Program Officer, GEP

Room to read; New Delhi; On-site; INR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Thirteenth month bonus

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Job summary

Room to Read is seeking a Program Officer for its India Country Office to advance the Girls’ Education and Gender Equality Program. This role demands strong expertise in gender and girls' education, supporting implementation and engaging with stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will have a Master's degree, 6+ years in relevant fields, and good communication skills in English and Hindi. The position offers a competitive salary, benefits including health insurance and a retirement plan.

Qualifications

• At least 6 years’ relevant experience in working with an NGO/INGO.
• Experience in developing training modules and managing events.
• Ability to travel frequently and spend time in the field.

Responsibilities

• Lead program implementation and resolve quality issues.
• Engage with stakeholders for program quality and coherence.
• Support budget management and liaise with departments.

Skills

Gender expertise

Life skills development

Girls' education

Communication in English and Hindi

Education

Master’s degree in education/social work/development studies/Gender or social sciences

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.

Position Overview

The Program Officer (PO) at the Country Office will play a critical role in advancing the India Country Office’s goals for the Girls’ Education and Gender Equality Program (GEP) across both direct implementation and scale‑up models. This position, housed within the national office, has evolved from providing technical support to independently anchoring key program verticals, contributing to program design, and strengthening systems for quality and scale across programs implemented in partnership with government and other stakeholders. The role requires strong expertise in gender, life skills, and girls’ education, along with the ability to work across diverse program models and state contexts. In addition to supporting robust implementation, the PO will increasingly contribute to program architecture, scale‑readiness, and alignment across content, training, RM&E (Research, monitoring and evaluation), and implementation systems, ensuring coherence and quality across interventions. The position demands close engagement with state program teams, government stakeholders, and internal departments, with an expectation of approximately 40% field travel.

Responsibilities

Program Implementation Support: Leads in ensuring that the program(s) (depending upon the allocated state) are implemented on agreed benchmarks and stays on top of implementation of the allocated states by working with relevant stakeholders. Works closely with Program Operations team and the State Team in identifying bottlenecks of implementation and resolving it. Takes initiative in identifying and resolving quality issues in the program while working together with the country office colleagues and other stakeholders as required. Ensure that relevant data (reports/ dashboards) are analyzed timely, and the feedback loop is closed by using it in the program. Regularly undertakes and documents the monthly check in calls conducted with the relevant stakeholder(s). Ensures that Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) are being followed, keep abreast of the ground zero challenges being faced by the state teams. Takes corrective measures and proposes relevant changes/process improvement(s) (if any) that might be required to fine‑tune the existing SOPs for better implementation of the tasks.

Leading quality discourse: Develop and contextualize content for life skills program materials for different program models. Collectively working Girls Education Program- India Country Office team in content development of different GEP products both text based and digital other training manuals. Supports the Senior Program Manager to develop standards and checklists for defining them. Develop quality parameters of the programs and shares and take on board for further discussion and follow up with team at State level. Play a leading role in getting all the teammates (across the country) on a common page for delivering a quality program – whether in direct model or in partnership. Supports Research/Baseline studies as well as Action Research as required and interfaces with external and internal stakeholders, as and when required. Participates in Special Task forces as and when required. Supports Capacity Building efforts of States on specific themes. Developing Presentations, Program Notes, status update etc. to be shared during the internal meetings and meetings with the government officials; rendering support in donor reporting and the state team in advocating with the govt. to institutionalize the life skill sessions in the school Participate in events, workshops and seminars on girls’ education. Develop a network of well‑wishers and supporters.

External Engagement & Thought Leadership: Rendering support to the Country Leadership in strategic external engagement with government, donors, coalitions, and knowledge partners to position the Gender Equality Portfolio as a credible, evidence‑driven contributor in the ecosystem. Represent the organization in national and global forums, consultations, and working groups, contributing insights on gender equality, life skills, and adolescent programming. Rendering technical support towards thought leadership building by generating and disseminating high‑quality knowledge products (reports, concept notes, case studies, opinion pieces) that influence policy and practice. Rendering technical support in nurturing partnerships with research institutions, civil society organizations, and multilateral agencies to co‑create solutions and advance the gender equality agenda. Identify emerging trends, innovations, and opportunities (e.g., blended finance, systems strengthening) and translate them into strategic inputs for program design and scale in collaboration with other departments as needed.

Liaison & Budgeting: Liaison with other departments to strengthen the program: Liaison with other departments like administration for follow‑up on Requisitions for workshops, Logistics, other services required like translations etc. Liaise closely with Operations on tracking spending and initiating corrective measures for budget utilization, lead the budget exercise for Girls Education Program – contribute to making budgets, reviewing state budgets etc. (depending on the role assigned by the National Program Coordinator and to track implementation. Works closely with Research Monitoring & Evaluation on using the existing monitoring mechanisms and data points for enhancing program quality and exactness of delivery, as well as designing new ones as need be. Works closely with People Operations if any support is required being a part of the interview panel or revising role expectation etc. Any other task assigned by supervisor.

Other Responsibilities: Any other task assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications

Required: Master’s degree in education/social work/development studies/Gender or social sciences. Experience of working in the areas of secondary education, girls’ education, gender, school development. Experience in developing training modules, conducting training courses and managing events. Experience or working with the government, teacher training, reviewing government programs. Ability to travel frequently and spend time in the field. Good verbal and written communication skills in English and Hindi. At least 6 years’ relevant experience in working with an NGO/INGO.

Preferred: Prior experience living and/or working in rural areas. Prior experience working with schools, teachers, and government officials.

Compensation & Benefits

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance and a retirement plan. The non‑monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transformationally the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.

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. Room to Read is committed to a zero‑tolerance policy for child abuse and exploitation. All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation, including neglect, maltreatment, and physical, mental or sexual violence. All adults should be treated with respect and dignity. Room to Read implements a survivor‑centered approach, putting the survivor’s rights and dignity at the forefront.