Senior Associate, Literacy Field

Job Description

Position Overview:

This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as regular interaction with education officials, school administrators, teachers and students. They would serve as the main point of contact for the school and local government officials and coordinate the work of other RtR staff in their jurisdiction.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Program Understanding:

- Have an excellent understanding of Room to Read's Literacy program design and the ability to defend the program in various forums
- Good awareness of literacy programs, their design and strategies operating in project region
- Oversee the quality of program implementation and adherence to program guidelines for the set of schools under his/her jurisdiction

Technical Assistance and Advocacy:

- Serve as a technical resource at the state/district level and participate proactively in technical assistance discussions
- Attend government meetings, discussions, and committees on 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 reading and the need for libraries for children
- Regularly communicate and work with government counterparts to build awareness and understanding among them with respect to the Room to Read literacy program and its main features
- Participate in state-level discussions organized by government counterparts and advocate for RtR approach through understanding of state curriculum, textbooks, and various education projects/programs
- Provide technical assistance to schools in teaching-learning using instructional materials designed for teachers and suggest ways to improve their quality and utilization
- Enable senior bureaucrats and government counterparts to lead statewide change initiatives around Foundational Literacy

Program Coordination and Monitoring:

- Manage the implementation of the Literacy program for the schools under jurisdiction, ensuring timely, efficient and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to program and budget guidelines
- Manage relationships with schools, community, government counterparts, and donors in their jurisdiction and respond to related issues
- Ensure effective program budget utilization through proper planning and cost-effective tracking of planned activities
- Analyze data from the field, develop programmatic correlations, and flag issues for broader discussion. Undertake at least one action research project annually
- Monitor and ensure high-quality data from the field; generate reports as required
- Manage a set of Program Coordinators (PC), including their evaluation, capacity building, and coaching

School Visits:

- Conduct regular visits to program schools to observe classroom transactions and library activities
- Supervise PCs and address quality issues and problems they face
- Discuss field-level issues with the country office and provide solutions

Training, Workshop, and Meeting:

- Provide technical oversight to PCs and support them during school visits and government interaction
- Identify capacity gaps in PCs and plan their development in coordination with IDTS
- Serve as the point person for teacher training and staff capacity building at the state level
- Plan and lead all teacher training sessions
- Participate in IDTS workshops on material development, training module creation, and training of trainers
- Attend national review meetings and provide reflective feedback on program implementation
- Transfer innovative ideas and practices from national or other state levels to field implementation

Planning, Reporting, and Documentation:

- Prepare regular (monthly, quarterly, and yearly) qualitative reports, event reports, and case studies
- Lead high-stakes donor reporting and develop their annual work plans
- Responsible for Literacy program Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B), implementation calendar, and program tracking system
- Support the State Manager in strategic planning, advocacy, technical assistance, quality assurance, sustainability, and expansion planning
- Participate in additional activities required to fulfill organizational objectives

Qualifications:

Required:

- Bachelor's Degree in education/social sciences or equivalent
- Master's Degree preferred
- Minimum 35 years of relevant experience in the education sector
- In-depth knowledge about language and reading practices and approaches
- Strong written and oral communication skills
- Critical thinking and analytical skills
- Good interpersonal skills and a team player
- Proven track record of achieving results
- Proven ability to work effectively with schools and communities
- Ability to travel regularly to project sites in remote locations

Preferred:

- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Experience in a nonprofit organization with a focus on high quality and low overhead
- Experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and take initiative
- Prior experience living and/or working in rural areas
- Experience working with schools, teachers, administrators, and government officials
- Demonstrated success in implementing wide-ranging tasks and making improvements in prior roles

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