Research & Studies Expert

Company Overview:

Since the establishment of the union of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, education has received the utmost attention of the founding leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah have mercy on him, and his founding brothers. They believed that education was the cornerstone of building an enabled community that could keep pace with the advancements. Over the past decades, the wise leadership of the country was keen on building an educational system that matched its counterparts in the advanced nations. It harnessed for this purpose all the required capabilities, to achieve the country's agenda and national vision in this regard. Sincere efforts have also been made to develop education and adopt the best systems that achieve high-quality education outputs, to achieve the future visions and aspirations of the wise leadership.

Since investing in human capital is the main objective, the UAE has been keen on establishing the Ministry of Education and creating the appropriate environment to build pioneering Emirati schools, in terms of standards, form, and content they provide. It also made sure that such schools provided high-quality educational environment and owned the most technically advanced tools to be able to graduate generations that could pursue their university education confidently in higher education institutions to fulfil the requirements of labor market.

The MOE has also provided a smart learning system and high-quality digital platforms, side by side with the continuous development of school curriculums, according to national learning standards, assessment policy that is based on assessing for learning, and highest quality standards that match the best international practices. Various learning tracks, moreover, have been provided to support the capabilities and skills of students and achieve the country's strategy of encouraging the culture of creativity and innovation through providing the students with the skills of the 21st century and motivating them to have new ideas that relate to the reality they live in and foresee the future. This will eventually help in finding radical, sustainable solutions to the major issues, improving competitiveness, and supporting smart government in its attempts to keep pace with global advancements, advance education, and push it to broad horizons of excellence, leadership, and competitiveness.

Department Definition:

The Regional Center for Educational Planning is a UAE-based educational institution with an international vision. It was established in 2003 through an agreement between the Government of the United Arab Emirates and UNESCO, with the aim of building national and regional capacities in educational planning and policies, as well as educational leadership and management, in addition to producing and disseminating educational knowledge.

Cooperation Council countries and the wider Arab region, making them more efficient, high-quality, and aligned with the demands of life and the labor market, with technical support from UNESCO through joint programs and initiatives.

The Center works to achieve its vision as an educational think tank supporting the future of education through strategic projects and initiatives. The specialized training program falls under the first objective of the Center’s strategic plan, contributing to the development of educational planning capacities and supporting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education).

Main Job Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop and support the implementation of the Center’s strategic and operational plans in the field of research and studies.
• Lead cross-functional teams within the Center and coordinate with relevant external stakeholders related to the research and studies function.
• Prepare and publish research studies, reports, and working papers aligned with the Center’s plans and projects.
• Monitor and analyze regional and international trends in the education sector to provide expert advice and insights to the Center’s leadership in alignment with strategic directions.
• Oversee the design and implementation of research and studies projects ضمن the Center’s strategic and operational plans and supervise their outputs to ensure quality aligned with international research standards.
• Provide specialized expertise and strategic guidance to the research and studies team, including policy development and dissemination within the Center.
• Oversee and lead the publication process of the Center’s research outputs.
• Provide technical consultancy in research, studies, and policy development to countries within the Center’s scope of work.
• Develop consultancy service proposals for the Center’s clients and stakeholders, maintaining the Center’s position as a leading provider in research, studies, and policy development.
• Prepare Terms of Reference (ToR) for research and studies projects included in the Center’s approved plans.
• Perform any other related duties assigned in line with business needs and priorities.

• 8+ years of relevant experience
• PhD or master’s degree in educational planning, Educational Policy, Administration, or within a relevant field
• PhD + 8 years of relevant experience
• Master’s degree + 10 years of relevant experience
• Strategic thinking
• Leading research teams
• Educational policy development
• Global trend analysis
• Advanced research development
• Technical consultancy
• Strong English & Arabic reading writing 
• Strong English & Arabic speaking