District Lead, Literacy Field

Room To Read; India; Remote; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Room to Read seeks a District Lead to oversee literacy program implementation in Palghar district, coordinating with schools, local government officials, and RtR staff. The role requires regular travel to field locations, strong engagement with education officials and teachers, and oversight of program budgets and activities.

The District Lead will report to the State Head and supervise Program Associates. Candidates should have significant experience in education sector programs and Marathi

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills and ability to engage with schools, communities and government bodies.
• Experience in education sector with program implementation and capacity building.
• Willingness to travel regularly to project sites, including rural areas.
• Knowledge of Marathi language or willingness to learn.
• Experience in partnership management and donor reporting is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop in-depth understanding of Room to Read's Literacy program design.
• Oversee program implementation in the project location within budget and guidelines.
• Manage relationships with schools, communities and government counterparts.
• Ensure books, materials and furniture reach all program schools timely.
• Coordinate teacher training and capacity-building activities as planned.
• Lead trainings for resource persons and RtR field staff; act as a trainer facilitator.
• Monitor program budget usage and procurement compliance to reduce costs.
• Prepare cash advances, settlements and reimbursements for activities.
• Assist annual action plan and budget preparation for the program.
• Support strategic planning and advocacy with the State Head.
• Participate in RtR campaigns on social media and community engagement plans.
• Supervise field staff and ensure field visits and data collection are performed.

Skills

Strong written and oral communication

Critical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Team player

Willingness to travel

Marathi language proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in education / social sciences or equivalent

Master's degree in education / social sciences or equivalent (preferred)

Job description

World Change Starts with Educated Children

IMPORTANT: All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located. Room to Read is not able to provide sponsorship.

Job Summary

The District Lead will oversee the program implementation and lead the agenda of system strengthening at Palghar district. They would serve as the main point of contact for the school and local government officials and coordinate the work of other RtR staff in the district. The District Lead will report to the State Head and will have Program Associates reporting to them. This position will involve frequent travel to field locations as well as regular interaction with education officials, school administrators, teachers and students.

Responsibilities

• Develop a thorough understanding of Room to Read's Literacy program design.
• Oversee the implementation of the programs in the project location, ensuring timely, efficient and well-coordinated implementation, adhering to the program and budget guidelines.
• Manage relationships with school, community and government counterparts in the project location and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships.
• Ensure that all program schools receive books, materials and furniture at the appropriate time.
• Ensure that all teacher training and capacity building activities are held as per plan and program guidelines, including the receipt of necessary approvals.
• Overall Lead trainings organized for resource persons, CRP (Cluster Resource person) and RtR field staff under the project. Ensure implementation of the training of teachers by Resource person. Also, play role of key facilitator for these trainings.
• Ensure effective utilization of program budget through proper planning and tracking of planned activities. Ensure that financial and procurement norms are adhered to and efforts are made to be reduce cost to the extent possible, without compromising on the quality.
• Prepare cash advance, settlement, and reimbursement for program activities.
• Assist to prepare annual plan of action and budget for the program.
• Support the State Head in strategic planning and advocacy, including sustainability planning and future expansion decisions.
• Participate actively on social media in all RtR campaigns.
• Supervise and ensure proper implementation of community engagement plans.
• Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfil the objectives of the organization.

Technical Expertise - System Strengthening

• Stay updated regarding the changing trends and any new state level policies, Programme or interventions in foundational literacy and reading, as announced by the government. Engage in discussions with the country team regarding future opportunities.
• Attend all district level government meetings, discussions and committees on early literacy and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of Room to Read literacy program. Represent Room to Read in district level and also state level forums and advocate the importance of reading and need for libraries for children.
• Regularly interact with the Government officials and ensure systemic integration of the Programme for sustainability.
• Attend review meetings at the national level and provide reflective feedback on program implementation and design issues. At the same time acts as the conduit for transferring innovative ideas and practices from the national level (or from other states) on to the field.
• Read and update oneself regarding the current national/international research in the field
• Provide technical oversight to CRP (Cluster Resource person), BEO (Block education officer), DIET (District Institutes of Education and Training) and district level officials and support them in their coaching and communication with government teachers and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the team.
• Participate in workshops on material development, training module development and training of trainers.

Monitoring, Supervision Reporting

• Provide technical oversight to the program associates and support them in their coaching and communication with government officials and schools. Identify gaps in their capabilities and plan for their capacity building in discussion with the IDTS (Instruction Designing Technical Support) unit.
• Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion.
• Ensure that program schools are monitored as per guidelines and the field staff perform their job effectively.
• Supervise and ensure all data entry and compilation on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, including GSD (Global Solutions Database) and maintain high level of data quality.
• Assist in preparing all programmatic and financial reports as required, including donor reports.
• Organize and lead review meetings at field level.
• Track progress of implementation and expenditures through regular review meetings and field visits; flag off deviations and delays at the earliest.
• Manage Program Associates, including their performance evaluation, capacity building and coaching.
• Make regular visits to program schools alone and with key government officials from block/district/state level, observe reading practices, Library Management, library activities, speak to teachers and headmasters and supervise the functioning of the block level RtR staff.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in education / social sciences or equivalent.
• Master's degree in education / social sciences or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in the education sector.
• In-depth knowledge about language and reading practices and approaches.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and a team player.
• Proven track record of achieving results.
• Proven ability to work effectively with schools and communities.
• Ability to travel regularly to project sites in remote locations.
• Knowledge of Marathi Language.

Preferred

• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative.
• Prior experience living and/or working in rural areas.
• Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials.
• Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks as well as developing and implementing improvements in a prior position.

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