Position: Research Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation
Duty Location: Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam
Date of Issuance: 10 Mar 2012
Deadline for Application: 29 Mar 2012
Organization Profile
Room to Read is an International non-governmental organization currently working in 10 countries of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Zambia, and Tanzania. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, USA.
Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls. They seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportunities that only education can provide, they strive to break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time. Since their inception, Room to Read’s worldwide team has impacted over 4.1 million children by constructing 1,129 schools, establishing 10,000 libraries, publishing 550 new children’s book titles in 22 local languages, and putting over 10,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships. Their long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.
In Vietnam, Room to Read has been implementing five programs including the Reading Room (school libraries) program, the Girls’ Education program, the Local Language (book) Publishing program, the Literacy Instruction program, and the School Room (school construction) program in eight provinces.
Position Overview
The Research Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) Unit at the Country Office (CO), designs, implements, and manages program-specific research activities. The Research Officer’s primary responsibilities at least over the first few years will focus on literacy instruction, specifically on qualitative research and surveys, and in the longer term will support the research needs of all programs. The position will be based in Ho Chi Minh City and report to the Country Director.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead the development of methodology related to country research studies (including instrumentation, data collection, implementation, and analysis plans), with a particular focus on the Literacy Instruction program, and with support from Literacy Instruction
team members.
- In consultation with CO program and M&E staff, develop and update the annual country research agenda for each program. The focus for the first few years will be on literacy instruction.
- Work with RO and GO staff to review and finalize the research agenda and individual activities according to steps described in the M&E Strategy Document.
- Oversee the implementation of research projects.
- Lead the development and management of budgets for research.
- As activities relate to literacy instruction, the Research Officer will also:
Identify literacy research needs in collaboration with the Literacy and Program Director and Program Managers through periodic discussions and review meetings
Carry out research in collaboration with Literacy Instruction on various aspects of literacy instruction including instructional design and materials, effectiveness of teachers in implementing program strategy, classroom teaching-learning processes, use of materials, functioning of Literacy Facilitators, teacher professional development programs, and program outcomes such as print-rich
environments, teachers’ effectiveness, and community engagement.
Support the Country Team in selecting and implementing appropriate research designs, development/ modification of tools, collection and analysis of data, and report writing for enhancing literacy instruction in Literacy Instruction schools.
- Help coordinate cross-national research and evaluation under the guidance of RO/GO teams from M&E or Literacy Instruction
Guide the Country Team in planning, developing, and implementing literacy research, within the global literacy strategy framework. This will include regular co-ordination with country team members, and management and technical assistance in design, implementation, analysis, and report writing.
Collaborate with the Country Team in identifying best practices (case studies) and documentation of literacy instruction programs.
Establish, develop and maintain the literacy section of the projects database, reports, articles, and research on various critical aspects in literacy instruction.
Support and guide the development and translation of tools to conduct quantitative and qualitative research to assess literacy instruction and teacher effectiveness/ beliefs, print rich environment, and tracking students’ progress.
Travel within the country to project sites to conduct and support research as visualized by RO and GO teams.
Collaborate with and support the country and RO teams in regular capacity building of the country literacy team in research.
Collaborate with M&E colleagues in other countries, and with the ROGO M&E Team, in carrying out the above roles and responsibilities.
Other duties as necessary.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in education or a related field (such as international development, program evaluation, research methods, or statistics)
- A minimum of five years of related professional experience, including three years of conducting/guiding research.
- Experience and/or technical competence in several or all of the following areas:
Education, with a particular focus on reading instruction
Student reading assessments
Research, monitoring, and evaluation
Working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including experience using software packages such as SPSS
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Ability and desire to travel in-country frequently, and occasionally internationally
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a nonprofit 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 juggling multiple priorities simultaneously and taking initiative
Compensation:
The salary range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. Benefits including health and a retirement plan are also provided. Additional benefits include 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 send your Cover Letter and Curriculum Vitae to Ms. Ngoc Diep [email protected] [1] with subject: ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Research Officer’
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.