Junior Policy Analysts – Education

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) is an international organisation comprised of 38 member countries, that works to build better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards, and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.

The Directorate for Education and Skills (EDU) leads the Organisation’s work to help member and non-member countries achieve high-quality learning for all, design better skills policies, and turn them into jobs and growth. The Directorate carries this out by providing statistics, analysis and policy advice to countries on a wide range of educational topics.

EDU is looking for Junior Policy Analysts. There are positions available in

- the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) (including the Survey on Social and Emotional Skills [SSES]). CERI has a forward-looking mandate and in particular is looking for support with its work to identify research gaps, develop new methodologies to strengthen the evidence base for education policy, and open up thinking of preferred futures to help align stakeholders and support more agile policy making.
- the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). PISA is an international survey which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students nearing the end of their compulsory education.

Main Responsibilities

Analysis and drafting

- Identify emerging issues and research gaps in areas relevant to the work of CERI and PISA.
- Synthesise qualitative findings and draw meaningful conclusions for education policy.
- Draft analytical documents for different audiences (policy community, teachers, researchers, general public).
- Analyse data from international assessments/surveys and from research pilots.
- Draft assessment frameworks and technical specifications for data collection (PISA).

Development of research tools

- Support the development of innovative tools to collect evidence on emerging topics and/or support greater use of evidence in policy making.
- Design survey questionnaires, interview protocols and data collection instruments.
- Support the design and implementation of randomised controlled trials (PISA).

Events organisation, representation and liaison

- Support the organisation and delivery of stakeholder workshops, expert meetings or peer learning seminars, including liasing with experts, developing agendas and preparing presentations.
- Establish and maintain professional contacts with officials in national administrations, research institutions and other international organisations.
- Present work in meetings with researchers, delegates from national administrations and in public events.
- Support work on preparing contracts with experts and contractors and/or coordinating their work (PISA/SSES).

Ideal Candidate Profile

Tools

- Knowledge of online graphic design tools (e.g. Canva, Adobe Illustrator) would be an asset.
- Knowledge and experience in the use of software for data management and analysis (PISA/SSES).

Languages

- Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.
- Knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

Responsibilities

Under the guidance of a Senior Analyst, the successful candidate will have the following responsibilities.

Requirements

An advanced university degree in social sciences, education, economics, psychology, statistics, psychometrics or a related field.; At least two years of experience in education research or survey work.; Strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills.; Proven ability to draft clear, concise, policy-oriented documents in different formats.; Proven ability to work well with stakeholders (policy, research and/or practice).; Knowledge of teacher policy or education policy (CERI).; Experience in futures/scenario building techniques is an asset (CERI).; Knowledge of large-scale educational assessments (PISA/SSES).; OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring processes: Vision and Strategy (Level 1), Enable People (Level 1), Ethics and Integrity (Level 1), Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 2), Achieve Results (Level 1), Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 2).; To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies .