Literacy Program Manager | Instructional Design & Teacher Support
About the Employer
Job Description
Position Overview:
The Literacy Program Manager is a member of the Instructional Design and Teacher Support Unit (IDTS), based within the Country Office Literacy Program technical team. This unit is responsible for managing Room to Read’s program design and training curriculum related to grade 1 and 2 literacy instruction and primary grade library management and reading activities and also design and implementation of scale up activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Education. ORM and IDTS need to work closely for the effective implementation of the Literacy Program. In collaboration with the Global Literacy Team, Global and Regional Programs Team, and Country Teams, the Literacy Program Manager, IDTS is responsible for providing technical assistance, support, and supervision on all aspects of the program design, including professional development of the school and Room to Read staff about reading and writing instruction and library management and activities. This position will be based in the Country Office and will report directly to the Literacy Director. The Literacy Program Manager, IDTS will directly manage the Instructional Design & Teacher Support team at the Country Office, as well as dotted-line manage the Literacy Program Field Officers, who provide technical support and training to the field. This position will involve frequent travel to field offices, as well as regular interaction with education officials, partners, school administrators, teachers, and students.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities:
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Program Management, Contextualization, Training and Coordination:
- Supports, plans, and conducts the analysis of the Instructional Design & Teacher Support Unit.
- Provides technical assistance to the team and build capacity for developing manuals, training modules, and documenting best practices.
- Collaborates with the Quality Reading Materials (QRM) unit to provide technical assistance in the development of appropriate teaching resources and instructional materials and ensure reading.
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Program Design, Implementation, Training, and Monitoring:
- As needed, conducts an analysis of government curriculum to identify gaps for developing literacy and librarian skills, identifying content and structure for teaching materials, and designing training and workshop modules for Literacy Coaches and teachers, including Pre-Primary teachers.
- Responsible for designing Room to Read’s approach to teacher and librarian professional support to improve students’ literacy skills and habit of reading, adapted as needed based on research, monitoring, and evaluation data.
- Responsible for the designing of the scale-up activities and ensuring the Room to Read’s approaches are integrated into the existing government’s systems.
- Ensures the quality of all Room to Read training. This includes designing and conducting direct training for teachers, trainers, and education officials, as well as partner staff to ensure quality.
- Plays a key role in the development of monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned program outcomes.
- Researches and recommends improvements to the Room to Read literacy program to more efficiently and effectively manage the program in their country.
- Stays informed about trends in the fields of literacy instruction, teacher professional development, and library programming in the local context. Uses this information to assess and inform Room to Read’s Literacy program.
- Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and promoting the importance of early-grade reading externally.
- Builds partnerships with NGOs and other organizations involved with literacy programming (teacher training, material development, primary school libraries, Pre-Primary Schools) with the goal of becoming a key player in this community.
- Collaborates with the government to support for early-grade reading in particular and the RfR approach in general.
- Collaborates with the Marketing and Communications team to promote the program.
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Planning, Reporting and Documentation:
- In collaboration with the CO Program Operations team, analyzes annual program goals and budgets to ensure alignment with organizational strategies and priorities.
- Collaborates with the CO Program Operations team on developing and providing oversight of the implementation calendar, budget, annual planning, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of program implementation and spending.
- Prepares and reviews program reports and responses as necessary.
- Collaborates with the GO Development and Communications Teams to write program-specific portions of funding proposals.
- Prepares the necessary documents that are needed for the scale-up activities and system integration.
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Government Coordination and External Networking:
- Collaborates with the government at all levels to build support for the program and identify ways to supplement and augment the government curriculum.
- Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocates for the importance of Literacy program.
- Liase with other NGOs running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.
- Involved with advocacy, lobbying, and image building at relevant levels and forums.
Required Qualifications:
- A master’s degree in Education or a related field of study.
- A minimum of 7 years of professional experience with reading/literacy and education programs.
- Excellent knowledge and understanding of teaching methodologies, curriculum, and best practices at primary stage.
- Experience in early childhood education (e.g. book leveling, library management, and activities that instill a habit of reading in children).
- Experience developing educational learning materials for students for teachers and librarians.
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with government organizations.
- Ability and desire to travel frequently to visit school sites.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously.
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.
Compensation:
Room to Read offers competitive pay with excellent benefits. Benefits include health, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, Personal Accident cover and other statutory benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the lives of millions of children by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.
Should you meet our expectations, please forward your detailed CV together with the names & contact details of 03 non-related referees within 10 days to [email protected]. (Please mention the post applied on the subject line).
“Room to Read is a Child safe organization. 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 a 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.”
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer. Canvassing will be a definite disqualification.
