Senior Education Planning Specialist

The Senior Education Planning Specialist supports strategic decision-making and shapes UNRWA's education agenda across all fields. The role involves leading education planning, data systems, policy development, and coordinating with HQ divisions and field teams to optimize resource allocation, school mapping, and system-wide reforms.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, revision, and implementation of UNRWA's multi-year education strategy and operational workplans.
• Ensure alignment of education planning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, UNESCO/IIEP guidelines, and UNRWA’s education vision.
• Prepare financial simulations on staffing needs, cost-saving scenarios, and quality enhancement investments.
• Develop and implement cost-effective financial strategies for education, ensuring optimal use of available resources.
• Provide input into cross-cutting agency strategies and donor submissions from an education planning perspective.
• Lead 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.
• Play a key role in 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.
• Oversee the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress toward 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.
• 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.
• Contribute to Education Department–wide strategies and cross-team initiatives, including Education in Emergencies, Digital Education, and Quality Education assessments.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree in Education Planning, Economics of Education, Public Policy, or related field.
• 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, including employment, consultancy, board membership, public speaking/writing, teaching, conferences, voluntary work, political activity, fundraising, or other relevant engagements.

Skills

• Education Planning
• Economics of Education
• Public Policy
• School Mapping
• Class Formation
• Education Financing
• EMIS Development
• Education Policy Evaluation
• Programme Implementation
• Quantitative Analysis
• Qualitative Analysis
• Excel
• Planning Software
• International Education Frameworks
• SDG 5
• UNESCO Education Policies
• IIEP Methodologies
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Participatory Urban Planning
• Policy Report Writing
• Technical Document Development
• Education Emergency Response Planning

Languages

English, Arabic