Website Room To Read

Position Overview

Room to Read seeks to recruit for the role of a Regional Operations Manager to manage operations in India where Room to Read operates.

This position is part of the Room to Read Global Program Operations team. The Regional Operations Manager supports the alignment and linkages between the India country team and the Global Office teams responsible for technical support, and building the capacity of country programs and staff.

The position provides support to the Country Director and Country Management Team (CMT)/ Extended CMT to ensure effective communication flows and efficiency and effectiveness of the Country Office programs. The post-holder will effectively and efficiently support operation systems, processes, and activities for the country so that programs are delivered on time according to the country and organizational strategy. The position will triage, as needed, and ensure issues are raised to the Supervisor in a timely manner.

This position will be based in New Delhi, India, and will report directly to Associate Director, Program Operations. This position requires travel within the assigned country as necessary and available.

Duties & Responsibilities:

General Program Operations Support:

Provision and identification of operational support needs and assistance to the Country Office
Ensure implementation and management of key organizational and operational decisions, policies and actions agreed across departments at the global office (US and Field Based) and Country Office level
Liaise with other Room to Read (RtR) departments (Development/Fundraising & Communications, People Operations, Finance, Programs, Custom Projects (Technical Assistance)) to ascertain operational bottlenecks/challenges and seek solutions to ensure programs are delivered in timely and cost-effective ways with quality
Review Country Office internal audit reports and follow up with the Senior Operations Team and relevant Country Management Team members to ensure action points are addressed promptly and effectively
Actively monitor external factors that may influence the program context (security environment, natural disasters, political change), and provide necessary support to ensure smooth program implementation and safety of staff
Maintain high level knowledge and information on country context in education and economic events and trends
Advise on improving system, process and tools as part of the Global Operations team

Strategy & Planning:

In consultation with the Supervisor lead the development process and ensure effective implementation of the Country Strategy reviews and geographical targeting exercises as an essential part of the country program to help achieve Room to Read goals
Engage with the country office in helping develop a realistic Growth Plan and advocate for organizational resources to support the Growth Plan and Country Strategy
Support country office in the development, review and analysis of annual plans and budget management
Monitor and track execution of annual planning and budgeting, encouraging the use of monitoring data to foster improvement in program quality
Coordinate any strategic planning with the Indian Country Teams, Indian Development teams and Global Technical Teams.

Management and Coordination:

Monitor and build the capacity of the Program Operations team to maximize planning, reporting, accountability and systems to manage programs effectively
Encourage the Country management and Program Operations Team to openly recognize and manage risk, set clear quality and accountability standards and foster transparency in decision making processes
Monitor and communicate major country news impacting the Country Office
Provide coordinated and integrated finance, People Ops, PDTA and Custom projects (as relevant) support to the Country Office to enable effective and efficient project implementation according to donor guidelines and RtR standards
Ensure that partnership agreements with NGOs and government accurately reflect the realistic capacities of both parties; optimal efficiency and effectiveness; and the strategic priorities of Room to Read
Serve as Project Manager for in-country donor funded projects
In partnership with the Asia Donor Relationship Manager, oversee the implementation, tracking and gathering of information for reports for in-country donor funded projects.

Program Implementation and Monitoring:

Review and analyze ongoing, monthly, quarterly and annual reports/data to identify best practices, challenges and support needs and follow-up with country offices or the global office as needed
Monitor program implementation through visits, implementation calendar tracking and regular communications
Identify operational or program quality issues and alert Program Operations Management or technical teams as appropriate
Review allocations of Country Office resources and assets ensuring that programs meet their commitments and are accountable to beneficiaries and donors

Knowledge Management:

Coordinate with Room to Read global departments and with Country Office to capture, share, and disseminate knowledge and best practices from operational efficiencies to program modalities and lessons learnt
Encourage constant focus on solutions and results, active learning, sharing of knowledge and innovation for cost efficient, effective and sustainable alternatives that will impact more children
Coach and mentor operational staff (specifically the Country Office Program Operations Senior Managers) and link it to wider organizational talent development mechanisms

Budget Management:

Help country programs become more cost efficient and effective, working with CMTs to set efficiency targets, identify areas where changes can be made and devise strategies to manage costs.
This includes facilitating the annual budgeting and planning exercise to ensure that the team’s budgetary requests and needs are understood, advocated for and approved with various global departments as well as understanding the process as a whole to ensure a smooth budgeting process.
Analyze, review and provide feedback on quarterly financial reports and forecasts with Finance and Country Office
Track expenditures against approved budget and revenue recognition; facilitate budget repurposing and change requests
Work with the global office and country office Finance to monitor rate of spending in the country on a monthly and quarterly basis against budget and mitigate issues in over or under spending; analyze annual and quarterly budget submissions
Work with the country and Regional Finance to monitor donor funded project spending monthly and match reporting when required by donor and to ensure expense charges are allowable, allocable and reasonable
Support the Indian Country Office Finance and Operations teams to ensure timely delivery of monthly reporting processes including the Budget Management Tracker and the Global Office Conditional Revenue Tracker.

People Operations/Personnel:

In coordination with People Operations, analyze and respond to staffing models, competency models, and other Human Resources tools designed to improve effectiveness and efficiency of country offices’ staff
Present key operations related sections of the on-boarding and orientation of new staff for operational related activities
Advise the Country Office on the structure and management of Country Office operations team to help implement effective programs; participate in discussions around restructuring of various departments
Participate in the recruitment of operational staffing for the Country Office
Work with the Country office and its CMT to build their operational capacity and strengthen the structure of the field offices that deliver programs

Development/Fundraising:

As needed, actively engage in the development of grant proposals – for both direct (core) implementation and Custom projects (technical assistance) programs initiated at both the country offices and global office. This will involve liaising with the Country Office Team, Indian Development Team, Global Development Teams, Global Finance Teams, Global Technical Teams and Global Legal Teams to make sure that there is organizational buy-in and alignment.
Facilitate review of custom project proposals and budget developed by the country team and communicate go/no-go decisions; this includes bilateral and multilateral projects
In coordination with the Donor Relationship Manager, Donor Communications team and Grants Finance, monitor, track and support external reporting to donors for quality, timeliness and accuracy
Support the coordination of site visits and treks in cooperation with the Country Office and relevant global office team through briefing the global office Dev team on the country context, managing some logistical aspects and scheduling of the donor visits
Actively participate, as requested, in new Custom projects and core project initiatives including feasibility studies, consultant contracting and management, desk review and program planning
Review draft agreement documents & submit feedback to relevant global office departments (Custom projects, Dev)
Update grant budgets and process approvals, including amendments, in cooperation with the country office
Participate with global office departmental leadership to improve award management systems, policies, procedures
Ensure donor tracking is kept up to date and committed funds are used per contracts and MOUs
In collaboration with Communications, review Country Office information and communications materials as needed

Qualifications:

Required:

Related B.Sc./B.A. or equivalent degree; master’s degree preferred
A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the related field
Strong planning, budgetary and analytical skills
Project management and implementation experience
Ability to travel at least 30% to support Country and Field Offices.
Strong inter-personal skills; Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people based with in India.
Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
Proven ability to problem-solve, prioritize, take initiative and multi-task, with a track record of achieving results
Proficiency in Microsoft Suites; Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and comfort learning new applications (Salesforce, Adaptive, SharePoint)
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
Prior experience in proposal writing will be an added advantage
Experience of working in Edtech space with in education sector will be given preference.

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will have the following behaviors:

Accountability:

Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Room to Read values
Holds the Country Office team to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Thrives in a fast-paced environment

Ambition:

Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and Country Office teams, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages the team to do the same
Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale while understanding the local context

Collaboration:

Builds and maintains effective relationships, with the team and colleagues
Values diversity
Actively motivates others
Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
Works well independently as well as part of a team
Demonstrates cross-cultural sensitivity

Creativity:

Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
Willing to take disciplined risks
Innovative and creative thinker; not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so

Integrity:

Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity
Demonstrate leadership in relation to Room to Read policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures
High level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
Strong work ethic and require minimal direction

Location(s)

Global Office Asia – Main – New Delhi

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

To apply for this job please visit osv-rtr.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com.