Position: Sr. Program Associate, Literacy Field.

Location: District -Nirmal, Asifabad, Adilabad (Telangana).

No of Openings:Three (03)

Organization Profile:

Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income communities 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 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. With its global headquarters in San Francisco, Room to Read till date has benefited 32 million children across 21 low-income countries.

Room to Read India was established in 2003 and presently has programs in twelve states – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

By working closely with the government and other partner organizations to create equal and robust education systems that reach the most vulnerable children and improve teaching and learning environments and materials, as of 31st December 2021, Room to Read India’s interventions resulted in:

• Establishment of 15,553 libraries

• 367,844 girls benefitting

• Training of 31, 395 teachers in various programs

• Tertiary education/job opportunities for 63.8% of scholars within a year after graduation

• Publishing of 220 Room to Read India titles, and distribution over 9.35 million books

Position Overview:

The Sr. Program Associate leads the planning and execution for all works related to providing technical support at DIET, DPO and other institutions where scale up technical support is required at district level. S/He will be responsible for implementing Room to Read’s Literacy Program’s technical support activities such as various workshops and coordinating studies for program quality and provides strategic, technical and management support. S/he will oversee the quality of program implementation of the Literacy program. If needed s/he may be assigned for overseeing the literacy program implementation. S/he would identify quality issues related to program design and management and discuss them with the supervisor keeping the state office in loop and provide solutions at the field level.  The Sr PA – TA will report to the Program Officer TA.  The Sr PA-TA will also support the PO-TA in conducting and organizing activities related to Center for Excellence on Early Literacy and Language (CELL) proposed to be established at State and District Level in partnership with Government.

This position will involve frequent travel to district locations as well as regular interaction with education officials, organization and departments working with similar mandate, school administrators, teachers and students.  S/he would serve as the main point of contact for the DIET, DPO, CEO and other institutions and local government officials and coordinate the work of other RtR staff in his/her jurisdiction.

This position would preferably be based at State where key government institutions are based.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Program Understanding

• Have an excellent understanding of Room to Read’s Literacy Program design and the ability to defend the program in various forums.
• S/he has good awareness of literacy programs, their design and strategies operating in project region.
• Oversee the quality of program implementation and adherence to program guidelines in Literacy.

Technical assistance and advocacy

• Serve as a technical resource at the state/district level, will organize and participate proactively in technical assistance discussions and workshops especially on early grade reading, library. Attend government meetings, discussions and committees on literacy and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of RtR literacy. Represent Room to Read in different forums and advocate the importance of reading, need for libraries for children.  
• 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.
• Participate in the district and state level discussions organized by government counterparts and advocate for RtR approach through developing good understanding of state curriculum, text books and various education projects/programs.
• Provide technical assistance to schools in teaching-learning of reading and life skills by using instructional materials and make suggestions for improving quality and utilization of these materials.
• S/he will also be responsible for developing a cadre of Master Trainers on early grade reading, library in district, life skills education and will follow up with them in providing technical support as and when required.
• Liaison with district education departments to explore opportunities for technical assistance and devise a plan for the same
• Build a district level literacy network and make this as an advocacy event for early grade literacy.
• Engage with print and electronic media to create visibility for Literacy as per communication policy.

Program coordination and monitoring

• Responsible for managing the implementation of the Literacy program for the set of schools under his/her jurisdiction, ensuring timely, efficient and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the TA guidelines
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion.

Training, workshop and meeting

• 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 IDTS workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers as and when required.
  • Attend review meetings at state 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 state level on to the field.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation

• Responsible for preparing regular (monthly, quarterly and yearly) qualitative reports and documenting case studies and best practices. 
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.

Annual planning and budgeting

• Contribute to the Annual Planning and Budgeting (AP & B) guidelines for TA
• Track implementation and spending patterns with government counterparts.

Qualification & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent
• Master’s degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred
• Minimum 3-5 years of relevant experience in the education sector
• Strong written and oral communication skills in Telugu, Hindi and English
• 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.   

Preferred

• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Prior experience of working 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
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Prior experience living and/or working in rural areas
• Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials

• Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks as well as developing and implementing improvements in a prior position

Room to Read has zero tolerance when it comes to child abuse and exploitation and believes that all children have equal rights to protection. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to the child protection policy, code of conduct and standards and will undergo rigorous reference and background check through third party. Background check will include the verification of employment history and criminal check. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

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 transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education. 

 

Application Procedure:

Kindly CLICK HERE  to submit the application.

Due to the high volume of applicant responses, not all applicants may receive a response from Room to Read. Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds

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