South East Asia Program Manager

Organization Profile:
Room to Read is an international educational non-governmental organization (NGO) that partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls. They seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportunities that only education can provide, we strive to break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time.

They are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. They currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Zambia - countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children.
Since their inception, Room to Read's worldwide team has impacted over 3.1 million children by constructing more than 760 schools, establishing over 7,000 libraries, publishing 327 new children's book titles in 11 local languages, and putting over 6,800 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships. We are one of ten non-profits to have won the Fast Company / Monitor Group Social Capitalist award five years in a row, they've received Charity Navigator’s highest rating (4 stars) for three straight years, and they've been featured in a variety of media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and PBS.
Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$25 million and their global staff numbers over 225. Their global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in Hong Kong, London, and Delhi. They have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane. Their long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.

Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy Our
Literacy is part of the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social and political participation and development. In order for children to acquire literacy skills to become lifelong readers and learners, one crucial input is regular access to books and other reading materials, which are scarce in many of the communities where Room to Read operates. Room to Read establishes libraries and publishes local language books to fill this gap. Since their inception, they have witnessed that children often do not have the grade-appropriate literacy skills needed to take full advantage of the Reading Room and Local Language Publishing resources. To achieve the long term goal of making all children independent readers at the primary level, Room to Read has initiated pilot programs for reading instruction and reading skills enrichment in primary schools. The pilots focus on providing supplemental teaching materials/aids and teacher professional development to support existing literacy instruction in the schools where they work. Their learning from the pilots will help us develop a strategy that both capitalizes on our organizational strengths built over the last decade and defines a clear and carefully constructed path to the goal of increased literacy and a habit of reading in the children with whom they work.
They are conducting preparatory activities in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and other Room to Read countries for developing a strategy for a reading/literacy program for the primary grades. This will be followed by the launch of a pilot program in selected school and ultimately the rollout of a literacy strategy in the years to come.

Position Overview
The Program Manager, Literacy is responsible for working with Room to Read staff, as well as local and external consultants, on all aspects of developing and implementing literacy programs that are in line with Room to Read’s new strategic plan focusing on literacy. In collaboration with the Global Literacy Team, Global and Regional Programs Team, and Country Teams, the Program Manager is responsible for providing countries with technical assistance and support on all aspects of their literacy programming. This position will be based in Asia and will report directly to either the Chief Program Officer or Director of Literacy in the Global Literacy Team.

Roles & Responsibilities
Program Support
Act as a program support and technical assistance to countries for new literacy pilots and ongoing literacy program. Such duties will include supporting country teams with the following:
1. All aspects of design and launch of literacy pilots and ongoing implementation of new reading programs
2. Creation, implementation and analysis of annual program goals and budgets to ensure alignment with organizational strategies and priorities
3. High quality, effective and efficient management of the program and successful achievement of annual goals
4. Design, implementation and refinement of monitoring systems and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress and achievements against planned program outcomes [email protected].
Collaborate with worldwide Literacy Team to write guidelines for standard practices, policies and specifications to be followed in the reading program
Travel regularly throughout the year to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and other Room to Read countries  to review and monitor  implementation of  projects and train in-country staff and provide hands on support for capacity building as required

Knowledge Resource
- Research educational issues, especially as they relate to literacy programs and Room to Read programs, and stay abreast of global trends and challenges in the field of developing reading skills among children
- Research and recommend improvements to our program(s) to more efficiently and effectively manage the program(s) in each country where we operate [email protected].

Capacity Building
- Work with RtR teams to develop their skills in understanding reading/literacy instruction from both a theoretical and practical perspective
- Support and mentor Program Officers, ensuring that program activities are carried out in a timely manner and with attention to quality
- Plan and coordinate internal conferences and meetings for staff

Operations
- Collaborate with the Program Operations Team on oversight of Room to Read's operations globally including annual planning, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of program implementation and spending
- Provide technical assistance to the teams and build capacity for developing manuals, modules and documenting best practices in their programs

Communication
- Review program reports and respond as necessary
- Track, edit, and provide information to the Development Team regarding foundation, corporate and individual donor reporting
- Collaborate with the Development Team to write program-specific portions of funding proposals
- Represent Room to Read internally and externally to message our work and advocate for our programs
- Liaise with other Regional Office and Global Office teams to coordinate workflows and share program information
- Network with other non-profits running similar programs to find areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing

Other
Participate in any other activities, which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the pilots and ongoing program

Job Requirements

Qualifications
Required
- A master’s degree in a related field of study
- Prior experience living and/or working in South East Asia
- A minimum of eight years of professional experience
- Experience with reading/literacy or learning improvement programs and excellent knowledge and understanding of teaching methodologies, curriculum and teachers training at primary stage
- Experience developing educational learning materials and for students or teachers
- Experience developing and conducting training programs for teachers
- Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks
- Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
- Strong planning, supervising, and program development skills
- Understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and process documentation
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people and organizations
- Ability and desire to travel internationally frequently
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
- Prior track record of achieving results in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously

Desired
- Experience in language education at the primary stage
- Experience teaching at the primary stage
- To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:
- Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic non-profit organization
- Be an innovative and creative thinker – you are not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so
- Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
- Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction
- Work well independently as well as part of a team
- Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

Compensation:
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include health insurance and retirement benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through the lifelong gift of education.

Application Procedure:
Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “South East Asia Program Manager, Literacy” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to [email protected].  Due to high applicant volume you may not receive a response from Room to Read.  Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing
the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.

Job Details
Organisation Name: 
Room to Read
Location: 
South East Asia
Application Deadline: 
Wed, 2010-02-10