Project Officer (Social and Human Sciences)

Job Title: Project Officer (Social and Human Sciences)

Organization: UNESCO

Post Number : SHS/PA 037

Grade : P-3

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Paris, France

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Project Appointment

Duration of contract : 1 year

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 31-AUG-2023 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Contract duration is 12 months with possibility of extension subject to performance and availability of funding.

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

In November 2021, 193 Member States of UNESCO adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. This global standard aims to leverage the positive impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) while addressing its inherent risks. Countries around the world are now in the process of implementing the Recommendation, with UNESCO supporting them through various capacity-building efforts. UNESCO is partnering with the European Commission to scale up the impact and extend the reach of these efforts. The project funded by the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA) is designed to assist countries around the world to translate the Recommendation into national institutional and regulatory frameworks and to build a national consensus on the shared vision for AI. 
Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Sector (ADG/SHS), and direct supervision of the Chief of Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology Section, the Project Officer is responsible for managing and coordinating the delivery of a project funded by EC (DG-INTPA) on Supporting Member States in implementing UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of AI through Innovative Tools, and leveraging complementarities with other projects and initiatives deployed by SHS sector to build the national  capacities for the implementation of the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.  

In particular, the Project Officer shall undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

Programme and Project Work:

1. Managing and coordinating the overall delivery of the project, including its critical components to be pursued Globally and within the beneficiary countries. 

2. Managing activities related to improving capacity of countries to establish national institutions responsible for Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including:

• Research/diagnosis on the state of the art of national institutions globally and related human capital required for ethical development, deployment, and use of Al, for the benchmarking and integration into the Global Observatory on Al Ethics
• In collaboration with the national stakeholders, organize national consultations towards establishing and reinforcing national ethics advisory bodies to ensure ethical guidance of Al Systems.
• Assist in piloting the Readiness Assessment Methodology and Ethical Impact Assessment tools, overseen by the relevant national institutions.
• Contribute towards refining the tools (Readiness Assessment, Ethical Impact Assessment, Good Institutional Practices Repository, and others) for global deployment, based on experiences from the selected countries and feedback from broader set of stakeholders such as researchers and civil society organizations.

3. Facilitating the establishment and functioning of the AI Ethics Experts Without Borders network, including contributing towards:

• Building and managing an inclusive roster of experts.
• Developing and delivering trainings to AIEB experts on the Recommendation, its tools, and the latest policy developments on Al, building on latest data, evidence and knowledge curated on the Ethics of Al.
• Deploying AIEB experts to provide on-demand support and tailored policy advice to Member States for the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation, in close collaboration with local stakeholders.
• Developing interactive space for knowledge exchange, communication, and experience sharing as part of the Global Observatory on Al Ethics. 
• Developing meta-processes toolkits, such as user-guides for the readiness assessment and ethical impact assessment tools, capacity building tools for public officials in the use of Al, and guidelines and toolbox for public awareness-raising and engagement on ethics and AI.

 

4. Contributing towards the delivery of the annual editions of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, including contribution towards:

• Designing, programming, and coordinating the preparations of the Global Forum on the Ethics of Al, following a multi-stakeholder approach and in close collaboration with EC and a host country.
• Developing and applying an outreach strategy, including a media campaign for the Global Forum to raise awareness on issues related to Ethics of Al among the public.
• Advancing research on the Ethics of Al, including through a call for papers to promote and showcase the state-of-the-art research at the Global Forum and through publications.
• Organizing competitions such as hackathons to engage the public in tackling Ethics of Al related challenges in the pursuit of SDGs.

5. Serve as the secretary of the Project Steering Committee and the Advisory Board, as stipulated in the project agreement, facilitate their meetings, decisions, and follow-up actions. 

6. Supervising research on the ethical, legal and social implications of artificial intelligence, including adjacent domains of digital economy, data governance, innovation and respective legal frameworks at the international, regional and national levels; Ensuring the uptake of this research in the delivery of the project, as well as the production of the key capacity-building and promotional outputs.

7. Drafting policy briefs, blog posts, and other relevant materials based on conducted research and analysis.

8. Contributing to the preparation of interventions in public fora, such as conferences, panels and others.

9. Conducting other research and analysis related to the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence as necessary. 

10. Responding to the request of the front office of the ADG/SHS to prepare materials for her use.  

Network and Partnership:  

1. Build, maintain, and enhance working relations with concerned UN agencies, relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and national/local authorities.

2. Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to discuss developments and exchange and archive ideas.

3. Attend and participate in meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars to promote knowledge sharing and contribute to advocacy efforts, especially on the 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

Communication (C)

Accountability (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 university degree (Master’s 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

• Minimum four (4) years of relevant professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, at national and/or international level.
• Experience with managing multidimensional projects.
• Proven experience in conducting research and analysis and/or implementing programmes/projects on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies, as well as standards related to these issues. 

Skills and competencies 

• Very good understanding of the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies. 
• Good analytical, organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent coordination and interpersonal skills.
• Good analytical skills with ability to undertake research including the collection and synthesis of information from various sources.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to prepare and present findings and recommendations on issues clearly and concisely.
• Good interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy with ability to build and maintain effective partnerships at all levels.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and to maintain good working relations within a multi-cultural environment.
• Good time management skills and ability to work independently.
• Good IT skills, including knowledge of standard office software. 

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (spoken and written) of English and working knowledge of French (spoken and written). 

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 two (2) year of professional experience on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence acquired at the international level.
• Experience with inter-agency mechanisms of the United Nations System or other multilateral organizations on the ethical, legal, social and governance issues of artificial intelligence and/or other related frontier digital technologies. 

Languages

• Knowledge of other UNESCO official languages (Arabic, Chinese, Spanish or Russian).

BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

UNESCO’s salaries consist of a basic salary and other benefits which may include if applicable: 30 days annual leave, family allowance, medical insurance, pension plan etc.

The approximate annual starting salary for this post is 100,541.73 US $.

For full information on benefits and entitlements, please consult our Guide to Staff Benefits.

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.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based 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.

UNESCO recalls that paramount consideration in the appointment of staff members shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, technical competence and integrity. UNESCO applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. UNESCO is committed to achieving and sustaining equitable and diverse geographical distribution, as well as gender parity among its staff members in all categories and at all grades. Furthermore, UNESCO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Candidates from non- and under-represented Member States (last update here) are particularly welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. Individuals from minority groups and indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

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