National Education and Policy Lead

We are looking for enthusiastic, dedicated development professionals interested in long-term careers with a major international child and young people’s NGO.

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. Plan, one of the world’s largest children’s INGOs, works with children and poor communities in 50 countries.

Plan International has been working in Laos since 2007 and is delivering integrated programmes in Bokeo, Champasak, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Saravane, Vientiane Capital and Vientiane provinces, and working through partners in other provinces.  Plan Laos’ 2020-2027 Country Strategy takes a life cycle approach and focuses on supporting children, especially girls to access their rights to education & skills, public health & nutrition, adolescent development and participation, and skills & opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship (SOYEE). We are globally mandated to provide humanitarian assistance in the event of an emergency taking place in Lao PDR. Visit www.plan-international.org for more information.

Plan is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, members of ethnic groups and people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ colleagues. Plan offers competitive salaries and long-term employment opportunities for all posts.

Plan International Laos is looking the Lao National for the following position for an anticipated project (This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding):

National Education and Policy Lead, 1 Position

based in Vientiane Capital, Laos

(*Please submit your CV as soon as you can. Interviews will be conducted on the rolling basis).

Overall Skills & Experience Focus:
This role provides senior-level technical expertise in education policy and system reform under the ASEAN–UK Supporting the Advancement of Girls’ Education (SAGE) Phase 2 programme. The post-holder applies deep sector knowledge to support ministries of education to design, test and institutionalise reforms, with a strong focus on foundational learning, inclusion and evidence-informed policy development.

Core Technical Competencies and Responsibilities:
Education Policy Reform and Advisory Expertise:

• Demonstrated experience engaging with ministries of education and senior government stakeholders to support education reform and policy dialogue.
• Ability to contribute technical expertise to national and regional education forums, working groups and consultations.
• Capacity to align national reform priorities with regional learning and comparative evidence.

Technical Assistance and Pilot Design:

• Proven ability to provide high-quality technical assistance across the policy cycle, including diagnostics, policy design, implementation planning and institutionalisation.
• Demonstrated experience designing, advising on and quality-assuring policy-relevant pilots to test and refine reform approaches.
• Ability to translate pilot and technical learning into actionable insights to inform scale-up and reform decisions.

Reform-Focused Evidence Generation:

• Experience generating and using applied, policy-relevant evidence to inform education system reform.
• Strong analytical skills to synthesise research, implementation evidence and data into concise, decision-oriented products.
• Ability to contribute national evidence to regional and cross-country learning initiatives.

Cross-cutting Professional Competencies:

• Experience working within adaptive management approaches in donor-funded education programmes.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, gender equality, disability and social inclusion principles in education programming.
• Evidence of effective collaboration with multidisciplinary technical specialists and consultants.

Qualifications and Experiences:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent professional experience) in Education, Education Policy or a related field.
• At least 10 years of progressively senior professional experience in the education sector within Lao PDR.
• Demonstrated expertise in foundational literacy and numeracy, including curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and scaling approaches.
• Substantial experience providing technical advisory support to Ministries of Education or equivalent institutions.
• Track record of contributing to education policy development, reform design or system-strengthening initiatives.
• Experience working on donor-funded education programmes (e.g. FCDO, World Bank, UNICEF, USAID, EU, GPE or similar).

Technical and Professional Skills:

• Deep understanding of national education systems, governance and reform priorities.
• Ability to translate international and local evidence into context-appropriate policy and practice.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and relevant national language(s).
• Political judgement, diplomacy and cultural awareness when engaging senior stakeholders.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion and the rights of girls and marginalised learners.

FOR ALL PLAN INTERNATIONAL LAOS POSITIONS:

• We strongly encourage equally qualified female candidates to apply.
• Strong commitment to the equal rights and participation of girls and women is essential.
• Strong commitment to the Rights of the Child is essential.
• Plan does not tolerate child abuse. All Plan staff are selected and employed in line with the conditions of Plan’s Child Protection Policy. These include appropriate reference and background checks.
• Applications will not be acknowledged. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. No correspondence or telephone calls will be entered into.
• Short-listed candidates will be required to attend panel interviews and other selection procedures.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: by midnight on Monday, 18th of May 2026

TO APPLY FOR THIS POST:

Send your resume/CV, and cover letter. In the cover letter please state on a separate page your preferred start date, names and contact details of three referees and your salary expectations for each position, to Plan International Laos, Vientiane, Lao PDR, or to  PlanLaos.JobVacancies@plan-international.org

Please state in cover letter how you learned about the job – through emails, INGO Directory, 108 Jobs, or friends.