Research Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

Deadline for Application: 29 August 2012

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 6 million children by constructing more than 1,500 schools, establishing over 13,000 libraries, publishing 700 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 16,000 girls with long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$44 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, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane.

In Vietnam, Room to Read has been implementing five programs including the Reading Room (school libraries) program, the Girls’ Education Program, the Local Language (book) Publishing program, the Literacy Instruction program, and the School Room (school construction) program in eight provinces.

Position Overview

The Research Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) Unit at the Country Office (CO), designs, implements, and manages program-specific research activities. The Research Officer’s primary responsibilities in the short term will focus on literacy instruction, specifically on qualitative research and surveys, and in the longer term will support the research needs of all programs. Training will be provided for any successful candidate hired without a strong background in education or literacy. The position will be based in Ho Chi Minh City and report to the Country Director.

Duties and Responsibilities
• Lead the development of methodology related to country research studies (including instrumentation, data collection, implementation, and analysis plans), with a particular focus on the Literacy Instruction program, and with support from Literacy Instruction team members.
• In consultation with CO program and M&E staff, develop and update the annual country research agenda for each program. The focus for the first few years will be on literacy instruction.
• Work with RO and GO staff to review and finalize the research agenda and individual activities according to steps described in the M&E Strategy Document.
• Oversee the implementation of research projects.
• Lead the development and management of budgets for research.
• As activities relate to literacy instruction, the Research Officer will also:
o Identify literacy research needs in collaboration with the Literacy and Program Director and Program Managers through periodic discussions and review meetings
o Carry out research in collaboration with Literacy Instruction on various aspects of literacy instruction including instructional design and materials, effectiveness of teachers in implementing program strategy, classroom teaching-learning processes, use of materials, functioning of Literacy Facilitators, teacher professional development programs, and program outcomes such as print-rich environments, teachers’ effectiveness, and community engagement.
o Support the Country Team in selecting and implementing appropriate research designs, development/ modification of tools, collection and analysis of data, and report writing for enhancing literacy instruction in Literacy Instruction schools.
• Help coordinate cross-national research and evaluation under the guidance of RO/GO teams from M&E or Literacy Instruction
o Guide the Country Team in planning, developing, and implementing literacy research, within the global literacy strategy framework. This will include regular co-ordination with country team members, and management and technical assistance in design, implementation, analysis, and report writing.
o Collaborate with the Country Team in identifying best practices (case studies) and documentation of literacy instruction programs.
o Establish, develop and maintain the literacy section of the projects database, reports, articles, and research on various critical aspects in literacy instruction.
o Support and guide the development and translation of tools to conduct quantitative and qualitative research to assess literacy instruction and teacher effectiveness/ beliefs, print rich environment, and tracking students’ progress.
o Travel within the country to project sites to conduct and support research as visualized by RO and GO teams.
o Collaborate with and support the country and RO teams in regular capacity building of the country literacy team in research.
• Collaborate with M&E colleagues in other countries, and with the ROGO M&E Team, in carrying out the above roles and responsibilities.
• Other duties as necessary.

Qualifications

Required:
• Master’s degree in education or a related field (such as international development, program evaluation, research methods, or statistics)
• A minimum of five years of related professional experience, including three years of conducting/guiding research.
• Research, monitoring and evaluation experience, including instrument design, data collection and management, data analysis and management of research and evaluations
• Ability to work closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including experience using software packages such as SPSS
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Ability and desire to travel in-country frequently, and occasionally internationally
• Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a nonprofit organization that is focused on maintaining high-quality work and low overhead
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization. Proven track record of juggling multiple priorities simultaneously and taking initiative

Preferred
• Education background with a focus on reading instruction
• Technical competence with student reading assessments

Compensation:
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include health and a retirement plan. 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 literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:
Please send your Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae to HR Department at [email protected] with subject: ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Research Officer’.

Due to the high volume of applicant response, not all applicants will 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.