Middle East Regional Director, Play to Learn

* Applicants must already be based in Amman w/ legal authorization for employment in the country, region, territory

* The monthly salary range is an estimate to be discussed in detail during the interview process

About Sesame Workshop:

Sesame Workshop is the global impact nonprofit behind Sesame Street and so much more. For over 50 years, we have worked at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expand hearts, all in service of empowering each generation to build a better world. Our beloved characters, iconic shows, outreach in communities, and more bring playful early learning to families in more than 150 countries and advance our mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

Learn more at www.sesame.org and follow Sesame Workshop on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X. 

Position Summary:

The Play to Learn Middle East Regional Director is a member of the Impact Programs team and reports to the Vice President, Impact Programs in New York. This position is based in Amman, Jordan, with travel required around the region on a regular basis, and international travel on an annual basis. This is a term-limited position.

Primary Responsibilities:

Sesame Workshop is looking for an entrepreneurial, solution-oriented seasoned professional to lead implementation of the Play to Learn project, a multi-country global program focused on advancing scalable solutions for early child development in crisis and conflict settings, working across teams and countries to ensure the project is delivered on time, on budget, and achieve results in the Middle East in close collaboration with external regional partners. This person should have enthusiasm for establishing strong country and regional networks as well as familiarity with scaling effective program models and educational media content, project implementation in humanitarian settings, working with and through coordination bodies, and experience working with local and national stakeholders and NGOs. They should be able to start up and manage a country office and regional consultants, while developing and pursuing partnerships that leverage and integrate Sesame Workshop educational media and resources.

The Regional Director will oversee the implementation of the Play to Learn project and serve as the primary Sesame Workshop representative for the Play to Learn project and the Ahlan Simsim initiative in the Middle East. Reporting to the VP of Programs, this person will be responsible for oversight of the successful and compliant implementation of the Play to Learn project activities implemented by Sesame Workshop and partner organizations. The Regional Director will also be responsible for collaborating with Sesame Workshop colleagues in the region to support the implementation of organizational strategy and advance brand awareness. The Regional Director will lead business development and philanthropic fundraising to support social impact programming in the region, as guided by the regional strategy.

Program Strategy and Leadership:

• Oversee successful implementation of the Play to Learn Middle East activities and ensure they meet the highest standards, align with the needs of affected populations, and deliver sustainable, long-term outcomes in line with grant requirements and organizational strategy.
• Lead the development of a program implementation strategy, including spearheading strategic planning, programmatic decision-making, resource allocation, and oversight of Play to Learn Middle East consortium members and cultivating new partners in the region.
• Establish a Middle East Regional Program Office including the hiring and management of staff and consultants for implementation and oversight of the Play to Learn project in region, working closely with the NY office and other Sesame Workshop colleagues across the region.

• Serve as Sesame Workshop’s legal representation in Jordan, including authorizing bank accounts, delivering government-required reports and audits, and coordinating with local counsel.
• Feed into regional strategy, ensuring decisions and activities align well with educational needs and priorities in the region to the maximum extent possible.

Program Implementation: 

• Oversee and collaborate with the IRC as the primary regional consortium partner. Support and monitor overall implementation of the program’s regional work plan, establish and reinforce consortium roles and responsibilities, and ensure coordination and alignment with the program’s global workplan and other consortium partners.
• In collaboration with national and regional partners, create a plan to integrate Sesame Workshop educational media and resources into direct service programs that improve child outcomes at scale as described in the Play to Learn project materials.
• Ensure partner organizations have appropriate technical assistance and support to effectively use educational media and resources to strengthen positive child outcomes.
• Maintain regular communication with the project staff and consortia partners globally.
• Provide information for project updates and reports as specified by Sesame Workshop and the donor.
• Design and advise on local integration models with regional partners (in terms of educational validity/efficacy)

Representation and Partnership Development: 

• Serve as Sesame Workshop’s representative in support of the Play to Learn project and build Sesame Workshop’s profile by representing our work to key stakeholders, including Jordan-based and other regional implementing partners, funding partners, government bodies, and UN agencies, and cultivating partnerships to increase reach and impact.
• Identify new partnership and funding opportunities and collaborate with the revenue team to pursue them. A successful candidate will secure complementary funding to enhance Play to Learn programming and extend the reach of Sesame Workshop’s mission in the Middle East.  
• Partner with International Marketing team to raise Sesame Workshop, Play to Learn, and Ahlan Simsim profile in the Middle East and drive awareness and engagement and support outreach to commercial entities working in children’s media, in line with the regional strategy.
• Serve as a technical advisor on concept notes and proposals for the region.

Minimum Qualifications Required:

• Master’s degree, or relevant combination of qualifications and experience, in a relevant field.
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in humanitarian response, international development, education, or similar fields.

• Proven experience and competencies in external representation to key external stakeholders such as funding partners, implementing partners, and UN Agencies and coordinating bodies.
• Proven ability to secure funding. Existing relationships with key regional donors a plus.
• Experience in scaling programming through government and CBOs.
• Excellent training, coaching and mentoring skills.
• High level of writing and communication skills.
• Based in Amman, Jordan and legally eligible for employment in the country, state and region.
• Fluent in written and spoken Arabic and English.
• Ability to travel regularly throughout the region.

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in media and humanitarian sector is highly desirable.
• Other Middle Eastern languages and dialects a plus.
• Ability to approach complex challenges and environments with flexibility and solution-orientation.

Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) Statement

Sesame Workshop is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy-related condition, familial status, domestic violence victim status, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

PSEA Statement

Sesame Workshop is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on the business needs, job requirements & suitability of the candidate. Sesame Workshop strictly follows the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of program participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Sesame Workshop staff, consultants, visitors to the program and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected from them.