Program Officer, GEP

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position: Program Officer, GEP (Scale up PO)

Location: Hanoi/ HCMC

Employment: Full time

Expected starting day: 07/2024

Organizational Profile

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality through education. We are achieving this goal by providing support during two of the most critical time periods in a child’s education: primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for life skills acquisition, particularly for girls. Our Literacy Program trains and coaches teachers, creates quality books and curricular materials and establishes libraries filled with diverse children’s books in local languages that can be enjoyed at school or home. Our Girls’ Education Program helps girls succeed in secondary school and negotiate key life decisions by supporting them as they increase their resilience, leadership, collaboration, critical thinking and decision-making skills. We do so by providing girls with positive role models, life skills classes, opportunities for mentorship and peer support, and family, school and community engagement. We also deliver remote solutions that leverage local broadcast media networks and internet-based technologies to facilitate learning beyond the classroom. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children and has worked in more than 182,000 communities and 23 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia. Room to Read plans to benefit 40 million children by 2025. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program Strategy

Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program ensures that girls complete secondary school and have the skills to negotiate key life decisions, aims to Gender Equality as well. We collaborate with local communities, partner organizations and governments towards these goals. Our program reinforces girls’ commitment to their own education, works with girls to develop essential life skills and increases support for girls’ education among their parents, school staff, and communities. We ensure each girl gets the material and emotional support she needs to succeed in school and beyond through an enhanced approach that includes academic support, mentoring and life skills training. We set measurable goals and are committed to collecting action-oriented data to ensure our programs are run with quality and impact, while maximizing cost efficiencies.  

Position Overview

The position is responsible for assisting the GEP Senior Program Manager in strengthening the program’s strategic partnership with National Government stakeholders to integrate the program components in the education system and increase program scale and sustainability. The Program Officer directly involves in program design and ensures the delivery of pilot projects or experimental programs or scale-up initiatives under the scope of GEP. The Program Officer facilitates the National Government’s engagement in GEP implementation at fields and provides technical inputs to the field staff and partners while implementing the programs.

The incumbent will be based in Hanoi/ HCMC office with regular traveling to the project sites and will directly report to the GEP Senior Program Manager.

Roles & Responsibilities

Project Design, Training and Implementation

Design

• Collaborative work in the technical team to map out the realization of GEP strategic initiatives: Life skills education strengthening, School Mentoring and Gender Equality.
• Provide assistance to the GEP Senior Program Manager in developing staff and partners’ understanding of the project designs, transfer them to field practices. 
• Provide assistance to the GEP Senior Program Manager in coordination with RM&E and GEP technical team to design surveys and research to identify opportunities for new projects supporting GEP scale and integration in the education system in key areas.
• Provides technical assistance to the GEP team and shares knowledge, experience and skills for developing manuals, training modules and documenting best practices.
• Involve actively in the process of revising and designing the training materials, modules which will be delivered to partners and the target groups.   
• Work with consultant for translation, and develop materials (tools, handout…) as needed.

Training and Implementation

• In collaboration with GEP Technical team, work with GEP Field Managers & field project teams to plan and deliver the trainings courses as planned to field relevant partners and school teachers, to ensure its technical quality implemented effectively. 
• Follows-up quality implementation of all related GEP programs & activities to make sure that the programs and scale up projects are implemented at fields in accordance with guidelines and the program/ project designs.
• Provide technical guidance to core teachers and school teachers on program implementation in line with program design.
• Help the GEP Senior Program Manager and Field Managers in charge of the area of assignment ensure that overall program quality, including local adaptation of Room to Read’s worldwide program content, meets Room to Read’s GEP standards.
• Plan and facilitate quarterly technical meetings with core teachers, school managers, homeroom teachers, and relevant stakeholders to discuss and identify solutions to improve program implementation.
• Conduct regular site visits to schools to observe, monitor and support core teachers and homeroom teachers in implementation of program activities.
• Collaborate with field staff when having an analysis study to identify gaps for developing teachers’ skills in implementing activities.

Management & Coordination

• Managing and coordinating with partners at all levels, MOET, DOET and BOET to ensure the programs in either form (pilot/experimental/scale up) technically effective implemented.
• Support GEP Senior Program Manager in administration, budgeting and expenditure management, monitoring and evaluation of programs and scale-up initiatives.
• Act as Room to Read representative/coordinator when working with governmental officers (DOET, MOET) in educational sectors as required.

Planning, Monitoring, Reporting & Documentation

• Closely coordinate, set up working plan with Room to Read Field managers, program partners, monitoring the delivering activities at field, provide technical coach and feedbacks to partners to improve quality of the program activities.
• Have monthly workplan, monitoring schedule, regularly visiting the program sites for program implementation, technical assistance and monitoring the activities, report after the field visit. 
• Provide recommendations on improving the programs impact with particular focus on maximizing quality.
• Periodically collect and documentation of the programs related data, stories, information, photograph, best practices and case studies.
• Periodically technical report to manager as the programs are being implemented, quarterly and as needed.

Others

• Participate in regular trainings and meetings with Room to Read staff, as planned.
• Participate in regular review meetings and any other activities that may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Work in collaboration with staff in GEP and other Departments.

External Coordination & Networking

• Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocates for the importance of GEP work at the provincial level and national level.
• Liaises with other NGOs running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.
• Perform other duties as assigned by direct supervisor. 

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree at least in related fields (i.e., Education development, Psychology, Sociology, Social work or related field).
• 3 – 5 years of professional experience related fields, especially in education and community development. 
• Experience of working with governmental officers in educational sectors at all levels, MOET, DOET and school levels.
• Strong knowledge and skills in organizing, facilitation and training.
• Prior experience in supervision, mentoring and coaching.
• Ability to travel frequently and work with children and others in disadvantage groups. 
• Advanced computer skills: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Educational Applications for virtual training/ workshop, Internet search for related materials.

Preferred:

• Strong interpersonal skills and a team player.
• Strong organizational and planning skills including the ability to monitor progress of program implementation.
• Work more effectively in problem solving.
• Good knowledge and understanding of education issues including teaching methodologies and community empowerment and development.
• Open attitude, capable to work under high pressure, and build a good teamwork.
• High commitment and trustworthy person.
• Good communication in English is an advantage.

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, 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.

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

• Directly submit your application preferably with a cover letter to email address [email protected] with the email subject: “SCALE UP GEP PO 2024_CANDIDATE FULL NAME”
• Or please submit your application preferably with a cover letter by visiting our website www.roomtoread.org (About > Careers > See current vacancies).

Due to the high applicant volume, we regret that we are not able to send personalized responses to all applicants. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

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.

Room to Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel are expected to adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy and Child Protection Code of Conduct.