Program Officer, Literacy Field

Program Officer, Literacy Field
Room to Read
Rajasthan, India
Position Overview

The Program officer, literacy field will oversee the program and lead the agenda of system strengthening at district level. S/he will be responsible for coordination, development, and reporting of the Literacy program implementation in a district. S/he would serve as the main point of contact for the school and local government officials and coordinate the work of other RtR staff in the district or state. S/he will work closely with the State manager in engaging with the respective district education department of Rajasthan for delivering Foundational Literacy initiative under the NIPUN Bharat. S/he will support the state manager in design of the program, execution, coordination with various stakeholders (government and non-profit partner) and delivering on a roadmap for building government capacity to sustain the impact and interventions from the program. The Program Officer will report to the State Manager and will have Program Associates reporting to him/her. This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as regular interaction with education officials, school administrators, teachers, and students.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Program officer will be responsible for the intervention in his / her district and will have the following specific key roles and responsibilities:

Program Understanding:

• Develop a thorough understanding of Room to Read's Literacy program design.
• S/he has good awareness of literacy programs, their design and strategies operating in project region.
• Develop a strong understanding of Govt's education policies NEP 2020, NCF, FLN, SIQE etc.

On-ground Implementation and Monitoring:

• Oversee the quality implementation of the Literacy program in the district and blocks, ensuring timely, efficient, and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the program and budget guidelines.
• Make regular visits to program schools alone and with key government officials from block/district/state level, observe Classroom Instruction, Library Management, library activities, speak to teachers and headmasters and supervise the functioning of the PCs.
• Ensure that program schools are monitored as per guidelines and the field staff perform their job effectively.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co- relations and flag off issues for larger discussion.
• Supervise and ensure all data entry and compilation on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, including GSD, Dashboard data. Maintain high level of data quality.
• Track progress of implementation and expenditures through regular review meetings and field visits; flag off deviations and delays at the earliest.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfil the objectives of the organization.
• Ensure that all teacher training and capacity building activities are held as per plan and program guidelines, including the receipt of necessary approvals.
• Overall Lead different online and offline trainings organized for teachers, field staff and review meeting. Also, play role of key facilitator for these trainings.
• Ensure effective utilization of program budget through proper planning and tracking of planned activities. Ensure that financial and procurement norms are adhered to, and efforts are made to be reduce cost to the extent possible, without compromising on the quality.
• Assist to prepare annual plan of action and budget for the Literacy program.
• Responsible for literacy program AWP&B, IC and development of program tracking system for timely and quality implementation of activities.
• Track program progress on key indicators according to the M&E framework during monthly meetings and throughout the project timeline.
• Co-ordinate all district level activities (trainings, review meetings) related to Project
• Participate actively on social media in all Room to Read (RtR) campaigns.
• Stay updated regarding new programs/interventions of the like-minded organizations in district.
• Lead a team of program associates to ensure effective program implementation and achieve the project outcomes in the respective district.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and weaknesses, wherever applicable and come up with solutions for the same in consultation with state manager.
• Support the State Manager in strategic planning and advocacy, technical assistance, quality assurance, sustainability planning and future expansion decisions.

Government Liaison and Technical Support:

• Serve as a technical resource at the district level and participate in technical assistance discussions with Attend government meetings, discussions and committees on foundational literacy and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of RtR literacy program.
• Represent Room to Read in different forums and advocate the importance of foundational literacy and need for libraries and quality children literature in schools.
• Interact with key stakeholders (government departments and officials such as CDEO/ADPC/DEEO/RPs/DIET etc.) on a day-to-day basis to ensure delivery on program objectives and explore opportunities for systemic integration.
• Strengthen district's capacity to achieve improved learning outcomes on foundational literacy.
• Provide technical support to DIET in multiple areas; foundational literacy, library, research, assessment, trainings under the recommendation from NEP 2020 and NIPUN Bharat.

Team Coordination and Capacity Building:

• Provide operational oversight to program Coordinators and program associates and support them and Identify gaps in the operational capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the state manager.
• Provide technical oversight to program Coordinators and program associates to support and mentoring them in their coaching and communication with government officials and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the state manager and IDTS unit.
• Manage performance evaluation, capacity building and coaching of Program Associates and program coordinators.
• Coordination with state program officer to share program updates, getting technical support as required in program and support in alignment of state level plans and priorities.

Participate in Meeting/Workshops at State and INCO Level:

• Participate in IDTS workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers.
• Attend review meetings at the state/national level and provide reflective feedback on program implementation and design issues. At the same time acts as the conduit for transferring innovative ideas and practices from the national level (or from other states) on to the field.
• Participate in review meeting, training of trainer and any other required meetings or workshop at state/ INCO level.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation:

• Responsible for preparing regular (monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis, including program data) qualitative reports and documenting event reports, case studies and best practices.
• Responsible for high stake donor reporting, developing their annual, half yearly, quarterly and monthly work plan for implementation.
• Responsible for preparing Implementation calendar and budget management which includes cash forecast, PRs budget outlook, AP&B and regular tracking of budget utilization.
• Assist in preparing all programmatic and financial reports as required.

Qualifications
Required:

• Master's degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the education sector. Minimum 2 years of program management experience, preferably in education
• In-depth knowledge on foundational literacy, language and reading practices and approaches.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and a team player.
• Prior experience of managing a large team.
• Proven track record of achieving results and managing large stake projects is preferred.
• Proven ability to work effectively with schools and communities.
• Ability to travel regularly to project sites in remote locations.

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