Job Opportunity for Senior Program Associate, Literacy Field at Room to Read in MP

Position Overview:

The Sr. Program Associate (Sr. PA) leads the planning and execution for all work related to implementing Room to Read’s Literacy program at the field and state level and provides technical and management support. S/he will oversee the quality of implementation, coordination, development, and reporting of the Literacy program for the whole state. S/he would identify intervention areas in alignment with State Government’s priorities and RtR’s vision and accordingly conceptualize programs, discuss them with the relevant internal and external teams, keeping supervisor in loop and implement the agreed programs at the field level.  S/he would be the assist the PO with respect to implementation of Scaling-up Early Reading Interventions (SERI) program at the state level. The Sr. PA will report to the Program Officer and will have dotted reporting to the Instruction Design and Technical Support (IDTS) unit and SERI team at the country level. 

This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as regular interaction with education officials at State, District and Block level, school administrators, teachers and students.  S/he would support the Program Officer for building and maintaining the contacts with school and local government officials and support in the work of other RtR staff in his/her jurisdiction. This position would be based at Bhopal and will be transferable as per the need of the organization.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Program Understanding:

• Have an excellent understanding of Room to Read’s Literacy program design and the ability to present and 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 for the set of schools under his/her jurisdiction.
• Have an excellent understanding of the scale up designs and implementation of literacy interventions. 

Technical assistance and advocacy:

• Serve as a technical resource at the state/district level and participate proactively in technical assistance discussions. 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 program. Represent Room to Read in different forums and advocate the importance of reading and 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 state level discussions organized by government counterparts and advocate for RtR approach through developing good understanding of state curriculum, textbooks and various education projects/programs.
• Provide technical assistance to schools in teaching-learning by using instructional materials designed and produced especially for teachers and make suggestions for improving quality and utilization of these materials. 

Program coordination and monitoring:

• Responsible for managing the implementation of the Literacy program being implemented in the
• State under his/her jurisdiction, ensuring timely, efficient and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the program and budget guidelines.
• Responsible for managing relationships with school, community, government counterparts and donors in their jurisdiction and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships. 
• Ensure effective utilization of program budget through proper planning and tracking of planned activities. Ensure that financial and procurement norms are adhered to, and efforts are made to reduce cost to the extent possible, without compromising on the quality.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion. Undertake at least one action research project every year.
• Monitor and maintain high level of data quality coming from field and generating reports as and when required. 

School visits:

• As per the need of the program and to evaluate its impact, make regular visits to program schools, observe classroom transactions, library activities, speak to teachers and headmasters and suggested corrective measures at regular intervals.
• Identify design and quality issues, including problems being faced in the program.  Discuss these issues with the relevant internal and external teams and based on that provide solutions at the field level. 

Training, workshop and meeting:

• As per the team’s structure, provide technical oversight to the team and support them in their monitoring visits and communication with government teachers and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the IDTS unit.
• Act as the point person with respect to teacher training and capacity building of program staff at the state level. Plan for and lead all training at the state and district level.
• Participate in IDTS workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers etc.
• Attend review meetings at the national and 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 national level (or from other states) on to the field. 

Planning, Reporting and Documentation:

• Responsible for preparing regular (monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, including program data) qualitative reports and documenting case studies and best practices. 
• Responsible for high stake donor reporting, developing their annual work plan and its implementation.
• Responsible for SERI program AWP, IC and development of program tracking system for timely and quality implementation of activities.
• Support the Program Officer in strategic planning and advocacy, technical assistance, quality assurance, sustainability planning and future expansion decisions.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization. 

Qualification:

Required:

• Master’s Degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in the education sector.
• In-depth knowledge about language and reading practices and approaches.
• In-depth understanding of State’s FLN Mission Plan.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• 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 and frequently to project sites in remote locations. 

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

Room to Read is a child safe organization. 

Location(s)

India – Madhya Pradesh 

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