Expert Educational Planner

Volunteering Finance & Economy Teaching & Training

Overview

Support planning and management of education services for Palestine refugee students.

You have:

• Proven experience in school mapping/class formation, education financing, or EMIS development.
• Demonstrated experience in education planning, policy analysis, large-scale program implementation, or related fields, preferably within a ministry, international organization, or research institute.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including use of Excel and/or planning software.
• Knowledge of international education frameworks such as SDG 4, UNESCO’s Education Policies, and IIEP methodologies.
• Experience in multi-stakeholder coordination and participatory planning processes.

Contract

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UNRWA provides free basic education to over 500,000 Palestine refugee students across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and Gaza. The Education Department at HQ Amman leads strategic education planning, policy development, and technical support to field offices. In line with UNRWA's education strategy and modernization agenda, the agency is prioritizing data-driven decision-making, digital transformation, and efficient resource allocation to improve access, quality, and equity in its education services.

The Expert Educational Planner will contribute to this agenda by supporting the planning and management of education services, including school mapping (class formation), financial simulations, digital EMIS development, and policy evaluation. The assignment supports both emergency and development needs in a conflict-affected, resource-constrained context.

Under the direct supervision of the Education Director, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

1. Strategic Education Planning & Policy Development • Support the development, revision, and implementation of UNRWA's multi-year education strategy and operational workplans. • Ensure alignment of education planning with SDG 4, UNESCO/IIEP guidelines, and UNRWA’s education vision. • Prepare financial simulations on staffing needs, cost-saving scenarios, and quality-enhancement investments (e.g. reduced class size in critical grades). • Develop and implement cost-effective financial strategies for education, ensuring optimal use of available resources. • Provide inputs into cross-cutting agency strategies and donor submissions from an education planning perspective.

2. Data Analysis, School Mapping (Class Formation) • Lead or support the annual class formation/school mapping processes across five fields. • Coordinate with field offices to ensure correct application of norms and standards for class size, space utilization, and staff allocation. • Support the development and use of algorithms and digital tools to automate projections and optimize resource use. • Support the modernization of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), including planning dashboards and school-level monitoring tools.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation & Policy Impact Assessment • Oversee the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress to-ward education goals and policy implementation. • Contribute to monitoring and evaluation of education indicators, including data validation, trend analysis, and reporting. • Support the assessment of policy impacts and feasibility studies, such as automatic promotion policies and learning recovery strategies. • Guide the preparation of annual education sector performance reports, policy briefs, and recommendations for UNRWA leadership and external partners. • Ensure the integration of equity, gender sensitivity, and inclusion considerations in education policies and programs.

4. Capacity Development & Technical Assistance • Provide technical assistance and capacity building to HQ and field-based education and planning staff. • Develop planning templates, SOPs, guidelines, and training materials as needed. • Support workshops, webinars, and cross-field learning exchanges. • Establish partnerships with universities, research institutions, and international organizations to enhance national education planning capacities. • Promote the adoption of new technologies and data-driven decision-making tools to enhance education policy formulation.

• Accountability • Adaptability and Flexibility • Building Trust • Judgement and Decision-making • Planning and Organizing • Professionalism • Technological Awareness • Working in Teams

• Proven experience in school mapping/class formation, education financing, or EMIS development. • Demonstrated experience in education planning, policy analysis, large-scale program implementation, or related fields, preferably within a ministry, international organization, or research institute. • Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including use of Excel and/or planning software. • Knowledge of international education frameworks such as SDG 4, UNESCO’s Education Policies, and IIEP methodologies. • Experience in multi-stakeholder coordination and participatory planning processes. • Ability to write clear and concise policy reports and technical documents.

Desirable: • Experience in education emergency response planning in conflict-affected or resource-constrained settings. • Familiarity with overcrowded classroom challenges and creative mitigation strategies. • Knowledge of UNRWA or refugee education systems.

Location: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west.

Weather: Jordan’s climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan's location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5°C to 10°C, and August is the hottest month at 20°C to 35°C. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40°C or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms. About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months.

Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly. Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents. Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1.

Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location.

Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad.

Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken – especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent.

Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourism’s website: https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 months ago - Updated 3 months ago - Source: unv.org