Program Officer, GEP (Technical function)

Job Description

Position: Program Officer, GEP (Technical function)

Location: Ho Chi Minh City and other program sites

Employment: temporary (7 months)

Expected starting: March 2022

Organization Profile

Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, our innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools during two time periods that are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations, and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. By focusing on the quality of education provided within the communi-ties and ensuring these outcomes are measured, we have created a model that can be replicated, localized and sustained by governments. Room to Read has benefited 16.8 million children across over 37,000 communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

In Vietnam, Room to Read has been providing educational support in 20 years, establishing our presence in 35 provinces.

Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program Strategy

Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program ensures that girls complete secondary school and have the skills to negotiate key life decisions. We collaborate with local communities, partner organizations and governments towards these goals. Our program reinforces girls’ commitment to their own education, works with girls to develop essential life skills and increases support for girls’ education among their parents, school staff, and communities. We ensure each girl gets the material and emotional support she needs to succeed in school and beyond through an enhanced approach that includes academic support, mentoring and life skills training. We set measurable goals and are committed to collecting action-oriented data to ensure our programs are run with quality and impact, while maximizing cost efficiencies.

Position Overview

This position will work under the Girls Education Program to ensure the programs, GEP and scale up projects inclusive, will be technically implemented at fields as guided. The incumbent is responsible to assist Senior Program Manager in providing technical support, delivering the trainings to partners, and field staffs. This position will require regularly travel to the provinces, particularly in the North, where Room to Read is operating to monitor and provide technical inputs to the partners, field staff while implementing the programs.

This position will be based in the country office and will report directly to the GEP Senior Program Manager, closely coordinate with the field managers and the field staff.

Roles & Responsibilities

Project Design, Training and Implementation

• Orient the program objectives & designs to partners and others’ interests   
• Provides technical assistance to the team and shares knowledge, experience and skills for developing manuals, training modules and documenting best practices
• Work in Technical team, regional and country team, to review GEP training Modules and contextualize them accordingly, included collecting feedbacks from field staff and partners for improve the programs quality. 
• Work with consultants for developing and translating the program/ project materials as needed.  
• Work with the program manager and be able to design the training plan, training sessions & conduct the program training courses  for local partners and teachers as well as beneficiaries, ensure that they have adequate capacity to do the work as job required.
• Coordinate with field staff and RM&E in baseline study for new program areas, analyzing technical gaps for developing social mobilizers’ skills in implementing activities.

Management & Coordination

• Managing and Coordinating with partners to ensure the programs in either form (adjusted GEP, scale up…)    technically  effective implemented.
• Closely coordinate, set up working plan with ROOM TO READ scale up manager,  field managers, program officers for technical designing and monitoring ensuring quality and effectiveness of the programs.   
• Support Program Officers’ work through providing field training, workshop, monitoring, coaching and on the job training, as well as other necessary assistance to enabling them to fulfill program work requirement.
• Plans internal technical workshops and meetings for staff.
• Participates in any other activities, which may be required to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Be  Room to Read coordinator and representative when working with governmental officers (DOET, MOET) in educational sectors.

Planning, Monitoring, Reporting & Documentation

• Set up monthly workplan, monitoring schedule, regularly visiting the program sites for technical supporting and monitoring the activities, report after the field visit. 
• Provide recommendations on improving the programs  impact with particular focus on maximizing quality.
• Periodically Collect  and documentation of the programs  related data, stories, information, photograph, best practices and case studies
• Periodically technical report to manager as the programs  are  being implemented, Quarterly and as needed)
• Quality monitoring and provide technical inputs to field implementation, ensure the programs are implemented at fields in accordance with guidelines and the program designs.
• Timely assess GSD and discuss with field staff for enhancement of the program quality

Others

• Participate in regular trainings and meetings with Room to Read staff, as planned.
• Participate in regular review meetings and any other activities that may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.

External Coordination & Networking

• Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocates for the importance of GEP work at the provincial level and event national level.
• Liaises with other NGOs running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree at least in related fields (i.e., Education development, Psychology, Sociology, Social work or related field)
• A minimum of five  years of professional experience related fields, especially in education, with strong knowledge and skills in designing lesson, facilitation and organizing the training, preferable in Life Skills Education, Mentoring  and Child Rights
• At least three years working experiences with the governmental officers, teachers in educational sectors at all levels.
• Good knowledge and understanding of educational guides in Vietnam (current effective decrees, circulars…); issues including educational curriculum, teaching methodologies…
• Experience in staff supervision, mentoring and coaching.
• Ability to travel frequently and work with teachers, children and others in disadvantage groups 
• Advanced computer skills: MS. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Educational Applications for virtual training/ workshop, Internet search for related materials.

Preferred

• Good verbal and written communication skills in Vietnamese & English
• Work more effectively in problem solving
• Open attitude, capable to work under high pressure, work independently and  good teamwork spirit.  High commitment, responsible and trustworthy person
• Prior experience living or  working in rural areas

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. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

Qualified candidates are invited to apply by sending CV and cover letter to email address [email protected].

Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we are not able to send personalized responses to all applicants.  Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

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.

Room to Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel are expected to adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy and Child Protection Code of Conduct.