Early Grade Assessment Specialist

IREX is a global solutions provider that partners with communities and institutions in the United States and around the world to cultivate leaders, expand access to education, and create economic opportunity. With deep expertise, a forward-looking vision, and world-class practices in AI for Education, Future-Ready Workforce, Higher Education Solutions, Leadership Development, and Online Safety, IREX delivers innovative and proven solutions that help people, institutions, and communities thrive in a rapidly changing world.

IREX seeks an Early Grade Assessment Specialist to support the Early Grade Education Activity (ASAS) in Jordan.

The Early Grade Assessment 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 Specialist contributes to early literacy and numeracy diagnostics and formative assessment, including relevant tools such as ISELA, EGRA, and IDELA. The role supports assessment frameworks, field protocols, assessor preparation, data-quality review, analysis, and the translation of evidence into practical recommendations for teachers, supervisors, and Ministry counterparts. Working closely with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MoEHRD), ASAS technical and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) teams, and partners, the position helps ensure assessments are rigorous, appropriate for the Jordanian context, and useful for improving instruction. This position has no formal staff-management or HR responsibilities.

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• →Assessment Design and Adaptation: Support the development, adaptation, piloting, and refinement of early-grade literacy, numeracy, diagnostic, and formative assessment tools. Contribute to assessment frameworks, specifications, administration protocols, scoring guidance, and assessor materials; check alignment with approved learning expectations, Jordanian context, and the needs of KG–G3 learners.
• →Field Implementation and Assessor Preparation: Coordinate the technical readiness of assessment activities, including sampling inputs, field plans, administration procedures, assessor training and calibration, and supervision or spot-check arrangements. Help identify and resolve implementation issues while supporting consistent administration and inclusion across participating schools.
• →Data Quality, Interpretation, and Reporting: Work with MEL and data colleagues to review assessment forms and digital data-collection processes, check completeness and consistency, document data-quality issues, and support cleaning, analysis, interpretation, and clear reporting of findings. Distinguish what assessment evidence can and cannot demonstrate, and maintain accurate tools, versions, protocols, and decision records.
• →Assessment-Informed Teaching and Improvement: Help translate diagnostic and formative assessment findings into actionable insights for teacher professional development, targeted instruction, and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approaches. Develop practical briefs, presentations, and guidance to help teachers, supervisors, and technical teams understand and apply results; gather feedback to improve assessment usability.
• →Stakeholder Coordination, Safeguarding, and Quality Assurance: Coordinate assigned technical tasks with MoEHRD assessment, curriculum, supervision, and professional development counterparts, ASAS teams, field staff, and research or implementation partners. Review assigned products against agreed specifications, escalate technical decisions appropriately, and follow approved protocols for learner-data privacy, consent, safeguarding, accessibility, and responsible use of assessment information.

At IREX, our culture is built on our people—and on how we work together to create meaningful impact every day. We look for colleagues who bring purpose, intellectual curiosity, collaborative problem solving, and a results driven, bias for action to help strengthen communities and advance our mission.

Successful candidates build trust across differences, move ideas into action, seek new perspectives, embrace change, and represent IREX with authenticity and professionalism. We value people who bring strong expertise and a generous team spirit to work that advances our mission.

• At least three years of relevant experience in early-grade learning assessment, education research, foundational literacy and numeracy, diagnostic assessment, or related education programming.
• Hands-on experience supporting assessment tool development or adaptation, piloting, standardized administration, assessor training, field supervision, or assessment quality assurance.
• Understanding of early literacy and numeracy development and of how diagnostic and formative assessments inform instruction, teacher support, and improvement planning.
• Familiarity with early-grade assessment approaches or tools such as ISELA, EGRA, IDELA, or comparable instruments is strongly preferred.
• Ability to support sampling and field protocols, review data quality, interpret results accurately, and communicate findings clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Proficiency with Excel and routine data management and reporting; experience with digital data-collection platforms such as Tangerine or comparable tools, or statistical software, is an advantage.
• Excellent organization, documentation, problem-solving, and collaboration skills; ability to work effectively with Ministry counterparts, educators, MEL colleagues, and implementation partners.
• Fluency in Arabic and professional working proficiency in English are required. Experience in Jordanian public education, early-grade teacher professional development, or donor-funded education projects is an advantage.

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Educational Assessment, Educational Psychology, Statistics, Education Research, or a closely related discipline. Relevant postgraduate study or professional certification in educational measurement or assessment is an advantage.
• You must have unrestricted authorization to work in Jordan.

IREX seeks to attract the best-qualified candidates who support IREX’s mission and who respect and promote excellence through diversity. IREX is committed to equal opportunity and follows recruitment and selection practices that comply with all applicable employment laws. To this end, IREX recruits, hires, trains, and promotes individuals based on merit and experience.

We conduct background checks on all successful candidates. This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE