Girls' Education Program Manager, Africa Regional Office

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 5 million children by constructing more than 1,400 schools, establishing over 11,000 libraries, publishing 550 new children’s book titles in 22 local languages, and putting over 10,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$38 million and our global staff numbers over 420. 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:

Based in Pretoria, the Africa Regional Program Manager, Girls’ Education Program (GEP) will provide guidance and expertise to local in-country teams in the Southern African countries of South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. This program provides long term scholarship opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable girls in these countries. The position will report directly to the Africa Regional Literacy Director and will work closely with in-country staffs and the Global Program Officer, GEP based at the Room to Read Global Office in San Francisco, CA USA.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with in-country program teams to develop locally relevant program designs, strategies, activities and budgets appropriate to meet the goals and objectives of the Girls’ Education Program
• Analyze and appraise annual program goals and budgets for each country’s Girls’ Education Program, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and priorities
• Liaise with in-country program teams to ensure high quality, effective and efficient management of the program and successful achievement of annual goals
• Research and recommend improvements to the Girls’ Education Program
• Monitor program implementation progress through field visits, review meetings and quarterly and other reports
• Provide technical assistance to program teams and help build capacity for developing manuals, modules and to document best practices within their programs
• Support and mentor program officers, ensuring that program activities are carried out in a timely manner and with attention to quality
• Share best practices across countries on different types of life skills programs, vocational trainings, and on any other common themes
• Provide Africa Regional and Global Office with all necessary information regarding the Girls’ Education Programs in Southern Africa
• Stay informed about larger educational issues as well as those that relate to the Girls’ Education Program and stay abreast of global trends and challenges in the fields of educating the vulnerable and disadvantaged girls and their retention in schools and programs
• Assist in designing and implementing a Monitoring and Evaluation strategy for the program
• Work with in-country program teams, Africa Regional Office and the Global Office to codify best practices for the program
• Assist with launching the Girls’ Education Program in new Room to Read countries throughout Southern Africa
• Network with other non-profits running similar programs to find areas of collaboration, facilitate knowledge sharing and represent Room to Read in different forums
• Plan and conduct thematic workshops for in-country teams in collaboration with counterparts in the Africa Regional Office and Global Office

Qualifications:

Required

• Master’s degree in Social Science; with a specific focus on gender or girls’ education and/or another related discipline
• A minimum of eight years of professional experience with a development or education focused organization
• Experience in implementation of education programs on a large scale
• Ability and desire to travel frequently within the region (about 30-50% of the time)

Preferred

• 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
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Candidates from South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia are preferred.
• Prior experience of working in an international setting or with an international NGO
• Experience with working in the area of gender equality and empowerment
• Experience in working directly with government schools and the vulnerable female students who need assistance with their education
• Experience in developing or implementing gender based programs that promote life skills

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 an up-and-coming non-profit organization
• 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 range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. Benefits including health and a retirement plan are also provided. 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 gender equality in education.

Application Procedure

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “GEP Program Manager” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to africa.hiring@roomtoread.org. Due to high applicant volume you may not receive a response from Room to Read. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

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