Program Manager - School Libraries (South Asia)

Position:                                   Program Manager - School Libraries (South Asia)

Duty Station:                             New Delhi, India

Deadline for application: 08 April 2013

Date of Issue:                21 March 2013

 

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 6 million children by constructing more than 1,600 schools, establishing over 15,000 libraries, publishing 800 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 20,000 girls with long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 million and our global staff numbers over 500. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in 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.

Position Overview:

The Asia Regional Program Manager, School Libraries will provide guidance and expertise to local in-country teams in the South Asian countries of  Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka  on managing School Libraries program. This program involves setting up children’s libraries in schools and building capacities of the school teachers to ensure usage of the resources provided through this program in these countries. The position will report directly to the Deputy Regional Director for Asia and will work closely with the Global and Regional Programs Teams in Girls' Education, Reading & Writing Instruction, Book Publishing & School Construction, in-country staff in South Asian  countries and the Reading Room Global Program Officer, based at the Room to Read office in San Francisco CA USA (the Global Office). This position will require regular visits to Room to Read Countries in Asia.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with in-country program teams, develop locally relevant program design strategies, activities and budgets appropriate to meet the goals and objectives of the global School Libraries program.
• Analyze and appraise annual program goals and budgets for each country’s School Libraries  program(s), ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and priorities.
• Liaise with in-country Program teams to ensure high quality, effective and efficient management of the program and successful achievement of annual targets.
• Monitor program implementation progress through frequent field visits, review meetings and quarterly and other reports.
• Travel regularly to South Asian countries provide training and technical assistance to in-country program teams on how to translate new global guideline documents into country level design and practice.  
• Support and mentor Program Managers and Officers, ensuring that program activities are carried out in a timely manner and with attention to quality.
• Document and share best practices across countries related to components of the School Libraries program, including time to read, professional development, family and community engagement, and others.
• Provide Asia Regional and Global Office with all necessary information regarding the School Libraries program in South Asia.
• Stay informed about larger educational issues  that relate to the School Libraries program and stay abreast of global trends and challenges in the field of developing reading habits and skills among children, children’s literature, and issues related to improving quality of education at the primary school level.
• Assist in designing and implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation strategy for the School Libraries program.
• Work with in-country program teams, Asia Regional Office and the Global Office to codify best practices for the School Libraries program. 
• Assist with launching the School Libraries program in new Room to Read countries in South Asia.
• Network with other non-profits running similar programs to find areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing and represent Room to Read in different forums.
• Plan and conduct thematic workshops in collaboration with counterpart in the South East Asia  and Global Office, for in-country teams  

Qualifications:

Required:

• Master’s degree in Education or Social Science and or other related discipline 
• A minimum of eight years of professional experience in development/ academic organization
• Expertise in training and adult learning in the field of education
• Experience in implementation of primary education programs on a large scale
• Familiarity with annual and multi-year planning and budgeting
• Must have lived or worked in an Asian country for at least eight years
• Ability and desire to travel within the region frequently (about 30-50% of the time)
• Proven track record of achieving results
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office Tools 
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously

Preferred:

• Prior experience of working in an international setting or an international NGO
• Experience of working in the area of quality improvement in schools.
• Experience of working in teacher development programs; improving classroom teaching methodology or reading or language development programs

Language

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

Other Experience

• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Effectiveness in working or volunteering 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
• Proven track record of achieving results
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative

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 an up-and-coming non-profit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker; you’re 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

Compensation:

The salary range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through the lifelong gift of education.

Application Procedure:

Please submit your resume and cover letter by email (no calls, faxes, or drop-ins, please) to asiahiring@roomtoread.org with “South Asia Regional School Libraries Program Manager" in the subject line.

Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we cannot send personalized responses to all applicants. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

In case you cannot reach us through email, please mail your applications to: Asia Regional HR Director, Room to Read, D-30, East of Kailash, New Delhi – 110 065.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.

Last date for application:  08 April 2013

(Applications may also be accepted after the deadline).