Officer, Literacy

Room to read; Nalanda; On-site; INR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Thirteenth month bonus

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

Room to Read seeks a Literacy Officer to anchor and provide strategic support to the Directorate of Primary Education, Government of Bihar, for strengthening Mission NIPUN Bihar. Based in Patna, the officer reports to Lead – Implementation and coordinates with SCERT, BEPC, and DIETs to deliver high-quality FLN support.

The role requires extensive travel, strong communication, and the ability to work with education officials and partners to advance foundational literacy across the state.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, social sciences, or an equivalent field.
• Minimum five years of relevant experience, preferably with state governments on literacy reforms.
• In-depth knowledge of language and reading practices and approaches, including national and international research.
• Knowledge of early-grade reading assessments.
• Experience with program design and log frames is an added advantage.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and design state-level curriculum, FLN approach, literacy materials and TLM.
• Provide guidance to state FLN PMUs on learning outcomes and curricular frameworks.
• Support inclusive curricular materials and in-service teacher training plans.
• Develop FLN tool kits focused on foundational literacy.
• Guide designers of curricular materials and TLMs for early grades.
• Build relationships with state and district education officials and partners.
• Orient state curricular groups on FLN and build capacities at multiple levels.

Skills

Strong communication

Education

Master’s degree in education or social sciences

Job description

Position Overview

World Change Starts with Educated Children®. 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. The Officer, Literacy will anchor and provide strategic and technical support to the Directorate of Primary Education, Government of Bihar, for strengthening the implementation of Mission NIPUN Bihar. The Officer will be based at Patna, report directly to Lead – Implementation, and will work closely with the Country office Literacy Program team. The Officer will serve as a key technical resource from Room to Read India, providing support to Primary Education and working with SCERT, BEPC, DIETs, district education functionaries, and other stakeholders to facilitate effective implementation of FLN priorities. The position will coordinate with Room to Read's State Office and technical teams to ensure alignment with work plans and provide high‑quality technical assistance under the FLN PMU. Frequent travel to the field and regular interaction with education officials, partners and external experts will be required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and design the state‑level curriculum, FLN approach, literacy materials and TLM, and facilitate the formulation of a curricular position paper and vision document for the state around FLN.
• Provide guidance to state FLN PMUs in reviewing and finalizing learning outcome frameworks and curricular frameworks on literacy according to NIPUN guidelines through a consultative process with SCERT.
• Offer technical support to state FLN PMUs in designing inclusive curricular materials such as textbooks, school readiness materials, learning‑gap‑addressing materials, and an in‑service teacher training plan.
• Support PMU and state‑level institutions in developing FLN tool kits focused on foundational literacy.
• Guide the design of curricular materials and TLMs around literacy for early grades.
• Build relationships with state and district education officials, government partners, and school administrators to advance the program.
• Orient state curricular groups on FLN principles and approaches and build capacities of SRG, DRG and core groups at different levels around the FLN vision.
• Provide technical guidance to the FLN core group in designing and facilitating capacity‑building workshops on literacy at state and district levels.
• Ensure a resource group is available to the state around literacy to support all FLN‑related technical work.
• Support the establishment of a system in the state to map the level of proficiency of FLN teachers on literacy.
• Lead teacher professional development and support the strengthening of field implementation of foundational literacy by developing a roadmap, a professional development framework, and professional development packages for teachers.
• Support the development of an assessment mechanism to evaluate the efficacy of professional development and teachers’ proficiency around foundational literacy.
• Develop/refine state team capacity building on policy level, pedagogical level, and teacher training facilitation skills using facilitator guides.
• Regularly participate in coordination meetings with government counterparts, implementing partners, and internal teams to stay aligned on objectives, timelines, and deliverables, ensuring the project stays on track.
• Track progress toward agreed outcomes, plan field visits, and analyze data from reading assessments, classroom monitoring, and library rating indicators to identify areas needing focused attention.
• Review and revise program design, materials and training content accordingly.
• Strengthen monthly review meetings at state, district, and block levels around data‑driven discussions and action plans on FLN implementation.
• Support planning and participation in community mobilization events such as FLN campaigns, melas, and annual recognition ceremonies for high‑performing teachers and officials.
• Guide and support the technical team at PMU level, inform state FLN PMUs on conducting studies, formative assessment frameworks, and tools around foundational literacy, and provide support to the MEL team in designing FLN studies with a focus on foundational learning and TPD.
• Provide technical support to PMUs in developing a sustainability plan for FLN after the NIPUN mission period.
• Assist in reporting progress vis a vis foundational literacy as per the approved work plan and in developing monitoring indicators for education departments.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, social sciences, or an equivalent field.
• Minimum five years of relevant experience, preferably with state governments on literacy reforms.
• In‑depth knowledge of language and reading practices and approaches, including national and international research.
• Knowledge of early‑grade reading assessments.
• Experience with program design and log frames is an added advantage.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary with a thirteenth month bonus, health insurance, and a retirement plan.
• Opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that transforms the lives of millions of children in developing countries.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation. All adults are expected to be treated with respect and dignity. Room to Read implements a survivor‑centered approach, offers professional assistance upon consent, and has zero tolerance for child abuse and sexual exploitation.