Amman, May 8 – The Senate Administrative Committee, headed by Senator Tawfiq Kreishan, visited the Civil Service and Public Administration Authority on Thursday to learn about its work mechanisms and ongoing projects.
Senator Kreishan emphasized that the committee is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the outcomes of the Public Sector Modernization Committee by national institutions. He noted that the visit aimed to directly assess the Authority’s readiness to assume its new role in regulation, technical support, compliance, and oversight of the effective implementation of public sector development policies—including human resources, government services, and the regulatory environment.
enator Tawfiq Kreishan affirmed that the Senate Administrative Committee is also concerned with reviewing and approving legislation related to civil service and human resources. These legislative efforts contribute to the development and modernization of public administration and services, thereby enhancing the performance of government departments and positively impacting service quality.
For his part, Chairman of the Civil Service and Public Administration Authority, Eng. Fayez Al-Nahar, highlighted the importance of effective partnership between the executive and legislative branches in supporting modernization efforts. He stated that the Authority is executing its new mandate across three main pillars: policy formulation, technical and advisory support, and oversight and compliance.
Al-Nahar presented an overview of the Authority's establishment phases and the rationale behind the transformation of the Civil Service Bureau’s role. He explained that the transition involved stages of empowerment, enhancement, and finally, institutional maturity and stability.
He also outlined the Authority’s seven areas of work, which include: leadership development, human resources, government services, shared services, organizational culture, organizational structures, and institutional planning and development.
Attention was drawn to several key projects currently underway, such as the Functional Competency Assessment Center, the Smart Recruitment Platform, the Public Sector Streamlining Project, the Service Recipient Satisfaction Study, and the development of job competency dictionaries. Additionally, he announced the upcoming inauguration of the Competency Assessment Center by the end of this month, with a capacity to serve over 1,600 individuals daily.
Al-Nahar noted that the Authority continuously carries out oversight activities in areas such as recruitment and government services. These efforts have led to the issuance of monitoring reports that identified several observations and areas for improvement, which were communicated to the respective departments.
Regarding public sector recruitment, Al-Nahar revealed a new approach adopted by the Authority, which is based on open job postings as the primary method of employment. He noted that 70% of new hires are now made through open announcements, while 30% still come from the competitive employment database, which is planned to be phased out entirely by 2027.
He explained that the new recruitment mechanism follows an integrated approach aligned with modern human resources management practices to optimize the use of national talent. The process begins with proactive workforce planning through the Human Resources Planning Committee, followed by job announcements via official websites and newspapers to ensure transparency and equal opportunity.
Government departments then screen applications and shortlist candidates based on job-specific criteria. This is followed by competency evaluations using defined tools and standards, including specialized tests and structured interviews focused on the required skills, knowledge, and behaviors. These interviews are conducted by expert panels, while the Competency Assessment Center plays a central role by offering scientifically grounded and objective tools to support accurate selection.
Al-Nahar added that the Authority provides guiding manuals and standardized best practices to help departments execute recruitment processes efficiently. It also delivers capacity-building programs for HR personnel and offers digital systems and tools that enable government entities to track and address applicant complaints through multiple channels, thereby enhancing procedures and building applicant trust.
He concluded by stressing that modernizing public administration is not optional but a national necessity. The Authority, he affirmed, is working with all state institutions to achieve a flexible, transparent, and competency-based public administration.
The members of the Senate Administrative Committee—Badrieh Al-Balbisi, Mahmoud Al-Freihat, Hussein Al-Hawatmeh, Mustafa Al-Bazayeh, Sand Al-Naimat, Mamdouh Al-Nabbas, and Dr. Saad Al-Manaseer—emphasized the importance of ensuring transparency in job vacancy announcements and monitoring the procedures related to recruitment and hiring mechanisms. They highlighted the Authority's oversight role over government departments, including follow-up on employee evaluation methods and the handling of the employment applications database.
The visit concluded with a tour of the Public Service Museum, which documents the history of public administration in Jordan since the founding of the Emirate and showcases the major transformations in governance and public sector management.