Program Officer

Job Description

Position: Program Officer – Material Design and Training Support
Location: Ho Chi Minh and other project sites
Employment: Temporary (10 months)
Starting: September 2015

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 7.8 million children by constructing more than 1,600 schools, establishing over 15,000 libraries, publishing 874 new children’s book titles in 27 local languages, and reaching over 20,000 girls through our Girls’ Education program.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 million and our global staff numbers over 600. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in New 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.

In Vietnam, Room to Read is implementing Literacy Program and Girls Education Program in the Mekong Delta and the Northern upland area, and in the Central Coast. Our country office is located in Ho Chi Minh City.

Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy

Literacy is fundamental to exercising the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social and political participation and development. For these reasons, Room to Read has made literacy development a cornerstone of our work. The goal of our Literacy Program is for primary schoolchildren to acquire literacy skills and reading habits to become lifelong independent readers. One crucial input is regular access to books and other reading materials, which are scarce in many of the communities where Room to Read operates.

In Vietnam, Room to Read’s Literacy Program implements School Library Component which aims to establish school libraries and publish local language books to fill this gap. Room to Read ensures schools have access to quality reading materials in libraries by sourcing local-language materials and working with local authors and illustrators to develop original storybooks.  Our literacy strategy capitalizes on our organizational strengths built over the last decade and defines a clear and carefully constructed path to the goal of increased literacy and a habit of reading in the children with whom we work.

Roles & Responsibilities

Management and Coordination

• Participate in developing manuals, training modules and documenting best practices.
• Collaborates with the Quality Reading Materials (QRM) unit to ensure reading materials are appropriate and enhance reading habit.

Program Design, Implementation, Training, and Monitoring

• As needed, conducts an analysis to identify gaps for developing librarian skills, identifying content and structure for training materials, and designing training and workshop modules for librarians and teachers.
• Joint work to adapt professional development materials for librarian and teachers as needed based on research, monitoring and evaluation data.
• Participate in in Room to Read trainings. This includes conducting direct training for teachers, librarians, and principals, as well as building the capacity of RtR staff to conduct the trainings.   
• Ensures global guidelines are being adhered to and adapted as needed.
• Provides library expertise to the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation (“RM&E”) team to support the design, implementation and refinement of monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned program outcomes.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation

• Provide support in developing and monitoring  of the implementation calendar, budget, annual planning, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of program implementation.
• Prepares and review Literacy Program reports and responds as necessary.

External Coordination and Networking

• Collaborates with the government to build support for the program and identify ways to supplement and augment the government policy towards library, if needed

Qualifications

Required:

• Vietnamese native
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Excellent in translation (English and Vietnamese)
• Bachelor degree in Education or a related field of study, or equivalent experience
• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of teaching methodologies and training methodologies
• Excellent training skills and facilitation skills
• Experience with developing and conducting TOT training programs
• Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
• Strong planning, supervising, monitoring and support, and program development skills
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people and organizations
• Ability and desire to travel frequently to visit school sites
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously

Preferred:

• Experience in developing and conducting on-site training support and coaching initiatives for teachers
• 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

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 a dynamic non-profit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker -  you are 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

Application Procedure:

Please send your Curriculum Vitae (in English) to HR department at [email protected]

Application due: until the position is filled.

Due to the high volume of applicant response, not all applicants may receive a response from Room to Read. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.   

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