Position: Senior Program Officer, Literacy Field

Location: Bihar

Organization Profile:

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read develops children’s foundational literacy skills, as well as life skills that promote gender equality. Committed to accelerating learning outcomes for more children, more quickly, we have benefited 45 million children across 28 countries. In India, we are working since 2003 and have positively influenced lives of more than 18 million children. Presently, we work across the 10 Indian states of Chhattisgarh, New Delhi, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Learn more at www.roomtoreadindia.org.

Position Overview:

The Senior Program Officer, Literacy Field will oversee the program implementation and lead the agenda of system strengthening at state level. They will be responsible for coordination, development, and reporting of existing multiple variants of the Literacy program in a state. They would serve as the main point of contact for the school and local government officials and coordinate the work of other RtR staff in the state. The Senior Literacy Program Officer will report to the State Head and will have Literacy Facilitators reporting to Him/her. This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as regular interaction with education officials at district as well as state level, school administrators, teachers, and students.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Programme Planning, Management & Implementation:

• Develop a thorough understanding of Room to Read’s Literacy program design.
• Oversee the implementation of the existing multiple variants of the Literacy programs, including both demonstration, partnership or technical assistance in the state, ensuring timely, efficient and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the program and budget guidelines.
• Assist in selecting the program schools as per program guidelines.
• Manage relationships with school, community and government counterparts in their jurisdiction and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships.
• Ensure that all program schools receive books, materials and furniture at the appropriate time.
• Ensure that all teacher training and capacity building activities are held as per plan and program guidelines, including the receipt of necessary approvals
• Overall lead different online and offline trainings organized for teachers, field staff and review meetings. Also, play role of key facilitator for these trainings.
• Ensure effective utilization of program budget through proper planning and tracking of planned activities. Ensure that financial and procurement norms are adhered to and efforts are made to  reduce cost to the extent possible, without compromising on the quality.
• Prepare cash advance, settlement, and reimbursement for program activities
• Assist to prepare annual plan of action and budget for the Literacy program
• Support the State Manager in strategic planning and advocacy, including sustainability planning and future expansion decisions
• Participate actively on social media in all RtR campaigns.
• Supervise and ensure proper implementation of community engagement plans.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfil the objectives of the organization.

Technical Expertise & System Strengthening:

• Stay updated regarding the changing trends and any new state level policies, programmes or interventions in EGL, as announced by the government. Engage in discussions with the country team regarding future opportunities.
• Regularly communicate and work with government counterparts to build awareness and understanding among them with respect to the Room to Read literacy program and its main features. 
• Serve as a technical resource at the state level and participate in technical assistance discussions. Attend government meetings, discussions and committees on early literacy and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of RtR literacy program. Represent Room to Read in different forums and advocate the importance of reading and need for libraries for children.
• Conduct literacy campaigns in intervention schools as well across the state in a collaborative manner with the support of state government.
• Regularly interact with the Government officials and explore opportunities for systemic integration.
• Stay updated regarding new programs/interventions of the like-minded organizations in states. Engage in discussions to explore opportunities.
• Regularly communicate and work with government counterparts to build awareness and understanding among them with respect to the Room to Read literacy program and its main features.
• Share best practices from RtR’s intervention with the govt stakeholders and work towards the adoption of material and methodologies in the government schools.
• Attend review meetings at the national level and provide reflective feedback on program implementation and design issues. At the same time acts as the conduit for transferring innovative ideas and practices from the national level (or from other states) on to the field.
• Read and update oneself regarding the current national/international research in the field
• Provide technical support in SCERT, BEPC and Secretariat and make visits to meet the stakeholders on a regular basis.
• Participate in workshops organized by SCERT regarding curriculum development, book designing, state level document creation etc.
• Provide technical oversight to DIET/ district level officials and support them in their coaching and communication with government teachers and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the team.  

• Participate in workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers.
• Get involved in all the workshops and discussion meetings related to gender organized by the state and other partner organizations.
• Work towards Room to Read’s positioning and ensure that Room to Read is given the lead for literacy related work in all the relevant government meetings and workshops.
• Ensure co-creation, adoption and printing of children literature at state level and ensure that these material reach schools across state.

Monitoring, Supervision & Reporting:

• Provide technical oversight and support to Literacy facilitator in their coaching and communication with government officials and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the unit.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion.
• Ensure that program schools are monitored as per guidelines and the field staff perform their job effectively
• Supervise and ensure all data entry and compilation on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, including GSD data. Maintain high level of data quality
• Assist in preparing all programmatic and financial reports as required, including donor reports.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion
• Organize and lead review meetings at field level
• Track progress of implementation and expenditures through regular review meetings and field visits; flag off deviations and delays at the earliest
• Make regular visits to program schools alone and with key government officials from block/district/state level, observe Classroom Instruction, Library Management, library activities, speak to teachers and headmasters and supervise the functioning of the instruction program as well as the library.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent.
• Master’s degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience in the education sector.
• In-depth knowledge about language and reading practices and approaches.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and a team player.
• Proven track record of achieving results.

• Proven ability to work effectively with schools and communities.
• Ability to travel regularly to project sites in remote locations. 

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.

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.

Application Procedure:

Kindly CLICK HERE  to submit the application.

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