Iztok Jarc was born on 21 August 1963 in Novo mesto. He studied at the Faculty of Sociology, Political Science and Journalism at the University of Ljubljana. He graduated in 1987, receiving a degree in international relations. From 1989 to 1993 he worked for the Committee of International Cooperation of the Republic of Slovenia (which later became the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), after which he moved to the European Commission (Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General – SME Policy). From 1993 until 1996 he officiated at the then Ministry for Economic Relations and Development as a negotiator for agreements on the establishment of a free-trade area with the countries of the former Yugoslavia, and the CEFTA and EFTA countries. He was also a member of the negotiating team for the Association Agreement with the EU and for Slovenia's admission to the World Trade Organization.

In 1996 he went to Brussels to work as an economic advisor with the Slovenian Mission to the European Union. He was there until 2000, whereupon he moved to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, where he was the head of the Division for European Integration and Economic Relations. In the same year, the government named him a member of the Core Negotiating Team for the Accession of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union. In 2001 he was appointed State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food; he held this position until 2004, at which time he became ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Israel.

The Minister has contributed to the writing of various articles and papers and is the co-author of the White Book on EU matters, agriculture and trade.

Minister Jarc is married and has three children.

He speaks English, German, French, Croatian, Serbian and Russian.