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 6 million children by constructing more than 1,500 schools, establishing over 13,000 libraries, publishing 700 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 15,000 girls with
long-term, holistic scholarships.
Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$44 million and our global staff numbers over 600. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Tokyo.
We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, 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 School Libraries, Book Publishing, School Construction, Reading and Writing Instruction, and Girls Education Programs in the Mekong Delta and the Northern upland areas. Our country office is located in Ho Chi Minh City.
Position Overview
The School Construction Program Manager is responsible for managing all activities of the School ConstructionProgram, Room to Read Vietnam , including, planning, implementation, budgeting, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, and project reporting. S/he will also be required to research best practices and form networks within the construction industry to improve the effectiveness of the school Construction program. This position requires a strong knowledge of construction and supervision, development of community engagement and contribution, knowledge of child-friendly school design, demonstrated experience managing -school construction projects, ability to network with relevant organizations, skills in budgeting and accounting, and demonstrated experience working with INGOs. This position will report to the Literacy Director, will directly supervise Program Officers and Program Associates.
Duties & Responsibilities
Program Operations
• To be responsible for survey and selection of construction sites in coordination with schools and local authorities.
• To be responsible for the overall design of the construction projects, as well as implementation progress
• To be responsible for trainings on community engagement activities for construction projects.
• To coordinate with other programs for the implementation of cross program plans/activities
• To be responsible for budgeting and program reports including monthly, quarterly reports, donor reports and other reports for local governments.
• To be responsible for the installation of dedication plaques at construction projects.
• To provide guidance and support to program officers and program associates for the overall success of the implementation of program activities.
• Draft Memoranda of Understanding for all SR projects-
• Develop and verify BOQs for each construction project.
• Manage program database to ensure all required data is entered correctly and on time.
Meetings/Networking
• Establish and manage relationships with other NGO’s, government official and local educational facilities/authorities; schedule and attend meetings with them to coordinate planning and implementation of projects.
• Represent Room to Read at relevant meetings and occasionally assist in hosting key donor visits
• Document best practices and lessons learned during field work and share with other project sites, relevant local staff, the Program Director/Country Director and appropriate Program Officers
Monitoring and evaluation
• Coordinate with M&E team for monitoring, support and evaluation activities.
• Analyze information obtained through monitoring and evaluation initiatives for improvements
• Research new construction technologies and materials that are cost-effective and locally relevant to improve the quality and reduce the cost of our buildings.
• Develop and deliver trainings in construction techniques and monitoring activities to all SR staff to ensure a high standard of school construction.
Qualifications
Required:
• Bachelor’s degree in construction and field work or experience related to the tasks mentioned above
• At least 5 years experience in community development, particularly with INGOs working in the Education sector
• Ability to travel frequently– to project sites in provinces
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Vietnamese
• Good computer skills.
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 Human Resources Department at [email protected] [1] with subject: ‘School Construction Program Manager’.
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.