Senior Education Policy Officer - Military veterans preferred

Job Details

Description

ABOUT IREX

IREX is a global development and education organization. We strive for a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world, where individuals reach their full potential, governments serve their people, and communities thrive. We work in four areas essential to progress: cultivating leaders, empowering youth, strengthening institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information.

ABOUT PROGRAM

The Early Grade Education Activity (EGEA) is a five-year funded project in Jordan. The activity aims to advance national efforts to strengthen the caliber of pre- and in-service teacher education and improve Kindergarten through Grade Three foundational and socio-emotional skills across the Kingdom of Jordan.

Position Purpose Summary

Supports the management of a program in the field; supports the development of project work products, to include but not limited to, program timelines, budgets, reports, or other product, documents as identified.

Based in Amman and reporting to the Senior Policy and Systems Manager, the Senior Education Policy Officer will support the Education Systems and Policy team to engage with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, university staff, and relevant partners to audit current policies and incentive structures and develop relevant and well-aligned systems, policies, and practices across the Early Grade Education ecosystem in Jordan. Including pre- and in-service teacher education and early grade education delivery.

They will provide technical and coordination support across ASAS’s policy reform workstreams, spanning early grade teacher preparation, licensing, school leadership, and accountability mechanisms. The Senior Officer will play a critical role in helping operationalize policy design, monitor implementation efforts, and ensure strong alignment between higher education, basic education, and system-level governance reforms.

Working in close coordination with relevant Government of Jordan counterparts, especially the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), and the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission (AQAC), the Senior Officer will support the development of policy tools, facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations, and contribute to data-informed decision-making processes across ASAS’s policy portfolio.

Task and Project Coordination/Management

Provides technical support and inputs to an assigned program(s) or project. Responsible for contributing, creating and guiding the work associated with project outputs; to include but not limited to program design, required products gathering, drafting, and creating workflow plans.

Specific tasks for assigned role include:

• Coordinate the execution of key policy reform workstreams, ensuring that timelines, deliverables, and stakeholder engagement strategies are well-managed and responsive to evolving needs.
• Contribute to the development of policy briefs, concept notes, meeting materials, and strategic communications products.
• Track the progress of assigned reform initiatives across pre-service and in-service systems and help maintain alignment with the program’s overall strategy.
• Provide coordination and logistical support for cross-sectoral working groups or steering committees focused on teacher preparation, school leadership, or system accountability.
• Co-lead benchmarking exercises to compare Jordan’s reforms with international models and help translate emerging global research on school leadership, teacher licensing, higher education reform and AI into Jordan’s context.

Technical Policy Support

contribute to shaping and advancing education policy reforms in Jordan by providing targeted technical and analytical support. Working closely with the Senior Policy and Systems Manager and key government counterparts, you will help design, pilot, and refine policy tools that strengthen teacher preparation, higher education quality, and system-wide accountability.

Specific tasks for assigned role include:

• Conduct research and analysis to inform ASAS’s support for national policy reforms, including teacher licensing, professionalization of faculty, quality assurance frameworks, and performance monitoring systems.
• Assist in drafting policy tools, frameworks, or implementation protocols, in consultation with the Senior Policy and Systems Manager and relevant government counterparts.
• Support the rollout of pilot policy activities helping gather feedback and document lessons learned.
• Support higher education reform efforts by engaging faculties of education on applied degrees and quality assurance.
• Collaborate with AQAC and partner universities to co-develop national standards for teacher education and university accreditation.

Relational Communication

Serves as a primary point of contact for assigned country/region; includes interacting with key stakeholders, partners, and/or fellow IREX employees. Responsible for drafting and sending correspondence with stakeholders.

Specific tasks for assigned role include:

• Engage in regular policy dialogue with MoE, MoHESR, and AQAC to align reform directions and maintain momentum.
• Facilitate and document high-level technical consultations and working group meetings, ensuring decisions and follow-up actions are clearly communicated and tracked.
• Collaborate with the communications team to produce outcome-focused materials, briefs and infographics that demonstrate policy progress and program impact and develop policy advocacy products.
• Collaborate with the MEL team to conceptualize and co-develop policy monitoring and tracking tools as well as use MEL data to inform mid-course adjustments and scale-up decisions.
• Convene regular roundtables or working groups to gather insights, validate policy interventions or gather policy pilot data.
• Contribute to learning products, policy briefs, and donor reporting with a focus on usability and influence.
• Guide internal coordination between in-service and pre-service policy workstreams.

Partner Engagement / Business Development

Supports the renewal process of assigned program. Supports and coordinates country partner outreach as requested. Gathers market intelligence specific to regional/country of responsibility. Supports one or more areas of the proposal development process.

Specific tasks for assigned role include:

• Support ASAS’s efforts to build coalitions of support for policy reforms across government, academia, and civil society.
• Help gather and synthesize insights from partners to inform ongoing reform design and adapt implementation approaches as needed.
• Contribute to the identification of new strategic opportunities or entry points for ASAS engagement within the policy and systems space.
• Support development of a tailored AI-in-education strategy with MoE and implementing a national AI readiness assessment with the Ministry of Education.

Teamwork and Leadership

Ensures fellow team members can articulate how project work aligns with program or practice area goals and objectives. Delegates relevant work and provide clear and measurable guidance. Positively seeks feedback from team members and uses information to make informed, relevant decision for projects, programs and client.

Specific tasks assigned for role include:

• Collaborate closely with the Senior Policy and Systems Manager and other ASAS technical leads to ensure cross-cutting coherence between policy, pre-service and in-service efforts.
• Actively contribute to internal learning and reflection processes to surface insights and inform course corrections.
• May supervise interns or junior technical staff as needed and serve as a peer mentor across the technical team.

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, international development, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in education policy, public sector reform, or systems strengthening; experience in Jordan or MENA region strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated familiarity with Jordan’s education system, particularly teacher preparation, licensing, higher education governance, and school accountability.
• Strong policy writing and analytical skills; ability to synthesize complex information into actionable products for a range of audiences.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills; ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliver high-quality outputs on time.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English and Arabic.

• Outstanding verbal and written communication, interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, relationship building skills and the ability to work cooperatively with team members, partner organizations and stakeholders from government and education sectors.
• Experience working with or within Jordanian government institutions.
• Knowledge of donor-funded education programming and policy development cycles.
• Familiarity with education quality assurance, workforce development, or higher education reform.
• Ability to navigate sensitive political and institutional contexts with diplomacy and discretion.

Must demonstrate valid proof of unrestricted work authorization in Jordan

Work Environment

All employees are responsible for their own safety, as well as that of others in the workplace. To help us maintain a safe workplace, everyone must be safety-conscious at all times. This position is performed in a typical office environment. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts and vehicles. Safe use of IREX equipment, as well as safe practices while on IREX property is essential.

EEO Statement

IREX is committed to equal opportunity and follows recruitment and selection practices that comply with all applicable employment laws. To this end, IREX recruits, hires, trains and promotes individuals based on merit and experience.

IREX does not offer sponsorship for employment.

No phone calls please.

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