About IRC:

IRC is a leading humanitarian and development organization working in more than 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

The IRC has worked in Syria since 2012, delivering life-saving assistance and essential services to communities affected by the ongoing crisis. Through programs in health, protection, economic recovery, and education, the IRC partners with local actors to strengthen resilience and support sustainable recovery for vulnerable populations. In the current transition context, IRC is expanding its engagement with national institutions and system-level stakeholders, positioning its technical expertise to support education systems strengthening and institutional capacity development.

Background and Objectives of the – GPE SCG for Syria:

GPE is the world’s largest global fund solely dedicated to transforming education in lower-income and fragile countries and is a unique, multi-stakeholder partnership. GPE is committed to the achievement of SDG 4: inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning. GPE focuses on access; early learning; equity, efficiency and volume of domestic financing; gender equality; inclusion; learning; quality teaching; and strong organizational capacity —especially in contexts affected by poverty and conflict. In its most recent strategy period (2021-2025), GPE raised $4.7 billion in financing from more than 70 partners to support 372 million children with better quality education, train 4.7 million teachers, and help 10 million more children (50% girls) to enroll in school. The next strategy period, GPE 2030 (2026-2030) aims to raise an additional $15 billion to transform education and improve education for nearly 750 million children.

In 2020, GPE allocated US$2.6 million to Syria under its SCG, which strengthens national capacity for education planning, policy implementation, and monitoring. It also addresses key enablers of system transformation, including data, coordination, gender-responsive planning, and equitable financing. In 2023, based on the Syrian Education Dialogue Forum (EDF) recommendation, GPE awarded US$1.6 million to UNICEF. Now, EDF and the Ministry of Education (MoE) seek to access the remaining US$1 million, with the IRC as Grant Agent. IRC will work with the MoE to support the following objectives: capacity building and technical assistance to develop operational and financial planning processes, strengthening sector coordination and monitoring, and develop updated Enabling Factors Analysis and Partnership Compact. It will also strengthen MoE’s coordination and leadership capacity and provide targeted technical assistance to advance Syria’s goal of an inclusive, resilient, and accountable education system that ensures equitable access and improved learning outcomes for all children.

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision of the IRC Syria Country Program Leadership, with direct reporting to the Country Director, the Program Director will be responsible for ensuring high quality design, delivery, and oversight of the IRC’s GPE SCG in Syria. The Program Director, with the Syria MoE as the primary client, will lead a small team of education technical experts, consultants and support staff to accomplish the key deliverables of the SCG, within the agreed upon timeframe. The Program Director will serve as the lead technical advisor to the MoE throughout the engagement and will be responsible for maintaining strong, constructive relationships with the MoE and relevant departments, including the Directorate of Planning and International Cooperation and the Department of Finance. The Program Director will lead on the SCG strategy and resourcing plans, ensuring the appropriate staff or consultants are brought into key activities or workstreams, and will be ultimately accountable for their performance, quality and timely delivery. Beyond close engagement with the MoE, the Program Director will also drive policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement within the education sector in Syria, maintaining close working relations with the GPE secretariat (including country, regional and HQ focal points), the GPE Coordinating Agency (FCDO), the Local Education Group (LEG) Steering Committee, LEG members, the Donors Partner Group, and the UNICEF team leading the complementary SCG focused on LEG coordination and data systems work. The Program Director will lead the development, implementation, and reporting of detailed SCG workplans, ensuring clear implementation timelines and systematic tracking of deliverables. Additionally, the Program Director will maintain close collaboration with IRC units – particularly Partnerships Early Childhood Development and Education – to ensure coordination and alignment between IRC’s technical support and MoE priorities. This senior position requires outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and organizational, team-building and presentational skills.

Major Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Grant Oversight

• Lead the design, implementation, and oversight of the SCG in coordination with the Syria MoE, GPE and the Coordinating Agency (FCDO).
• Serve as the primary technical and strategic advisor to the MoE throughout the SCG lifecycle, ensuring MoE ownership, alignment with national priorities, and high-quality delivery of agreed outputs.
• Lead inclusive education sector policy dialogue required to achieve SCG objectives, in coordination with national and international education stakeholders.
• Lead and convene consultations, technical workshops, and coordination engagements with the MoE and key stakeholders to advance SCG priorities and sector dialogue.

Technical Delivery & Systems Strengthening

• Oversee all technical contributions related to SCG priorities, including: updating the Enabling Factors Analysis and Partnership Compact; strengthening operational and financial planning processes; and enhancing sector coordination, consultation, and monitoring mechanisms.
• Ensure the development, implementation, and reporting of detailed SCG workplans, including clear timelines, milestones, and tracking of deliverables.
• Review and ensure quality of all technical deliverables and written outputs produced under the grant.

Team Leadership & Resourcing

• Lead and manage a small, multi-disciplinary team of staff and consultants, ensuring appropriate resourcing, performance management, and timely delivery of outputs.
• Make strategic resourcing decisions (staffing, consultancy inputs, technical expertise) in line with project needs and approved budgets.

Coordination, Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement

• Maintain strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including the MoE, GPE Secretariat, FCDO, Local Education Group (LEG), donors, and UNICEF (complementary SCG).
• Ensure internal coordination within IRC across Education, Early Childhood Development, Partnerships, and Grants teams to promote complementarity while safeguarding the SCG’s positioning as a MoE-led, systems-level grant.

Risk Management, Compliance & Accountability

• Identify and manage risks related to SCG implementation, ensuring adaptive management, transparency, and timely communication with all stakeholders.
• Ensure full compliance with GPE policies, Grant Agent requirements, and IRC financial, safeguarding, and accountability standards, with support from IRC Grants, Finance, and Compliance teams.

Qualifications:

• An advanced degree (master's or PhD) in education policy and/or international development policy, social sciences, public policy, or any other related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading high‑level representation for an organization or major program, with proven ability to engage confidently and effectively with government counterparts, donors, and diverse stakeholders.
• At least 8 years’ experience in a senior management role of donor-funded programs focused on capacity building and/or systems strengthening of government officials, managing a diverse team of professionals. Direct experience deploying mixed teams of staff and consultants will be a plus.
• Extensive experience working in Syria or the MENA region, and excellent knowledge of current geo-political developments in Syria and the history and current state of the education system.
• Experience and ability to provide leadership and direction in harnessing the multi-disciplinary skills of the technical personnel within complex and high-risk environments.
• Familiarity with GPE’s model of education system transformation and past experience working on education sector diagnostics and education sector planning and monitoring.
• Experience in applying safeguarding, ethics, conflict-sensitive and ‘do not harm’ principles.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and writing skills and the ability to influence diverse stakeholders to promote evidence-based causes and ideas.
• Written and spoken fluency in Arabic and English required.

Supervisor: Country Director, Syria

Location: Syrian Arab Republic - Damascus

Internal Coordination: ECDE Coordinator, Grants Unit, Partnerships, Field Management and Liaison, MEAL unit, Finance, Supply Chain and other sectors as necessary.

External Coordination: MoE, MoF, Education Clusters and working groups, FCDO, GPE, other Donors and Development Partners, Local Implementing Partners and NGOs, Private Sector and Technical Experts.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Gender Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation, and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that enable women to participate in our workforce, including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.
Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.