Job Description
Position: Director, Instructional Design & Teacher Support
Type of employment: Full time
Location: Ho Chi Minh and other project sites
Expected to start: March 2018
ORGANIZATION PROFILE
Room to Read (RtR) is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low- income countries 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 in low-income countries 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 communities 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 11.5 million children across over 20,000 communities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Grenada, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Laos, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia, and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020.
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Director will provide technical guidance, oversight; direction and support to the development of child friendly libraries and quality story books in the RtR Literacy Program. The position will share supervisory responsibility of the programs team and closely collaborate with the Program Operations Director. As a member of the country management team, the position will require regular technical interactions with Partners in Viet Nam and Global teams. This position will be based at Room to Read’s Country office and will require regular travel to project sites and Province or District offices.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Management and Coordination
- Oversee Literacy program planning in libraries and Quality Reading Materials (QRM) development at the Country level, as well as the adaptation of worldwide program designs for these programs, to promote high quality program implementation, impact, and sustainability.
- Oversee the contextualization of worldwide libraries and QRM content for the Literacy program in Vietnam, in collaboration with the Global Office Program Design and Technical Assistance team
- Provide support to Country Office Administrative team in purchase and procurement for Literacy programming, including documentation and reporting of procurements.
- Serve as a member of the Country Office Management team, which provides overall support and direction for the work of Room to Read in country.
Program Implementation and Monitoring
- Provide technical advice and guidance in support of Literacy program libraries and QRM implementation and, research, monitoring and evaluation.
- Identify professional development needs and carry out skills development of Instructional Design & Teacher Support (IDTS) team members through coaching and organized training activities to improve their capacity in carrying out quality professional development activities with Field staff and government partners.
- Work closely with the Global Literacy team members in reviewing Global Literacy Strategy and customizing for the Country context.
- Work closely with the Program Operations Director and Country Director in the development of Country Strategy Review (CSR) initiatives and coordinate technical input where required for these
- Analyzing the best practices and lessons learned from the operations team and sharing of effective practices with relevant Literacy program staff.
- In collaboration with the Global Research, Monitoring & Evaluation (RM&E) team, oversee the collection of program metrics that can be analyzed by RM&E to enhance the effectiveness of the Literacy Program reporting and evaluation
- Manage annual performance plans for direct reports, and provide regular feedback on their performance.
- Identify Literacy program staff capacity-building and professional development needs and assist the Human Resources team with sourcing of support to address the needs. Assist the business Development team by giving technical input into fundraising strategies, funding proposal & reports for the program and meeting with donors, as required;
- Conduct the technical evaluation of consultants and other service providers for the Literacy Program.
Planning, Reporting and Documentation
- Provide the technical input necessary to support the Program Operations Director in planning, reviewing and reporting Literacy program annual, quarterly and periodic budget development.
External Coordination and Networking
- Represent Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocate the importance of its Literacy Program work.
- Explore opportunities with government to obtain support (for example, financial support, public acknowledgment of Room to Read’s work, advocacy for successful Room to Read program elements) as well as replicate Room to Read’s ideas and innovations into the mainstream education system at the local, regional, and national levels.
- Liaise with other non-profits running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.
- Any other tasks assigned by Country Director from time to time.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- Master’s degree in education or library sciences
- Minimum of 10 years- experience in implementation of education programs, preferably with emphasis on primary school reading and literacy, including a minimum of 3 years working in a senior managerial role.
- Good knowledge and understanding of education issues, including teaching methodologies and community involvement in schools.
- Strong team- building, mentoring and supervisory/ management skills
- Excellent planning and program development/management skills
- Proven ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences including Room to Read Country, Global Office staff and donors, government and school officials, contractors and consultants, community leaders/residents, ect.
- Ability to travel regularly to regions throughout Vietnam.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
- Proven track record of achieving results
- Computer literate
- Finance literate
- Ability to work under pressure and systematically plan and carry out work assignments.
Preferred:
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering 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
- Prior experience working in rural areas
- Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials
Personal Attributes:
- Have a passion for the mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and- coming non-profit organization.
- A capacity to listen and to work with others
- An ability to inspire trust, a proven ability to lead and facilitate with strong interpersonal skills and an ability to move from ideas to action
- An ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a diverse range of people from different environments, sectors, and society
- An ability to listen to others and learn from their best ideas, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, approachability, and openness to input from all levels of staff
- An ability to be stay grounded, trustworthy, an ability to give credit and recognition to others and personal style of acting with humility and grace – in sum a superb professional and personal presence
- A person with high sensitivities toward issues e.g. gender and disability.
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
Application Procedure:
- Please submit your application preferably with a cover letter, online by visiting our website www.roomtoread.org [1] (about us > careers > see current vacancies).
- Alternately, click on https://osv-rtr.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en- [2] US/RoomToRead searching Vietnam as the location and apply.
We regret that we cannot respond to all applicants personally due to high applicant volume.
Applications will be 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.