Asia Regional Program Manager, School Room

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, Tanzania, 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 6 million children by constructing more than 1,500 schools, establishing over 13,000 libraries, publishing 707 new children’s book titles in 22 local languages, and putting over 13,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$38 million and our global staff numbers over 550. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in Delhi, New York, Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Tokyo. We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, Vientiane, and we are setting up operations and hiring staff for a new office in Tanzania.

Position Overview:

Part of Room to Read's Asia Regional Office in Delhi (location within Asia is flexible), the Asia Regional Program Manager, School Room will provide guidance and technical expertise to our local Country Office teams throughout our Asian countries. The position will report directly to the Asia Regional Deputy Director, who is based in Cambodia, and will work closely with both our Country Office staff and Room to Read's Global Program Officer; School Room, who is based in our Global Office in San Francisco, California, USA.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

· In collaboration with Country Directors and Regional Program Managers, create, analyze, and implement annual program goals and budgets for each country’s School Room program, ensuring alignment with organisational strategies and priorities.

· Review building designs and cost estimates for construction, repair, and renovation of school infrastructure facilities to ensure they are accurate and follow RtR construction policies.

· Stay informed about research and trends in the area of construction techniques in the developing world. Be aware of international standards in school construction, classroom size and layout, light, ventilation, occupancy, etc. and recommend improvements to our programs accordingly.

· Coordinate with in-country Program Officers and the Global Program Officer to insure effective management of the program and successful achievement of annual goals.

· Communicate frequently with our Asian Country Office School Room program staff to insure effective implementation of the School Room program and successful achievement of annual goals.

· Track the progress of all projects in Asia, assist Country Office teams in resolving implementation delays, and provide updates to the Global Office as needed.

· Coordinate with in-country Program Officers and the Global Program Officer to assist the design and implementation of our annual monitoring project as well as any needed evaluation projects for the School Room program.

· Travel regularly throughout the year within Asia to review the implementation of our projects, help resolve problems in the field, recommend improvements to our program operations, and train Country Office staff.

· Help launch the School Room program in new Room to Read countries in Asia and Africa.

· Collaborate with in-country Program Officers and the Global Program Officer to develop, maintain and annually update a Standard English language version of the Room to Read School Room Global Operations Manual.

· Work with Country Office teams and the Global Office to document best practices for the School Room program and share them with our Country Office staffs.

· Provide information for donor reporting as needed.

· Coordinate with in-country Program Officers and the Global Program Officer to plan and develop strategic partnerships with researchers, businesses, and non-profits to improve program quality and reduce costs.

· Travel to Africa as needed to provide technical assistance to our School Room teams there and support School Room program launches in the region.

Qualifications

Required:

· Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Civil Engineering or equivalent

· A minimum of five years of professional experience in implementing and guiding programs for construction of dispersed infrastructure like schools

· A good understanding of design issues, especially in educational environments

· Ability to understand and manage supervision and quality control of a large number of construction sites scattered across multiple countries

· Experience living and working in an Asian country for 3 years

· Ability and desire to travel within the region frequently (about 30-50% of the time)

· Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organisation that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead

· Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organisation

· Proven track record of achieving results

· Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

· Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously

Preferred:

· Post graduate degree/diploma in construction management

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 organisation

· Be an innovative and creative thinker—you're 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:

The salary for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. 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 literacy and girls' education.

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “RO SR Program Manager” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to

hiring@roomtoread.org.

Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we cannot send all applicants personalized responses.

Applications are accepted until the position is filled

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.