Manager, Literacy

Manager, Literacy

ROOM TO READ IN NEPAL

To date, we have partnered with government schools to establish over 4,814 school libraries to encourage a reading habit in primary school children, published 412 children’s books for quality materials to read, constructed over 1,249 schools and renovated 46 schools and supporting to create an enabling learning environment through comprehensive Reading & Writing Instruction program in 1,642 primary classrooms. Through our Girls Education Program, we have supported over 10,571 girls from underprivileged families to complete secondary education and beyond by providing material, academic and life skills education support. We’ve partnered with a local NGO to implement and monitor our programs in our working districts. We are at a growing stage and working to expand our coverage more in the future.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Manager, Literacy ( LM) is responsible for providing technical assistance, support and supervision on all aspects of the program design, material development, including professional development activities to Room to Read (RtR) Literacy Program (LP) staff, Partner NGO (PNGO) staff supported/collaborated by RtR, government officials and teachers on reading and writing instruction, library management and reading activities to support primary grade children in close coordination, collaboration and joint effort to scale the program.

LM will also ensure that RtR’s LP schools are supplied with engaging, relevant and appropriate books and instructional materials that support the development of reading skills and a habit of reading. Where gaps exist in available books for purchase, the LM is responsible for coordinating all aspects of RtR’s publishing initiatives, including sourcing original content, reviewing, editing, producing and negotiating agreements. This position will also be required to research and form networks within the publishing industry to gauge local market trends and promote RtR as a key player in children’s book publishing.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Planning – 10%

• Contextualize the DCE approach (Deliver and Accelerator approach) of LP implementation modality.
• Plan and develop the expansion and technical assistance (TA) design for the LP scale-up in collaboration with LD and head of Operations and other relevant.
• Plan the strategic paths for system-level integration of LP components/elements/sub-elements on the Provincial/Municipal Education Plan (PEP/MEP), local reading materials, and school improvement (SIP) plan.
• Create various opportunities to design and develop publishing ecosystem procedures and mechanisms for scaling and wider reach.
• Plan the strategic models of co-publishing to shift the publication ecosystem from RtR in-house to publishers, or like-minded organizations to impact and influence larger audiences beyond the regular project schools/children.
• Identify the possible opportunities to bring change in children’s literature through initiatives like national book standards, children’s literature festival, picture book awards, and similar innovative initiatives.
• Manage platforms to disseminate learnings from the ideal book collection guidelines to bring changes in the publishing ecosystem.
• Be strategic in incorporating ICT platforms in the promotion, and integration of digital learning platforms like literacy cloud for instruction and library activities.
• Explore opportunities to interact with SMC/PTA and other relevant community-based organizations (CBOs) for social and community mobilization activities to promote reading skills and habits of children.

Technical Roles – 60%

Design and Development of teaching-learning materials (TLM) and Children’s Books

• Instruction design and development (instructional materials, workbook, TLM, and teachers’ guide) based on the principles of integrated curriculum and RtR’s instruction packages.
• Contextualize Library Management manuals and Reading Activities process for the effective management and use of school library resources.
• Develop Student Tracking Assessment (STA) tools and plan the periodic assessment in close coordination with LD, operations, and RM&E during the conduction, analysis of data, result sharing, and preparing improvement plan
• Guides, oversees, and manages Ideal Book Collection (IBC) (selection, gradation, and finalization) based on QRM manual.
• Review and update the writer’s and illustrator manuals and models and align with vision 2025 to work in partnership with local stakeholders.
• Explore and identify processes and possibilities to design and implement LP strategies through custom projects like USAID Early Grade Learning project.

Training design, facilitation, and capacity building

• Guides and support to align the training manuals with the Government’s Teacher Professional Development (TPD) policy with RtR Training package of both instructions and library.
• Provides orientation of instruction, library, and Quality Reading Materials (QRM) program design, development process to field office, Palikas, NGOs and schools in relation to DCE approach.
• Orients staff on program, process, implementation, tools and templates of monthly, quarterly and annually report as per the Room to Read guideline and policies.
• Orients and leads LP and Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) review meeting and integrate learnings through program adaptation and management.
• Responsible for technical oversight of Officers, ensuring their ongoing professional development and support so that they become sufficiently able to effectively support teachers and librarians in their implementation of the program.
• Takes a leading role in conducting training and workshop (instructions, library and QRM) quality tracking in confirmation with design and development-based content, sequences, ppt, delivery process with support from LD and Program Officers (POs).
• Provides technical feedback to field technical team through various means (Skype, TEAMS, telephone, e-mail etc.) to address their concerns, needs and requests on monthly basis.
• Manage capacity-building activities of LP members and PNGO for program scale and system-level integration.
• Provide technical backstopping and support for the smooth implementation of custom projects like USAID Early Grade Learning project.

Partner NGO (PNGO) staff Capacity building

• Support the identification of areas of capacity building of partners
• Design and develop capacity-building frameworks, plan and modules to prepare them ready for support for LP implementation.
• Organize and Train partner team members based on LP design and implementation requirements.
• Takes a leading role in conducting training and workshop (instructions, library and QRM) with design and development-based content, sequences, ppt, delivery process with support from LD and Program Officers (POs).
• Provide technical feedback to partner technical and field team through various means to address their concerns, needs, and requests on a monthly/quarterly basis.
• Manage capacity-building activities of PNGO for program scale and system-level integration.

Project Management and team mobilization – 10%
Project Management and Support

• Prepares the initial draft of Assessment Criteria (AC) and budget, AP&B accordingly and signs off from LD.
• Formulates activities related to LP based on Annual Planning and Budgeting (AP&B).
• Identifies LP staff and PNGO staff capacity-building and professional development needs and assists the People Operation team with sourcing support to address the needs.
• Provide support to procure and printing of QRM materials, TLM and other instructional materials process (This involves sourcing local authors and illustrators, advising on story development, reviewing, editing, securing copyrights and ISBN codes, obtaining government approval, sending to print, etc.) as per the RtR strategies and guidelines).
• Provides support to admin and related sections to procure goods and services.
• Involves and provides feedback to the operations team to select project schools based on LP design and communicates technical input if needed.
• Supports Literacy Director (LD) to manage, communicate, network, meeting, visit, coordinate, and collaborate to enhance quality design, development, and monitoring.

Team Management

• Sets Professional, business goals and activities for self and direct reports.
• Manage and mobilize the QRM member team for technical assistance to Co-publish children’s books.
• Manage capacitate and mobilize the IDTS and/or district member team for technical assistance to design and develop the reading-specific local curriculum and relevant local reading materials development at Palika level.
• Coordinate and allocate tasks to staff after detailed review of Assessment Criteria (AC), Implementation Calendar (IC) and annual budget.
• Conducts 1:1 with direct reports and supervisor to clarify expectations and set plans for future.
• Manages team in align with organization’s Strategic Vision for 2025 and beyond to achieve targeted LP activities effectively for program scale and system level integration (Deliver-Accelerator strategy).

Strategic Coordination and Collaboration – 10%

• Updates the program, learning and area of improvement to LD on task completion with quality highlights of planned activities and collect suggestions/feedback based on DCE and TA approach of program design and implementation.
• Coordinates and collaborates with technical, operation, field managers, admin, PO, finance, and RM&E teams to understand global guidelines (design) and identifies areas for professional development of team members.
• Coordinates with GO and supports Officers to finalize QRM books including book’s content and illustrations, dedication language, copyright information, story summaries, and author/illustrator biographies.
• Coordinates and collaborates with GO, LD, RM&E, and operations to align, contextualize, review, generate and finalize program information collection tools and reporting formats.
• Coordinates and collaborates with LD, RM&E and GO counterpart/s to improve LP guidelines, design, development, layout, implementation, training, and support areas.
• Facilitates Officer in adapting approved books (Selection, coordination, translation, finalization with GO and printing) in Nepal’s context.
• Supports and guides Officer – Material in preparing the dedication language of each book and helps to proceed through GSD.
• Coordinates with Admin and other support team and submits printing plan, including specifications and budget estimation, for procurement for both Teaching Learning Materials (TLM) and Supplementary Reading Materials (SRM).
• Prepares and provides books, stationery, and furniture specification as per LP strategy to Admin/Procurement team. Verifies specifications and quality checking before materials are sent to field.
• Collaborates with the central and provincial government units/ agencies to build support for the program and identifies ways to integrate LP components/elements and scale the program.
• Collaborate with like-minded organizations and institutions to scale and develop partnerships to achieve the RtR’s vision and mission through co-publishing or program scale up strategies
• Coordinate and collaborate with CLAS (central line agencies of government) to scale the instruction and reading materials to for wider reach of the program.
• Takes an active role in Joint monitoring visits to demonstrate the work of RtR in the field.
• Conducts policy-level advocacy/activities to promote RtR’s learning through events such as Literacy Day, Library Day, and National Education Day.
• Represents RtR by attending and speaking at relevant forums and advocates to support the organization’s goal like education cluseter or AIN EWG meeting
• Liaises with other NGOs running similar programs to identify areas of knowledge sharing and possible collaboration for joint programmatic design and implementation.

Quality Tracking – 5%

• Tracks activities based on IC – Task, time, budget, takes accountability of quality, reporting to the allocated supervisor, and delivers results.
• Tracks design-based development of instructional, QRM, purchase book, stationary, registers, etc. by inspecting content, language, vocabulary, instructions, activities, prescribed size, paper quality, layout design, printing, and binding.
• Manage program implementation support at the district in close collaboration with field managers and LP members.
• Conduct periodic monitoring and support of the implementation of program activities in the districts.
• Manage to organize the joint monitoring visits of central-level stakeholders to create opportunities for scale.
• Frequently field visits for classroom and library observation, interaction with trained teachers, headmasters, school supervisors including LFs and Technical Officers, Literacy Field (LPOTs).
• Share school visit observations and findings, best practices, and challenges from the technical point of view and provide feedback along with mentoring and coaching in cluster/region.
• Review dashboard/GSD and refine the information/data and provide necessary support if needed.

Documentation and Reporting – 5%

• Manage information, documentation and reports (Global office information, contextualization process and event-based report including monthly, quarterly, and annual reports) of LP.
• Review and document the learning on the LP design, development of materials, training packages including RM&E and other internal/external research reports to track and improve program quality.

Others

• Provide support and contribute to raising funds and small business promotion projects document, report writing, and sharing.
• Provides support and presents logical arguments during internal and external audits.
• Collaborates with inter programs and other support units.
• Provides support to LD to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Social Welfare Council (SWC), CLAs, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Local education authorities, and schools.
• Participates in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Undertakes any other activities as per the direction of the supervisor.

Desired Knowledge and Skills

Expertise in Early Literacy, Primary-level school libraries, and Children’s literature

• Knowledge and skills in various approaches to literacy; multiliteracies and multimodal design of learning specific to early grades.
• Knowledge and skills in grades 1-3 curriculum focused on foundational skills of learning.
• Experience of scaling-up education programs, in coordination with the government.
• Knowledge and skills in managing primary grade school libraries and using classroom book corners effectively for developing reading habits/culture.
• Knowledge and skills in developing children’s books in various formats, including level books and decodable books for foundational learning and promoting reading culture among primary-grade students.
• Knowledge and skills in creating illustrations and multimodal designs for children’s books/reading materials for developing reading skills and habits of children.
• Knowledge and skill for technical backstopping of costume projects like Early Grade Learning.

QUALIFICATION

Required:

• Master’s degree in education with specialization in English/Nepali Education or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience (Instructional materials design, instructional & supplementary material development, teacher training, library management) and at least 4 years of technical management.
• Good understanding of the Government system, able and well-versed in working and dealing with Government stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Nepali and English.
• Good knowledge of computer skills (Microsoft office).
• Able to type in Nepali language and is comfortable editing Nepali fonts (e.g., Preeti, Kantipur, Himali, Room to Read, Himalb, etc.)
• Edit educational material and children’s books in Nepali language (grammar, spelling, vocabularies, sentence structure)
• Able to edit simple Nepali language by using InDesign files.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in education with specialization in English/Nepali language Education.
• Experience of material design, development, teacher training, and teaching at the primary grade.
• Work experience in a non-profit organization.
• Prior track record of achieving results in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization.
• Experience of instructional and Supplementary material development, teacher training, student assessment (EGRA/CB-EGRA), and monitoring in the field.
• 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.

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

Location(s): Nepal – PLK

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