Associate National Project Officer

UNESCO

OVERVIEW

Position Number: 5JOED0029PA

Grade: NO-A

Parent Sector:

Education

• Duty Station: Amman

• Job Family: Education

• Contract Type: Project Appointment

• Duration of contract: 1 year

• Recruitment open to: Internal and external candidates

• Application deadline (Midnight Paris Time): 18/11/2026

• UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

• Duration of contract: 1 year with possibility of extension subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

• INSTRUCTIONS

• For NPO positions Only nationals of Jordan may apply to this position.

• ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

• UNESCO supports national institutions and stakeholders in Jordan to strengthen inclusive, equitable and labour-market-responsive education and skills systems, with particular attention to technical and vocational education and training (TVET), youth employment and lifelong learning.

• UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will jointly implement the European Union-funded TVET for Decent Work in Jordan project. The 36-month initiative seeks to strengthen the coherence, quality, inclusiveness and labour-market relevance of Jordan’s TVET system and improve pathways to decent work for women, youth, persons with disabilities and groups in vulnerable situations.

• The project works primarily at policy, institutional and system levels. UNESCO’s responsibilities include support to TVET governance and inter-institutional coordination; data and evidence systems; quality assurance, accreditation and qualifications; institutional capacity development; work-based learning (WBL); employer engagement; career guidance; graduate tracking; and pathways from secondary TVET into tertiary education. Capacity development will emphasize sustainable institutional arrangements, including training-of-trainers and other approaches that enable national institutions and providers to replicate and scale project-supported practices.

• The Associate National Project Officer will support the day-to-day implementation, monitoring, documentation and stakeholder follow-up of UNESCO-led activities. The incumbent will work under close supervision and within approved workplans, budgets, technical guidance and procedures. The role supports, rather than independently leads, policy reform, high-level negotiation or strategic project management.

• OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

• Education Unit

• KEY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the overall authority of the Head of the UNESCO Jordan Office, the technical guidance and the oversight of the Head of the unit, and the direct supervision of the designated TVET Project Officer, the incumbent will be responsible for carrying out the following functions:

• 1. Implementation planning and follow-up

• Support implementation of UNESCO-led activities in line with the approved Project Document, results framework, annual workplans, budgets and timelines.

• Prepare and update activity schedules, action trackers, deliverable calendars, mission plans and implementation records.

• Follow up with counterparts, consultants, partners and service providers on agreed actions and deadlines, and promptly flag delays or bottlenecks to the supervisor.

• Support logistical and substantive preparation of consultations, workshops, institutional capacity-development activities, missions and project meetings.

• 2. Institutional and technical support

• Provide research, drafting and coordination support for institutional strengthening activities related to TVET governance, WBL, quality assurance, qualifications, data systems, career guidance, employer engagement and graduate tracking.

• Support national institutions and TVET providers in applying project-supported tools, guidelines, standard operating procedures and capacity-development packages.

• Support the preparation and implementation of training-of-trainers approaches, including participant coordination, training documentation, feedback collection and follow-up on institutional cascade plans.

• Help ensure that gender equality, disability inclusion, learner-centred approaches, safeguarding, digital and green skills, and decent-work principles are reflected in implementation materials and activities.

• Review routine technical and operational documentation for completeness and consistency, consolidate comments, and refer substantive policy or quality issues to the responsible technical lead.

• 3. Partnerships and coordination

• Maintain regular working-level liaison with designated focal points in relevant ministries and institutions, including MoEHRD/MoE, MoL, VTC, AQAC, Sector Councils, TVET providers, employers’ and workers’ organizations, universities and civil society organizations.

• Support coordination with ILO and other implementing and development partners, including preparation of agendas, background notes, minutes and action points.

• Support the secretariat functions of project governance and technical coordination mechanisms and systematically follow up agreed actions.

• Contribute to coordination with EU-funded and other TVET initiatives to promote complementarity and avoid duplication.

• 4. Consultants, partners and operational processes

• Support preparation of terms of reference, scopes of work, technical specifications and other implementation documents using approved templates and guidance.

• Maintain trackers for contracts, deliverables, review processes and payment milestones, and alert the supervisor to deviations from agreed schedules or requirements.

• Coordinate routine inputs and information required by consultants, implementing partners and service providers.

• Work with finance, procurement, administration and programme colleagues to initiate and follow up authorized procurement, contracting, travel and payment actions.

• 5. Monitoring, risk management and reporting

• Collect, verify, organize and consolidate monitoring data and supporting evidence against approved indicators and targets, with required disaggregation.

• Maintain implementation, risk, issue and results trackers and support follow-up of agreed mitigation measures.

• Draft implementation updates and contribute data, evidence, lessons learned and success stories for internal and donor reports, reviews, evaluations and audits.

• Support institutional monitoring of the uptake and use of project-supported tools and training, including ToT cascade and follow-up actions.

• 6. Communication and knowledge management

• Draft correspondence, briefing notes, meeting records, presentations, technical summaries and other project materials in English and Arabic.

• Support compliance with UNESCO and EU communication and visibility requirements in coordination with relevant colleagues.

• Maintain complete, accurate and accessible electronic and hard-copy project records to support accountability and institutional memory.

• Perform other related duties within the scope and level of the position, as assigned.

• COMPETENCIES - Core (C) & Managerial (M)

• Communication (C)

• Accountability (C)

• Innovation (C)

• Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)

• Planning and organizing (C)

• Results focus (C)

• Teamwork (C)

• Professionalism (C)

• REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in education, TVET, skills development, public policy, international development, social sciences, project management or a related field.

• WORK EXPERIENCE

• Less than two years of relevant professional experience in education, TVET, skills development, employment, project implementation, institutional capacity development or a related field.

• Experience supporting coordination, monitoring, reporting or delivery of multi-stakeholder projects.

• SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Knowledge of Jordan’s education, TVET, skills and employment landscape and relevant national institutions.

• Basic understanding of institutional capacity development, TVET governance, WBL, quality assurance, qualifications, career guidance or labour-market-responsive skills development.

• Ability to apply project cycle management and results-based management principles to routine implementation and monitoring tasks.

• Strong planning, organization, follow-up, analytical and problem-solving skills, with attention to detail.

• Ability to draft clear workplans, trackers, minutes, briefs, presentations and reports in English and Arabic.

• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team and maintain constructive working relationships with public institutions and diverse stakeholders.

• Good digital skills, including office productivity, collaboration, presentation and basic data-management tools.

• Commitment to integrity, accountability, gender equality, disability inclusion and respect for diversity.

• LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of Arabic and English, written and spoken.