Reading & Writing Instruction Program Officer (RWI Program Officer)

Job Description

Position: Reading & Writing Instruction Program Officer (RWI Program Officer)
Location: Ho Chi Minh City and frequent travel to the project sites

Organization Profile

Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

We are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. We currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, and Zambia – countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. Since our inception, Room to Read’s worldwide team has impacted over 7.8 million children by constructing more than 1,600 schools, establishing over 15,000 libraries, publishing 874 new children’s book titles in 27 local languages, and reaching over 20,000 girls through our Girls’ Education program.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 million and our global staff numbers over 600. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in Delhi, New York, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Tokyo. We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi and program offices in Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane.

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

- Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
- Be an innovative and creative thinker that tries new things and inspires 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

Position Overview:

The RWI Program Officer will be responsible for carrying out activities to support the Room to Read Literacy Instruction program strategy for the Vietnamese language in primary Grades 1 and 2, including surveying, program implementation, monitoring and reporting. This position will involve frequent travel to visit schools in Vinh Long Province as well as regular interaction with education officials, partners, school administrators, teachers and students. The RWI Program Officer will report to the Literacy Instruction Program Manager (PM).

Duties & Responsibilities:

- Liaise with school principals, government officials and NGO partners to carry out surveying and implementation of the Literacy Instruction program;
- Make regular visits to project schools to monitoring implementation and organize discussions with teachers, principals and local authorities. Gather feedback and ensure that they deliver on their agreement to support teaching and learning of the Vietnamese language with Room to Read;
- Document best practices and lessons learned during field work and share with other project schools, relevant local staff, and the Program Manager;
- Assist the PM in establishing and managing relationships with other NGO’s, government officials and local educational authorities, including the DOET and BOET partners;
- Attend to donor affairs including hosting donor site visits and documenting anecdotes that evolve through field work;
- Participate in additional activities required to fulfill the objectives of the organization;

Field coordination and support

- Provide technical assistance to Grade 1 and 2 teachers on using the instructional materials and teaching and learning techniques introduced through the program;
- Provide technical assistance and materials to schools to track student progress and support community engagement activities;
- Supervise the work of the program Field Facilitators and hold periodic meetings to provide direction for program monitoring and support in the classroom and community;
- Represent Room to Read in different forums, including parent meetings, cluster meetings, district meetings, teacher trainings and advocate for the importance of learning to read well early;

Program development and training

- Assist the development of teaching and learning materials for the Literacy Instruction program and training workshops;
- Assist in coordinating and facilitating training workshops for Grade 1 and Grade 2 teachers on teaching and learning of the Vietnamese Language;

Monitoring and reporting

- Oversee the distribution and management of program teaching and learning materials with schools;
- Apply monitoring tools guided by the program and collect feedback from teachers and principals to continue to improve program quality;
- Report to PM on a monthly basis on the progress of children’s learning and suggestions for program improvement;

Finance

- Facilitate financial transactions between Room to Read and beneficiaries during the course of program implementation, as needed;
- Complete monthly expense reports.

Qualifications

Required
- University degree in education, social development, or another related field;
- Minimum of 5  years of working experiences with INGOs/international donors on education projects/programs;
- Good knowledge and understanding of the current primary curriculum and education policies of the Ministry of Education and Training;
- Good knowledge and practical experience with interactive teaching and learning methodologies at the primary level;
- Experience in conducting professional development workshops and/or trainings for educators; 
- Demonstrated experience in education program management, monitoring and evaluation and budget management;
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English;
- Ability to travel frequently to provinces throughout Vietnam;
- Good computer competency, including the ability to use Microsoft Word and Excel.

Preferred
- Advanced degree in a related field (e.g. education, pedagogy, international development);
- Good familiarity with the concepts and practices for teaching reading and writing at the primary level, including related activities, instruction and materials;
- Experience training teachers on developing reading/writing skills through a balanced approach;
- Experience developing and/or implementing large-scale language learning initiatives.

Expected starting:  November 2013

Application Procedure:

Please send your Curriculum Vitae (in English) to HR department at [email protected]

Application due:  17 November 2013

Due to the high volume of applicant response, not all applicants may receive a response from Room to Read. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.   

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