Senior Education Planning Specialist

UNRWA, the largest United Nations operation in the Middle East with over 30,000 staff working across five areas of operation, is looking for highly committed personnel wishing to make a change. If you are looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference for one of the most vulnerable communities in the world, UNRWA would like to hear from you. The incumbent reports directly to the Director of Education and plays a central role in supporting high-level strategic decision-making and shaping the Agency’s education agenda across all fields. Based at Headquarters within the Education Programme, the position serves as a key link between strategic planning, data systems, and policy development, working closely with HQ divisions and field education teams to influence core processes such as resource allocation, school mapping, and system-wide reforms. The incumbent provides technical leadership across functions and, depending on operational needs, may lead or coordinate staff and consultants, offering guidance, mentoring, and oversight on complex, cross-field initiatives.

Strategic Education Planning & Policy Development -Supports the development, revision, and implementation of UNRWA's multi-year education strategy and operational workplans. -Ensures alignment of education planning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, UNESCO/ International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) guidelines, and UNRWA’s education vision. -Prepares financial simulations on staffing needs, cost-saving scenarios, and quality enhancement investments (e.g. reduced class size in critical grades). -Develops and implements cost-effective financial strategies for education, ensuring optimal use of available resources. -Provides input into cross-cutting agency strategies and donor submissions from an education planning perspective. Data Analysis, School Mapping (Class Formation) -Leads the annual class formation/school mapping processes across five fields. -Coordinates with field offices to ensure correct application of norms and standards for class size, space utilization, and staff allocation. -Plays a key role in the development and use of algorithms and digital tools to automate projections and optimize resource use. -Supports the modernization of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), including planning dashboards and school-level monitoring tools. Monitoring, Evaluation & Policy Impact Assessment. -Oversees the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress toward education goals and policy implementation. -Contributes to monitoring and evaluation of education indicators, including data validation, trend analysis, and reporting. -Supports the assessment of policy impacts and feasibility studies, such as automatic promotion policies and learning recovery strategies. -Guides the preparation of annual education sector performance reports, policy briefs, and recommendations for UNRWA leadership and external partners. -Ensures the integration of equity, gender sensitivity, and inclusion considerations in education policies and programs. Capacity Development & Technical Assistance -Provides technical assistance and capacity building to HQ and field-based education and planning staff. -Develops planning templates, SOPs, guidelines, and training materials as needed. -Supports workshops, webinars, and cross-field learning exchanges. -Establishes partnerships with universities, research institutions, and international organizations to enhance national education planning capacities. -Promotes the adoption of new technologies and data-driven decision-making tools to enhance education policy formulation. Contributes to Education Department–wide strategies and cross-team initiatives, as required, including but not limited to Education in Emergencies, Digital Education, Quality Education assessments, and other strategic initiatives.

UN Core Values of Integrity, Professionalism and Respect for Diversity, and Core Competencies of Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results apply by default. Planning and Organizing Deciding and Initiating Action Leading and Supervising Relating and Networking Formulating Strategies and Concepts Delivering Results

An advanced university degree in Education Planning, Economics of Education, Public Policy, or related field.

Not available.

At least 7 years of progressively responsible and professional experience in school mapping/class formation, education financing, or EMIS development is required. Demonstrated experience in education planning, policy analysis, large-scale programme implementation, or related fields, preferably within a ministry, international organization, or research institute is required. Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis, including use of Excel and/or planning software is required. Experience in applying international education frameworks such as SDG 4, UNESCO’s Education Policies, and IIEP methodologies in programme design or evaluation. Experience in multi-stakeholder coordination and participatory planning processes. Documented experience in drafting clear and concise policy reports and technical documents is required. Unless already serving as an international staff member in the UN Common System, at least two continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA and outside the country(s) of citizenship is required. Experience in education emergency response planning in conflict-affected or resource constrained settings is desirable. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Familiarity with overcrowded classroom challenges and creative mitigation strategies is desirable. Knowledge of UNRWA or refugee education systems is desirable. Indicate your current involvement in any outside activities, as it is required. Including but not limited to employment, independent contractor/freelance consultant, board member (corporate, academic, etc),expert group, lobby, public speaking/writing (article, book, blog, social media etc), teaching, conferences, training, press statement, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising/donation for non UNRWA entity, running for public office, role in political party or orgs, owning business, work for gov./NGO/private company/charity, UNRWA partner/vendor, full/part-time, paid or not. A "yes" answer doesn't necessarily lead to exclusion from future work at UNRWA, yet misrepresentation in providing accurate/complete info can lead to disqualification/termination of appointment, if hired.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. Arabic is desirable. The table below shows the minimum required level for each skill in these languages, according to the UN Language Framework (please consult

https://languages.un.org

for details).

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Required Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

English

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

UN Level III

Desirable Languages

Language

Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

Arabic

UN Level I

UN Level I

UN Level I

UN Level I

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Type of Contract and duration: 1 year, with the possibility of further extension. Appointment for this post is subject to availability of funds. The incumbent will be based in Amman and may be required to travel throughout the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East or beyond. Only applications that have been fully completed in UNRWA's online e-recruitment system inspira will be considered and no late applications will be accepted. The Personal History Profile (PHP) should be completed with full work experience under the experience tabs as per the requirements in the Job Opening. All university degrees must also be stated, where applicable. UNRWA personnel must ensure adding their contract type and grade level. Given the large pool of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessment. Providing incorrect or misleading information on an application form will result in the immediate disqualification of the candidate. Advertisements published in English will only accept applications in English, other language submissions will not be considered. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender balance in its workforce. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. UNRWA welcomes applications from qualified candidates with disabilities. A roster may be created from the selection exercise, and successful candidates may become eligible for appointment to the same post or a similar post, when the need arises. Equivalency: A first level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. NB: work experience alone or formal qualifications with no relevant work experience are not considered an acceptable combination. The Agency disqualifies applicants whose name appears on the UN Sanctions List or a UN database of staff separated for reason of misconduct or of staff who separated while a misconduct process was pending. UNRWA shares investigation and misconduct information with other UN Agencies, and past and prospective employers about staff members who have been separated for misconduct, or who have separated while an investigation and/or disciplinary process for misconduct is underway; and those individuals may be prohibited from employment with the United Nations. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states, regional bodies, business foundations and individual contributions. The mission of UNRWA is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. For more details on UNRWA, please visit: https://www.unrwa.org/

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and to assignment by him or her. UNRWA is committed to achieving gender parity at all levels of staffing under the current UN-wide gender agenda and strongly encourages applications from qualified applicants from under-represented groups. At UNRWA, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. UNRWA is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. UNRWA Considerations UNRWA staff are expected to uphold the highest standards of efficiency, competence, neutrality, impartiality and integrity. This includes respect for and commitment to human rights, diversity and non-violent means of dealing with all kinds of conflict. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for UNRWA jobs. Candidates will not be considered for employment with UNRWA if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. The Agency may disqualify applicants who have separated for reason of misconduct, who left a UN Agency while misconduct processes were pending, or who appear on the UN Sanctions List. UNRWA is a non-smoking work environment. Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA) DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE OR REQUEST MONEY FROM CANDIDATES AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING, ONBOARDING). UNRWA DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.