Vacancy: Chief Education Officer, JA Asia Pacific
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
JA Asia Pacific is hiring a Chief Education Officer. Learn more about Junior Achievement, the position, key responsibilities, qualifications and other relevant details below.
Organization
As one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, JA Worldwide delivers hands on, immersive learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial capability. Reaching more than 23 million young people each year through over 790,000 teachers and business volunteers, JA Worldwide is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a boundless future for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
JA Worldwide is a network of teams: Each JA entity has its own board of directors and staff and each operation, whether large or small, works with young people, has an online presence, raises funds, manages finances, delivers programs, organizes events, collects/shares data, and handles diverse legal and compliance issues.
JA Asia Pacific is one of six Regional Operating Centers in the JA network. This is a region that is vastly diverse and with a large youth population. There are currently 13 JA Members in the region delivering a total of 4.9 million student learning experiences per annum (20% of the global total reach) and new JA operations are being set up in several new markets. The education lead has a critical role to play in driving growth and impact.
JA Worldwide has been selected as one of the top ten NGOs in the world in annual rankings since 2019 and is a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Please visit jaworldwide.org to learn more.
Position
The Chief Education Officer leads JA Asia Pacific’s education strategy, learning design, and learning quality across the region. They report to the President and CEO of JA Asia Pacific. This is a hands-on, build-and-deliver leadership role, requiring a self-starter and doer mindset; responsible for setting direction and executing well with the resources available. The Chief Education Officer also serves as the region’s senior authority on youth workforce development and job skilling, ensuring programs are aligned with current research, labor market trends, and global best practice. The CEdO partners closely with JA Member organizations, the regional team, the education team at JA Worldwide, and external stakeholders to deliver high-quality, scalable learning experiences aligned with JA’s mission (entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial capability).
Key Responsibilities:
Education Strategy & Program Portfolio (Lead + Do)
Set the regional education vision and priorities in alignment with JA Asia Pacific strategy and country/territory needs.
Define a focused, scalable learning experience portfolio, especially digital learning; recommend where to modernize/standardize vs. localize, ensuring it reflects evidence-based approaches to youth employability, entrepreneurship education, and 21st-century skill development.
Translate strategy into practical annual plans, assets, and deliverables that country teams can implement.
Learning Design, Adaptation & Quality (Hands-on Execution)
Set clear regional learning priorities, competency expectations, and quality guardrails aligned to JA’s global strategy and evolving workforce realities.
Clarify core learning outcomes and essential program elements while enabling Members to design, localize, and deliver contextually relevant learning experiences.
Lead or coordinate the development, design or adaptation of curricula and other shared resources where scale, efficiency, or alignment warrant a common approach, especially leveraging appropriate digital tools including Artificial Intelligence
Establish and run a quality assurance approach (standards, review cycles, feedback loops, improvement plans).
Provide direct troubleshooting and implementation support to country teams when challenges arise.
Impact Measurement & Continuous Improvement
Lead regional implementation of JA’s outcomes-based strategy by clarifying priority learning outcomes, metrics, and measurement expectations aligned to varied Member capacities
Accelerate the shift from output reporting to measurable outcomes across diverse Member contexts.
Establish practical, comparable measurement and reporting guidance that strengthens data integrity, usability, and regional coherence while respecting Member autonomy.
Embed labor market intelligence and employer expectations into clearly defined outcome priorities guiding both Member-designed and shared learning experiences.
Network Enablement & Capacity Building
Design and lead regional trainings, forums, and leadership development that strengthen delivery quality across the region.
Convene and steward communities of practice to accelerate peer learning, surface innovation, and reinforce shared accountability for outcomes.
Support modernization and localization efforts with clear implementation guidance while protecting core learning intent, competency integrity, and brand standards.
Identify capability gaps and provide support to strengthen program execution across the region.
Partnership Support (Fundraising-Adjacent, Not Primary Owner)
Provide education/program expertise to inform proposals, concept notes, and partner presentations.
Co-develop program narratives, outcomes, and implementation plans that strengthen fundraising efforts.
Contribute to donor/partner reporting by translating program data into clear impact stories and learnings.
Represent JA Asia Pacific in regional education and workforce development discussions when appropriate.
Operational Ownership in a Lean Environment
Own end-to-end execution of regional education priorities, ensuring disciplined planning, delivery, and follow-through across multiple workstreams aligned with global strategy.
Align regional initiatives with JA Worldwide frameworks and timelines, coordinating effectively across global and Member stakeholders.
Scope and manage external partners and consultants, ensuring clear deliverables, quality standards, and responsible budget stewardship.
Build and continuously refine the regional education operating model, including core processes, planning cadences, and shared assets, to enable scale and long-term sustainability.
Manage end-to-end execution across multiple workstreams, including planning, timelines, documentation, and follow-through.
Identify needs for external vendors/consultants; manage scopes, deliverables, and quality within available budgets.
Build the foundational “operating system” (processes, calendars, asset libraries) to enable scale over time.
Qualifications
Required:
Build the foundational “operating system” (processes, calendars, asset libraries) to enable scale over time.
Master’s degree in Education, Public Policy, International Development, Social Sciences, Business, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
Doctorate in education or related fields; candidates with advanced academic or research credentials in youth development, workforce development, or related fields are highly encouraged to apply.
8–10+ years of progressively responsible experience in youth development, workforce readiness, job skilling, entrepreneurship education, or related fields, including multi-country or regional exposure.
Proven ability to operate as a self-starter and doer: independently driving work from concept to execution with minimal support.
Demonstrated experience in program/curriculum design or adaptation and strengthening implementation quality.
Working knowledge of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practices; ability to use data to improve programs.
Strong stakeholder management skills with diverse groups (country teams, partners, educators, volunteers).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; comfortable producing clear, partner-ready materials.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, navigate ambiguity, and deliver high-quality outputs under resource constraints.
Willingness to travel within Asia Pacific as needed.
Preferred:
Experience working within federated networks (multi-country NGOs, associations, franchises) and indirectly leading through influence.
Expertise in one or more focus areas: entrepreneurship education, financial literacy/capability, work readiness, 21st-century skills.
Experience with blended/digital learning design and/or education technology partnerships.
Familiarity with Asia Pacific education environments and cross-cultural program implementation.
Additional language skills relevant to the Asia Pacific region.
Experience managing vendors/consultants and building scalable toolkits/playbooks for distributed implementation.
Published research, thought leadership, or demonstrated subject-matter authority in youth skilling or employability is a strong advantage.
Location/Working Hours
This is a 40-hour/week position with a remote working arrangement and flexible scheduling to accommodate our regional and global network. For the right candidate, there will be opportunities to support future upskilling and career development at JA.
We value diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment where every individual contributes to understanding challenges and creating solutions.
To apply, please send an email vivek.kumar@jaasiapacific.org no later than April 15, 2026 with the subject line “Chief Education Officer.” Please include:
A brief cover letter (not more than 500 words) describing your fit and interest; and
A résumé or CV