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Job #: req31031
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Education
Grade: EC2
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Amman,Jordan
Required Language(s): Arabic and English
Preferred Language(s):Closing Date: 1/16/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit http://www.worldbank.org/
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region covers Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Gulf States, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian territories) and Yemen. These countries include low-income and middle-income countries that look for technical advice and financial support, and high-income countries that request Reimbursable Advisory Services. The MENA region has been undergoing major changes over the past several years and the World Bank is poised to support the countries in the region to achieve peace and stability for economic and social development.
The Bank's MENA Regional Vice Presidency has placed Human Development including education at the heart of its engagement as a critical part of its strategy in supporting countries rebuild trust between citizens and the state, promoting regional cooperation, building resilience in countries amidst the refugee challenges in the region, and supporting recovery and reconstruction. The MENA Human Development team is led by a Director and encompasses three units (Health, Nutrition and Population; Social and Protection and Jobs, and Education). The team is guided by the MENA Human Capital Plan that aims to help MENA become a region that realizes its vast potential by harnessing its greatest untapped assets: the human capital of its population, including youth, women, and the elderly.
Countries in the MENA region have taken great strides in education in the past few decades, but challenges remain, particularly in the areas of education quality, inequality, governance and accountability, and the relevance of skills for the labor market. The World Bank MENA Education Unit focuses on helping countries build the human capital required for economic growth and social development by providing analytical products, technical and financial support, as well as advisory services. As such, the MENA Education Unit supports countries in developing and implementing strategies for learning at all levels of education from childhood to tertiary. Teams work closely with countries to improve their systems of delivery, promote equity in education, and foster better management. We also work closely with education colleagues from other regions of the World Bank as well as colleagues in other Global Practices in MENA. https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena
Education is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals: it is a reliable route out of poverty because it has large returns to income for individuals and because it can drive economic growth and shared prosperity. The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all, learning for life”—that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives. The developing world has achieved great advances in education in the past two decades, yet major challenges remain: how to remove the educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile states, and how to improve the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning. The MENA Education Unit is part of the Education Global Practice. We draw upon global knowledge, tools and experts. In turn, we contribute to the global agenda and make available our expertise to other regional education units. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/education
Jordan Education Program: Over the past few years, the World Bank’s Group program in Jordan has grown to become the second largest education portfolio in the MENA Region. Policy dialogue has intensified in the context of the recovery efforts from the Covid-19 pandemics as well as the launch of Economic Modernization Vision and the Public Sector Modernization which gave a new impetus to education reforms in the country to boost human capital accumulation. The World Bank plays a role in assisting the government of Jordan upgrading the education sector, most notably in terms of improving learning outcomes across the education lifecycle and enhancing sector governance. As part of its Country Partnership Framework (CPF, 2024-29), the World Bank is providing support to the education sector through both lending and Technical Assistance with a view to assist the Government of Jordan in improving human capital outcomes and revitalizing education system for future jobs, including the investment and expansion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The current portfolio of WB education related activities in Jordan includes the following:
• Jordan Education Reform Support Program for Results in the amount of US$300 million, approved in 2017; focusing on Early Childhood Education (ECE), teaching and learning environment, student assessment and system strengthening.
• Modernizing Education, Skills and Administrative Reforms (MASAR) Program for Results in the amount of US$400 million, approved in 2024, co-led with the SPJ GP; focusing on ECE, TVET and sector governance.
• An active policy dialogue and technical assistance activities targeting institutional restructuring of the education sector.
• A digital skills curriculum (G1-12) component in the Youth, Technology and Jobs Project, led by the FCI GP.
• A digital student assessment component in the People-Centric Digital Government Project, led by Governance GP
The MENA Education Unit is looking for an Education Specialist/Economist (Extended Term Consultant) to support the Bank’s Education engagement and growing portfolio in Jordan. Based in the World Bank’s office in Amman, Jordan, the successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the Task Team Leaders, other education team members, as well as colleagues in Social Protection, Health, FCI, Governance and other GPs, and the Country Management Unit.
The primary responsibility of the Education Specialist will be to contribute to the development and implementation of the Education GP’s work program in Jordan.
• Provide implementation support to Jordan’s ongoing operations and activities, including hands-on support to counterparts (Ministry of Education/Development Coordination Unit) and coordination across disciplines and project components with other team members to ensure achievement of expected results;
• Carry out monitoring and collection of education data/indicators, including updating of the Education PforR and MASAR results framework and drafting progress reports and other project documentation;
• Plan and participate as a core member in Bank missions, workshops, events, and study tours;
• Contribute to/prepare and disseminate analytical products (e.g., sector assessments, policy notes, impact evaluations, country systems diagnostics, case studies, etc.). Provide input on a range of issues that respond to critical policy questions identified by the client and impact policy and operational design;
• Provide strategic support to the Technical Assistance components to ensure the effective implementation of TA and capacity building activities;
• Review the status of activities under Bank-Executed Trust Funds (PROSPECTS, ELP, INSPIRE) and oversee and guide consultants/vendors to deliver results;
• Follow up on the implementation of a communication plan to highlight project achievements and sensitize stakeholders;
• Support the fiduciary and safeguard oversight of the projects, including Financial Management and Procurement.
• Support the TTL as needed on linkages with other Global Practices and development partner programs to ensure synergies.
• Respond to ad-hoc and urgent requests from management, including preparing briefs and sector notes.
• Contribute to other tasks as needed, including potential work on other countries in the region.
• At least a master’s degree in Economics, Education, Public Policy or other related field, and a minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience working on development programs with Governments, development partners and other relevant stakeholders (including educators and non-profit and civil society organizations)
• Solid knowledge and exposure to human development issues with knowledge of Jordan’s education and training sector issues
• Operational skills – Demonstrated knowledge of project management concepts and experience handholding of clients for implementation, and administration of trust funds.
• Drive for Results – Strong personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, with the personal organization and drive to do so.
• Technical ability, Client Orientation, Leadership and Communication, as detailed below.
Technical Ability
• Strong analytical skills, including an understanding of core education data sets, indicators and collection thereof, tools for data analysis, education financing and the use of the resulting evidence for education policy-making. The ability to work with statistical tools (SPSS/STATA) is a plus.
• Good understanding of education systems, and how they interact in different social and development contexts and institutional arrangements.
• Good knowledge of the Jordan context.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.
• Strong engagement and policy dialogue skills with high-level counterparts and other stakeholders; client focused with an ability to provide prompt and high-quality responses.
• Ability to maintain client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions.
• Ability to provide evidence-based advice and practical solutions based on sound diagnosis and judgement, and mindful of political considerations and capacity limitations.
• Ability to influence and promote consensus among different stakeholders.
• Ability to manage diverse and sometimes competing interests and perspectives.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven ability to work in a team and intercultural environment with minimal supervision.
• Ability to multitask, manage competing demands, and effectively and timely delivering on tasks.
• Proven ability to identify and develop new partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including experience in working with multiple donors and education partners.
• Ability to work in a collaborative way and build relationships around a common goal. Teamwork and Inclusion by contributing productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
• Evidence of strong interpersonal skills and good judgement.
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills in Arabic and English.
• Experience of presenting complex analytical conclusions and policy implications to policy makers, donors, education stakeholders and other non-specialized audiences, orally and in writing.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.
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