About the Job: 

The Research & Design Specialist will be responsible for identifying, designing, and iterating interventions in education with a focus on literacy and early childhood development. The work involves designing interventions based on reliable evidence, a deep understanding of local context, and an eye on QRF's strategic direction and ambitions.

This position involves working across QRF existing programs to improve the design based on unraveling evidence and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, and integrating behavioral science in these programs and interventions. The role includes offering technical support to partners of QRF on Early Childhood Development and behavioral science.

The candidate must have strong knowledge of a variety of research methods and their uses depending on the research questions. They must also be able to apply a number of research methods (qualitative or quantitative) to support program design. Essential competencies include a growth mindset and willingness to learn flexibility, and adaptability.

The Research and Design Specialist will be responsible for staying on top of the latest evidence and approaches in intervention design and iteration and subject knowledge in Early Childhood Development and behavioral science.

Main duties and responsibilities: 

• Conduct secondary and primary research to effectively design and iterate interventions that meet target audiences’ needs and strategic outcomes.
• Draft concept notes and proposals for interventions, in addition to presentations to executive management to present the case for intervention.
• Keeping track of program performance, implementation fidelity, MEL outcomes, and implementation costs to inform iteration and offer recommendations on the future of programs, e.g., take to scale or not.
• Develop Theories of Change in collaboration with the MEL team and project team and determine the research/ evaluation questions for testing phases of programs.
• Set project goals and priorities in collaboration with Project/program manager, Marketing and Communications team, MEL team, and other relevant project team members.
• Support QRF partners in improving their projects and program designs by conducting research, behavioral science principles, and design principles. This work could include workshops, training, and report writing for the partners.
• Contribute to QRF strategy development, mainly supporting research and recommendations.
• Querying the evidence, designing and conducting primary and secondary research, synthesizing evidence, writing, and presenting.
• Draft ToRs, and service agreements based on the QRF template and conduct procurement for projects as needed, e.g., technical expertise, data collection, etc.
• Manage assigned R&D projects according to QRF's Project Management standards, e.g., project timelines, risk identification, and management, reporting and closure policies, etc.
• Document work, deliverables, and projects according to QRF documentation standards and procedures.
• Attend and contribute to meetings as required for projects.

Job Qualifications: 

Educational Level 

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Economics, Behavioral Science, Early Childhood Development).

Years of experience 

• Min of 5 years of experience in a relevant field. 
• Prior NGO experience is required. 
• Research and Design work experience in a relevant field: education, economic development, public policy, research, consulting, etc.
• Academic or professional experience in Research and Design with solid knowledge of behavioral science focus. 

Languages: 

• Fluent in spoken and written Arabic
• Proficiency in spoken and written English

About the Job 

The Queen Rania Foundation (QRF) is committed to enhancing educational policy and learning outcomes by promoting evidence-informed decision-making at the national level. To achieve this, QRF seeks to generate high-quality research that is relevant to the Jordanian and broader Middle Eastern context, addressing the current gap in regional education research. In addition, QRF actively disseminates proven practices and actionable recommendations—often in collaboration with leading educational partners—to drive improvements in learning outcomes across Jordan and the wider region.

Main duties and responsibilities: 

• Gather, analyze, and synthesize data to identify core issues, determine root causes, break down complex problems, and develop logical solutions and actionable recommendations. 
• Design and conduct primary quantitative and/or qualitative research, including interviews, focus groups, and field studies, to inform policy analysis and recommendations.
• Set policy advocacy strategies to disseminate proven practice and promote knowledge related to improving learning outcomes. 
• Work with the Research and Programs Development (RPD) Program’s team to support in creating advocacy action plans to disseminate proven practice and promote knowledge with relevant decision‐makers and stakeholders in Jordan.
• Project planning, implementation, and budgeting; track progress, manage risks and issues, and report on project performance.
• Coordinate with the Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategic Partnerships and Finance departments as needed. 
• Contribute to developing research outputs for dissemination to key stakeholders, such as policy and technical briefs, briefing notes, and research reports

Job Qualifications: 

Educational Level 

• At least Bachelor level degree in relevant field (e.g. Education, development studies, public policy).

Years of experience 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a relevant filed
• Prior NGO experience is preferable

Other Qualifications

• Proficiency in statistical software, such as SPSS, R or Stata is an advantage

Languages: 

• Fluent in spoken and written Arabic
• Proficiency in spoken and written English