District Lead, Literacy Field

Job Description

Duties & 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
• S/he has 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.
• Possess strong understanding on Systems integration and Government engagement

Technical assistance and advocacy

• Develop strong working relationships with government officials at district levels, program partners (external partner), non-profit partners.
• 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 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 the state level discussions organized by government counterparts and advocate for RtR approach through developing good understanding of state curriculum, textbooks and various education projects/programs.
• Provide technical assistance to schools and related stakeholders in teaching-learning by using instructional materials designed and produced especially for teachers and make suggestions for improving quality and utilization of these materials.

Program coordination and monitoring

• Responsible for managing the implementation of the Literacy program for the set of schools under his/her jurisdiction, ensuring timely, efficient, and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the program and budget guidelines
• Responsible for managing relationships with school, community, government counterparts and donor in their jurisdiction and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships.
• 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.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion. Undertake at least one action research project every year.
• Monitor and maintain high level of data quality coming from field and generating reports as and when required.
• Manage a set of PC, including their performance evaluation, capacity building and coaching.

School visits

• Make regular visits to program schools, observe classroom transactions, library activities, speak to teachers, and headmasters and CAC s and supervise the functioning of the PC.
• Identify design and quality issues, including problems being faced by PC. Discuss these issues with the country office (keeping State Manager in loop for any operational issues) and based on that provide solutions at the field level.

Training, workshop and meeting

• Provide technical oversight to the PC and support them in their monitoring visits and communication with government teachers and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the IDTS unit
• Act as the point person with respect to teacher and CAC training and capacity building of program staff at the state level through a blended approach. Plan for and lead all teacher and CAC trainings at the state level.
• Participate in IDTS workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers.
• Attend review meetings at the 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.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation

• Responsible for preparing regular (monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, including program data) qualitative reports and documenting case studies and best practices.
• Responsible for high stake donor reporting, developing their annual work plan and its implementation.
• Responsible for literacy program AWP&B, IC and development of program tracking system for timely and quality implementation of activities.
• Support the State Manager in strategic planning and advocacy, technical assistance, quality assurance, sustainability planning and future expansion decisions.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.

Qualifications:Required:

• Bachelor Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent
• Master Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred
• Minimum 5 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 and leadership skills
• Ability to adapt and act in emerging situations
• 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
• Prior experience of working in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Prior experience living and/or working in rural areas
• Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials
• Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks as well as developing and implementing improvements in a prior position

Compensation:Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.Room to Read has zero tolerance when it comes to child abuse and exploitation and believes that all children have equal rights to protection. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to the child protection policy, code of conduct and standards and will undergo rigorous reference and background check through third party. Background check will include the verification of employment history and criminal check. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background checkLocation(s)India - ChhattisgarhTo be successful at Room to Read, you will also:

• Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
• Be a proactive and innovative thinker who achieves results and creates positive change
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Embrace diversity and a commitment to collaboration
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled,

Keyskills :
data qualityhealth insurancequality assurancecapacity buildingwork effectivelytechnical supportsocial sciencescode of conductteacher trainingaction researchlocal governmentcase studiesgender equality