The British Embassy Amman is seeking a highly motivated, experienced, and enthusiastic individual for the position of Education Programme Manager, job grade Higher Executive Officer (HEO), on a fixed term contract for two (2) years.

The successful candidate will join the Education Pillar under the Humanitarian, Inclusion & Protection (HIP) Team. The key objectives associated with this role are primarily to ensure effective delivery of the UK education sector programme: Building Resilience, Inclusion and Diversity through Girls’ Education (BRIDGE).

The role requires commitment to work with others inside and outside the Embassy to maximise UK aid and coordinate with a diverse range of stakeholders. The successful candidate will be confident working at pace and multi-tasking to respond to changing priorities. 

Duties and responsibilities:

As Programme Responsible Officer, you will be accountable for driving, on a day-to-day basis, the delivery of programme outcomes within agreed time, cost, and quality constraints. You will need to:

• Effectively manage risk: This includes the development of appropriate strategies and tools to monitor, identify, and if necessary, escalate, risk; mitigation against the risk of fraud and corruption; and ensuring compliant reporting against the risk register.
• Ensure compliance with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Programme Operating Framework (PrOF), a set of rules and procedures that guide programming in FCDO.
• Monitor and evaluate progress: Ensure that the logframe and Theory of Change are updated and responsive to any programmatic changes; undertake routing monitoring missions; review partner reporting.
• Manage finance; accurate forecast expenditures; and ensure timely payments: Use a commercial mind-set and understanding of project budget drivers to support achievement of value for money (VFM). This role will involve management of a £30 million programme involving multiple implementing partners.
• Regularly update delivery chain maps showing key issues and risks at each stage of funds movement.
• Ensure the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) is regularly updated on programmatic issues through clear work planning and concise briefs to help inform strategic decision marking.

In addition to the above responsibilities, you will be required to be flexible and take on other responsibilities as requested, such as:

• Supporting the SRO with donor coordination, stakeholder engagement, and cross-Embassy collaboration.
• Contributing towards policy discussions on refugee education strategy with teams across the Embassy such as the Political Team and Economy & Prosperity Team, as well as across other embassies in Jordan.
• Contributing to efforts to improve working culture and life in the British Embassy and delivering on selected corporate objectives. It is expected that up to 10% of the role will be devoted to this.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible as specific responsibilities could change in the future and this would be at the discretion of the line manager. The job description may be reviewed to meet changes in business needs. The jobholder may also take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Embassy’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis.

Expectations at this grade are as follows:

Key behaviours required

• Making Effective Decisions – Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications, and risks of decisions.
• Managing a Quality Service – Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise, and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Delivering at Pace – Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
• Working Together – Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources, and support.

Key technical skills required

Practitioner level of

• Managing programme cycle – Understanding the tasks and obligations at each stage of the programme cycle and applying them directly or through others to support delivery.
• Managing Risk & Issues – Identifying when and how risk can be taken; applying risk management best practice; and understanding when risks become issues and taking action to respond to those issues.
• Financial Management – Managing resources effectively; promoting a culture of financial rigour and compliance; achieving VFM, transparency, and accountability; and applying robust financial management and decision making throughout the project cycle
• Commercial Acumen – Maintaining a VFM focus throughout the life of the programme in all activities. It is about having a commercial mind-set to ensure all activities and services maximise the impact of each pound spent on behalf of UK taxpayers.

Working level of

• Monitor, Learn & Adapt – Using a wide range of information to monitor and track programme results; to draw on and generate learning during the programme cycle, adopting deliberately adaptive interventions where appropriate.
• Engages Others – Establishing effective relationships, and, when needed, being able to communicate, influence, negotiate and manage stakeholder relationships in support of programme objectives.
• Programme Leadership – How programme teams and leaders create, sustain, and promote a culture of empowerment and accountability, supporting and challenging each other to the best that they can in programme delivery.

Eligibility:

If you are selected for this position, we will be able to employ you as long as:

• You have the right to live and work in Jordan; and
• You receive the appropriate level of security clearance.

• Relevant experience of programme/ project management in Jordan or the Middle East region, ideally for at least five (5) years. Preferably, some of this experience should be from working for a similar organisation such as another donor, UN agency, or INGO.
• Experience of engaging with government institutions and other international donors in Jordan/ Middle East region.
• Technical understanding of the education sector in Jordan and the refugee response.
• Confident and clear communicator, and fluent in English and Arabic. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely, both verbally and in written communication.
• Experience in drafting reports and briefs for an international audience in English.
• Ability to build strong, respectful, and collaborative working relationships with stakeholders within and beyond His Majesty’s Government (HMG), including those with different cultural backgrounds and opinions.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage a complex and varied workload, often to tight deadlines.
• Ability to drive delivery of outcomes and overcome obstacles, especially when working with and through others.
• Holds at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent level of academic and professional experience.
• Strong IT skills and literacy in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

In addition, we are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Integrity
• Honesty
• Objectivity
• Impartiality