analytics platform (LEAP), Framerspace, https://www.framerspace.com/. To advance and support this unique mandate, UNESCO MGIEP is seeking an Education Research Officer to lead its newly established Program Design and Evaluation mission. Under the overall guidance of the Director, the Education Research Officer will serve as the primary resource for (a) designing the Institute's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and templates for training, research, capacity building, advocacy, and outreach projects and activities of the Institute (b) lead the implementation of the SOPs and templates in close collaboration with the other Heads of Missions of the Institute (c) lead action, and implementation research methodologies that adapts MGIEP's courses to the context and needs of UNESCO member-states, and (d) collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to develop and adapt the methodologies for the design and evaluation of the Institute's courses, training, research, and capacity building projects. Specifically, the incumbent will be responsible for the following: 1. Contribute to the Institute's Research Agenda Design and formulate research that builds measurable skills for online courses, research, and capacity-building programs using digital pedagogies on Framerspace. Identify measurable indicators that map SEL competencies to competency development within SDG 4.7 and the broader educational agenda. Mentor and advise program staff on implementing evidence-based research pedagogies, and impactful capacity building initiatives inspired by the three programmatic pillars of the Institute (SEL, SDG 4.7, and Education for Peace) Develop innovative research methodology to understand the learning dynamics on Framerspace. Use a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods, ensuring credibility of information and evidence to build empirical evidence for measurable outcomes of the Institute's programs. Support the research team in developing international research proposals for competitive funding. Adapt empirical findings to strengthen the science-policy, and research-to-policy nexus as recommended in the Second Evaluation Report of the Institute issued in 2023. Supervise the development of manuscripts for international peer review and develop policy briefs for stakeholders. 2. Contribute to global research agenda for education for peace and sustainable development Identify gaps in the global research agenda on education for peace and sustainable development with a focus on identifying research gaps especially in the countries of the global south. Identify relevant partners that will assist in addressing gaps in the research agenda in the educational systems of UNESCO member-states. Develop partnerships with relevant organisations to develop and advance a global research agenda on themes within the mission of the Institute. Organise strategic dialogues with relevant stakeholders to advance the research and capacity-building needs of the countries in the global south. 3. Coordinate Stakeholder Consultation Coordinate with various project teams at the Institute to provide relevant research inputs for different projects. Coordinate with relevant divisions and field offices of UNESCO to streamline research efforts to contribute to usage for policy by translating research content into practical guides for policymakers. Identify relevant research stakeholders from universities and research institutes to build an effective network for research informed education policy. With the partnerships team at MGIEP, develop strategic research partnerships for the Institute 4. Management and Monitoring Provide intellectual leadership and technical guidance and foster a supportive and collaborative work environment within and across teams in the Institute. Oversee the development and adherence to results based tracking systems to monitor progress against established performance targets. Monitor performance against programmatic and operational targets. Oversee the independent evaluation of the Institute's programmes and projects in compliance with UNESCO Evaluation policy. Co-ordinate and oversee the preparation of reports and research progress to senior management and governing boards on budget and program performance.

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization