Early Grade Assessment Specialist

About the role

IREX is seeking an Early Grade Assessment Specialist to support the Early Grade Education Activity (ASAS) in Jordan. The specialist supports the technical development, adaptation, piloting, implementation and quality assurance of assessment tools for kindergarten through Grade 3 learners under the ASAS In-Service component, reporting to the In-Service Senior Manager. The role works closely with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MoEHRD), ASAS technical and MEL teams and partners, and has no formal staff-management or HR responsibilities.

Key responsibilities

• Support the design, adaptation, piloting and refinement of early-grade literacy, numeracy, diagnostic and formative assessment tools, including ISELA, EGRA and IDELA, and their frameworks, protocols and assessor materials.
• Coordinate technical readiness of assessment activities: sampling inputs, field plans, administration procedures, assessor training and calibration, and supervision or spot-check arrangements.
• Review assessment forms and digital data collection, check completeness and consistency, document data-quality issues and support cleaning, analysis and reporting of findings.
• Translate assessment findings into actionable insights for teacher professional development and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approaches, producing briefs, presentations and guidance.
• Coordinate technical tasks with MoEHRD counterparts, ASAS teams, field staff and partners, and review products against specifications.
• Follow protocols for learner-data privacy, consent, safeguarding, accessibility and responsible use of assessment information.

Required profile

• At least three years of relevant experience in early-grade assessment, education research, foundational literacy and numeracy, diagnostic assessment or related education programming.
• Bachelor's degree in Education, Educational Assessment, Educational Psychology, Statistics, Education Research or a closely related discipline; postgraduate study or certification in educational measurement is an advantage.
• Fluency in Arabic and professional working proficiency in English are required.
• Unrestricted authorization to work in Jordan; the position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.
• Experience in Jordanian public education, early-grade teacher professional development or donor-funded education projects is an advantage.

Required skills

• Familiarity with ISELA, EGRA, IDELA or comparable tools is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with Excel and routine data management and reporting.
• Experience with digital data-collection platforms such as Tangerine or statistical software is an advantage.
• Ability to work with Ministry counterparts, educators, MEL colleagues and implementation partners.