Julia Heiss is a social anthropologist and education planner with extensive expertise in designing and implementing education programs across a wide range of areas, including education planning, ICT in education, technical and vocational education, girls' education, education for sustainable development (ESD), teacher development, climate change, and global citizenship education.

With a 25-year career at UNESCO, Ms. Heiss began her journey in the Education Sector’s regional office in Nairobi, Kenya, before advancing to UNESCO Headquarters, where she contributed to programs focused on STEM education, ESD, and girls' education. She later served as the Team Manager for the Global Education Monitoring Report.

From 2019 to 2023, Ms. Heiss was based at the Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she coordinated regional education programs. Julia Heiss holds a Master's degree in Social Anthropology and a Master's degree in Education.

Currently, she serves as the Chief of the Section for Education for Sustainable Development in UNESCO’s Education Sector in Paris.