Position: Program Officer, Instructional Design & Teacher Support (IDTS)
Location: Ho Chi Minh and other 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 New 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.
In Vietnam, Room to Read is implementing Literacy Program and Girls Education Program in the Mekong Delta and the Northern upland area, and in the Central Coast. Our country office is located in Ho Chi Minh City.
Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy
Literacy is fundamental to exercising the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social and political participation and development. For these reasons, Room to Read has made literacy development a cornerstone of our work. The goal of our Literacy Program is for primary schoolchildren to acquire literacy skills and reading habits to become lifelong independent readers.
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.
In Vietnam, Room to Read’s Literacy Program implements School Library Component which aims to establish school libraries and publish local language books to fill this gap. Room to Read ensures schools have access to quality reading materials in libraries by sourcing local-language materials and working with local authors and illustrators to develop original storybooks. Our literacy strategy 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 we work.
Position Overview
The position is a member of the Instructional Design and Teacher Support Unit (“IDTS”). S/he is responsible to provide technical and managerial support in all aspects of program design, particularly school library activities, management and Family Community Engagement. The incumbent is responsible to assist IDTS Manager in providing technical support and supervision on all aspects of the program design, including professional development to school and Room to Read staff about library management and activities. The IDTS Program Officer will work in dotted-line with Program Operations Officers, who provide technical oversight and training at the field level. This position will require regularly travel to RtR’s project sites in Vietnam to support field office staff on implementing LP, monitoring; and interact with partners at all levels.
This position will be based in the country office and will report directly to the IDTS manager.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Program Design, Training and Implementation
- Support the designs and follows-up implementation of school library management and activities with Program Operations Officers.
- Assists the manager in designing and adapting as needed, Room to Read’s approach to teacher and librarian professional support to improve students’ habit of reading, based on research, monitoring and evaluation data.
- Provides assistance to Program Manager in developing staff and partners’ understanding of literacy program, school library component.
- Ensures the quality of all Room to Read trainings. This includes designing and conducting TOT trainings, as well as building the capacity of RtR staff or partner staff to conduct direct trainings.
- Conducts an analysis to identify gaps for developing librarian and teachers’ skills in managing libraries as well as conducting reading activities
- Provides technical assistance to the team and shares knowledge, experience and skills for developing manuals, training modules and documenting best practices.
- Ensures global guidelines are being adhered to adapt as needed.
- Management & Coordination
- Support Program Operations Officers’ work through providing field 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. Collaborate with CO Program Operation team providing oversight of the implementation calendar, budget, and overall tracking program implementation.
- Planning, Reporting & Monitoring/Research
- Works with manager to provide library expertise to the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation (“RM&E”) team to support the design, implementation and refinement of monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned program outcomes.
- Makes recommendations on improving the Literacy program’s impact and sustainability in schools and communities, with particular focus on maximizing quality and community’s participation in maintaining RtR’s provided assets.
- External Coordination & Networking
- Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocates for the importance of Literacy program work at the provincial level.
- Liaises with other NGOs running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.
Qualifications
Required:
- Native Vietnamese
- Good verbal and written communication skills in English
- At least bachelor’s degree in Education or a related field of study, or equivalent experience
- A minimum of 5 years of professional experience
- Knowledge and understanding of teaching methodologies for primary stage
- Experience developing and conducting training programs for primary teachers
- Experience with library programming (e.g. book leveling, library management, reading/library activities that instill a habit of reading in children).
- Experience with reading improvement programs
- Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
- Good 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 frequently to visit school sites
Preferred:
- Experience teaching at the primary stage
- Experience in developing and conducting on-site school support and coaching initiatives for teachers
- Development and use of observation and other monitoring tools and practices to assess progress of primary school interventions
- 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
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
Working location:
The position is based in Ho Chi Minh City and frequent travel for work to other provinces or cities upon the request of the organization and job required.
Expected starting: April 2017
Application Procedure:
Please send your Curriculum Vitae (in English) to HR department at [email protected] [1]
Application due: until the position is filled.
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.