Program Associate, Literacy field – Room to Read

Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities 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.

Position Overview:
The Literacy Program Associate (LPA) will assist the planning and execution for all work related to implementing Room to Read’s Literacy program at the field level and provide strategic, technical and management support. S/he will oversee the quality of implementation, coordination, development and reporting of the Literacy library program for the district under Technical Assistance -Accelerator model. The LPA will report to the Program Officer. This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as close interaction with education department officials, school administrators, teachers and students. S/he would serve as the main point of contact for the school and local government officials. His/ her base location would be the nodal office of the government department at Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar.

Roles & Responsibilities:
 
Program Understanding:

• Has an strong 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 region, its planning and implementation nuances.

Technical assistance and advocacy:

• Closely work as a part of DPMU / Government Education Department and serve as a technical resource at the district/ block level and participate proactively in technical assistance discussions.
• Developing good understanding of existing policy documents and attend government meetings, discussions and committees and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of literacy program.
• Provide onsite technical assistance to school as per observation and make suggestions for improving quality and utilization of library resources.

Program coordination and monitoring:

• Responsible for managing relationships with school, community and government counterparts in their jurisdiction and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships.
• Collate and analyze program data and school information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion.

School visits:
Make at least 10 joint visits to schools, observe classroom library activities, speak to teachers and headmasters
Identify design and quality issues, including problems being faced in field implementation.  Discuss these issues with the concerned person and based on that provide solutions at the field level.

Training, workshop and Reporting:

• Identify gaps in training plan and ground practices and suggest on future plans.
• Act as the resource person with respect to different capacity building initiatives at different level.
• Attend review meetings at the district and state/national level and participate in key government level meeting, trainings and development workshops.
• Prepare monthly district reports for submission for external as well as internal team. These reports to have qualitative inputs, case studies and best practices.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Prepare monthly dashboard and able to draw trends from data..

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 state language.
• 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.

Compensation: 
Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include 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.

Location(s) India – Uttarakhand

To be successful at Room to Read, you will also: 

• Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
• Be a proactive and innovative thinker who achieves results and creates positive change
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Embrace diversity and a commitment to collaboration
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

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. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled