In 1977, Jager wrote and directed the short cryptic drama Fresh Ruins. In 1978 she wrote, directed and produced the short film No Fear. In 1979, Jager directed and produced another short drama, Take the Plunge.

In 1985 she worked as art director and production designer on the political documentary Traps (Hughes, 1985). The documentary looks at how American interests have intervened in Australian politics and how mass media impacts politics.

It was ten years before she released her next film. The documentary The Good Looker was written and directed by Jager. The film followed the life and work of the controversial Australian artist Joy Hester. The film won the 1995 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Documentary.

In 1997, Jager was executive producer for the documentary Secret Fear (Barton, 1997). The documentary examined the short and long term impact of anxiety disorders by following the lives and experiences of several people who have suffered and recovered from anxiety disorders.

In 2003 she produced the television documentary Stories From the Stone Age (Scholes, 2003). The three part documentary explored the revolutionary historical period when humans abandoned their hunting and gathering existence and began farming and herding, the creation of permanent centres of settlement and the discovery of metal.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jager produced her second television documentary. Penicillin: The Magic Bullet (Glenn) outlined the discovery of penicillin by a team of scientists at Oxford University led by Australian Howard Florey. The film examined the nature of wartime propaganda and the construction of national heroism, which meant the discovery was credited to British scientist Alexander Fleming.

In 2006 Jager wrote, directed and produced the children's documentary A Stowaway's Guide to the Pacific. The documentary follows the time travel of two children to the 'Endeavour'.

In 2006, she joined the Australian Film Commission's Film Development Division as Project Manager.

Sources used to compile this entry: 'Claire Jager to join the Australian Film Commission', in Website of the Australian Film Commission, 24 March 2006, http://afcarchive.screenaustralia.gov.au/newsandevents/mediarelease/2006
/release_460.aspx.