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, 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 4 million children by constructing more than 1,100 schools, establishing over 9,200 libraries, publishing 433 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and putting over 8,700 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$30 million and our global staff numbers over 300. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo and Delhi. Our long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.

Program Overview:

The primary goal of the RR program is to promote the habit of reading among children. Libraries are established in primary schools that need support in ensuring that: educators encourage a habit of reading; appropriate reading materials are available; there is time to read; learning environments are conducive to reading; and families and communities are supportive of their children’s reading habits.

Position Overview:

This position is on Room to Read’s Global Programs Team. The Reading Room Senior Program Associate’s primary responsibilities will include providing program management support and assistance to the Senior Reading Room Global Program Officer in San Francisco and providing technical assistance to the Reading Room teams in our Regional and Country Offices. The position will report directly to the Senior Reading Room Global Program Officer and will be based in San Francisco, but will require international travel 25-30% of the year.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Work in collaboration with the Senior Reading Room Global Program Officer (Sr. RR GPO) to support Reading Room (RR) program activities in the nine countries in which we operate. This will include assisting the Sr. RR. GPO in reviewing program strategy and budgets for each country’s program(s), ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and priorities
• Travel to the countries in which we operate to support country teams with program design and implementation, with a focus on Southern Africa
• Research trends in the area of children’s libraries, children’s literature, and literacy. Work with Sr. RR GPO to recommend improvements to our programs accordingly
• Assist in codifying and documenting best practices from the RR program in each country
• Develop program resources to communicate effectively about the RR program with external and internal audiences
• Work with Sr. RR GPO to analyze monitoring and evaluation data and recommend improvements to programs accordingly
• Maintain RR section of the projects database, where we store information about RR projects worldwide, including checking quality of data and running reports as needed
• Assist Sr. RR GPO and regional staff with planning, coordinating and implementing trainings and workshops for the Reading Room program staff in the Country Offices
• In collaboration with the Development Team and Country Offices, support English book donation strategy and logistics
• Support foundation, corporate, and individual donor reporting for the RR program
• Assist Sr. RR GPO in collaborating with the Development Team to write fundraising proposals and maintain strong donor relations
• Respond to phone and email inquires regarding the RR program
• Other tasks as needed

Qualifications:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree; MA preferred in related field
• A minimum of 5-7 years of relevant professional experience
• Experience working in the education sector
• Experience in developing and implementing improvements to systems and programs
• Ability and desire to travel internationally 25-30% of the time
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
• Proven track record of achieving results
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Ability to write effectively for a variety of audiences
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship provided

Preferred:

• Prior experience living and/or working in a developing country, preferably in Southern Africa.
• Experience analyzing monitoring and evaluation data.

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

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include health, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, and a 401K match. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through the lifelong gift of education.

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “RR Sr. Program Associate – BSR” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to . Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we can not send personalized responses to all applicants.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.

•