Consultant (Open Solutions)

Consultant (Open Solutions)

JOB DETAILS

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

Level : Level 3 - Senior

Hiring Unit : Communication and Information Sector (CI)

Duty Station : Paris

Work location : Remote

Duration of contract : 11 months

Hiring open to : External candidates

Application deadline (Midnight UTC+1 Time) : 18/08/2026

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

OVERVIEW

As a standard setter and laboratory of ideas, UNESCO leads global efforts on open solutions—initiatives that foster inclusive knowledge sharing and innovation. This includes key normative instruments such as the 2019 Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (OER) and the 2021 Recommendation on Open Science, as well as pilot projects that promote Open Access to Scientific Information, Open Data, and Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS).

UNESCO defines Open Solutions as digital public goods that are created and shared under open copyright licenses. These solutions respect the intellectual property rights of the original creators while enabling users to engage in one or more of the following actions: re-use, re-purpose, adaptation, and/or redistribution.

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, the Director of the Division for Digital Inclusion and Policies and Digital Transformation (CI/DPT), with the collaboration of the Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels, and the direct supervision of the Senior Programme Specialist responsible for Open Solutions and digital competencies, in consultation with the Chief for the Unit for Documentary Heritage, the individual specialist will specifically undertake the following tasks in line with 43C/5 Outputs 7.3.CI and 4.3.CI.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Support the operationalisation of Open Data activities under the UNESCO-KISTI Collaboration.

a. Refine the benchmark framework for assessing national and institutional Open Data strategies, building on the strategy document prepared in the first implementation year. The final version should incorporate feedback from UNESCO, KISTI, and relevant stakeholders.

b. Finalise the draft toolkit for Open Data platforms, incorporating feedback from UNESCO, KISTI, and relevant stakeholders.

c. Prepare an implementation note on the use of the Open Data benchmark framework and toolkit in selected county(ies) or institutional contexts.

4. Consolidate and report on Open Data and Diamond Open Access activities under the UNESCO-KISTI Collaboration.

a. Produce a concise summary report with recommendations for the next implementation phase of the UNESCO-KISTI Collaboration.

b. Prepare the 2026 annual report on activities under the UNESCO-KISTI Collaboration.

2. Elaborate and strengthen methodologies and guidance to enhance Diamond Open Access in Asia and Africa.

a. Produce a Diamond Open Access pilot analysis methodology, based on lessons learned from the country analysis developed in the first implementation of the first year of the KISTI project as well as other relevant inputs.

b. Finalise the guidelines for Diamond Open Access, including replicable workflows for future country applications, based on the draft prepared in the first implementation of the first year of the KISTI project as well as other relevant inputs.

c. Prepare a concise implementation note identifying priority actions, capacity needs, and possible next steps for Diamond Open Access in Asia and Africa.

3. Enhance awareness of the importance of preserving and providing access to source code as digital documentary heritage in the framework of the Memory of the World Programme as well as software management systems.

a. Facilitate the exchange of good practices for preserving and ensuring the accessibility of source code as digital documentary heritage within the Memory of the World Programme as well as software management systems. This will include organising at least two information-sharing meetings among relevant stakeholders, such as the Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique (INRIA), the Software Heritage Initiative, and KISTI itself.

b. Finalise the draft issues paper exploring how software source code can be recognised and preserved as digital documentary heritage, promoted and used as an information/intellectual asset for sustainable development. The first draft was prepared i