Consultancy - Developing Handbook On Education Admin Data-measuring Higher Education Via Admin Data

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 7 to 11 months
**Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time)**: 18/06/2025
**UNESCO Core Values**: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism
OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST
Background and objectives
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) plans to develop a practical, authoritative, and referenceable resource on education administrative data systems and their statistical use. This resource will be a modular handbook designed for enhanced usability and adaptability, allowing countries to adopt modules incrementally. The handbook aims to build on existing resources, including LASER, EMIS and ISCED), and provide countries and other stakeholders with a blueprint for action and insight in strengthening their education administrative data systems. The current plan of the modular series includes topics on legal frameworks and institutional setup on administrative data, higher education, technical and vocational education and training, early childhood care and education, and teachers.
UIS seeks to engage a Senior Expert Consultant to develop the module on measuring higher education via administrative data. Long Description
Main Responsibilities and Tasks
The Senior Expert Consultant is expected to carry out the research and draft the handbook module measuring higher education via administrative data. More specifically, the specific responsibilities of the expert consultant will include:

- Conducting background research and data analyses relevant to the module.
- Drafting comprehensive content for the module, including but not limited to:

- Priority indicators emerging from global, regional and national policy monitoring frameworks regarding higher education, including concepts, definitions (within ISCED), calculation methods and data requirements, highlighting administrative data.
- Institutional environment for the production of required administrative data on higher education, including legislation and policies on higher education; provision, management and funding of higher education programmes and institutions, etc relevant to data collection, compilation and reporting.
- Production of required administrative data on higher education, including process and procedures of administrative data collection and reporting, inter-ministerial/agency coordination for data production, data flow and sharing, etc.
- Procedures and practices of data standardization and quality assurance, including data harmonization and validation to create cohesive datasets.
- Challenges such as incomplete data coverage of higher education programmes and institutions, overlapping definitions, duplication, etc, and solutions and good practices.
- Development of case studies from relevant countries.
- Drafting of tools such as checklists, sample legislation, indicator lists, data templates, metadata standards, and reporting frameworks, as appropriate for the module.
- Incorporating relevant international statistical standards and existing technical sources (e.g., ISCED, LASER, EMIS).
- Reviewing and incorporating feedback on drafts from the UIS team and other reviewers.
- Ensuring the module aligns with the overall objectives and structure of the handbook.
- Contributing to the development of annexes such as glossaries, templates, and references. Long Description

Deliverables
The primary deliverables will be well-written and comprehensive modules as agreed upon with UIS, with the target publication date of Feb 2026. More specifically:
Deliverable 1 (1 month)
- Module outline, including case studies, tools and templates
- Module development plan, including milestones in view of the target publication date

Deliverable 2 (4 months)
- First draft of the module, including case studies, tools and templates (as appropriate)

Deliverable 3 (2 months)
- Final draft of the modules, incorporating feedback from UIS and other reviewers

Cost and technical arrangements
The total consultancy fee will be agreed upon in advance. Payments will be made upon acceptance of deliverables, as per the schedule below:
**Deliverable 1**: 20%
**Deliverable 2**: 50%
**Deliverable 3**: 30%
The consultant is responsible for ensuring the quality and timely delivery of all outputs, with no additional costs to UIS beyond the agreed contract amount. Two weeks following the final deliverable due date are added for the UIS to complete all required revisions and administrative procedures, if needed.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in education, statistics, social sciences, public policy, or a related field.
Experience
Demonstrated senior-level expertise in national higher education data and statistical systems.
Demonstrated