At the same time, he worked as an assistant to Jeffrey Tate on Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Châtelet in Paris.

He has since conducted at the Grand Théâtre in Geneva, the Vienna Staatsoper, the Châtelet in Paris, the Semperoper in Dresden and the Aix-en-Provence International Festival.

From September 1998 to June 2001, Jordan was Kapellmeister and assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State Opera (Staatsoper Unter den Linden).

In October 2007, Jordan was named the music director of the Opéra National de Paris, starting with the 2009–2010 season.

[6] In October 2011, Jordan was named chief conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra), effective with the 2014–2015 season,[7] with an initial contract of five years.

[11][12] In October 2022, Jordan announced his intention to conclude his tenure with the Vienna State Opera at the close of the 2024–2025 season.