Director of Strategic Expansion

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 700 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 16,000 girls with long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$44 million and our global staff numbers over 600. 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, Dar es Salaam, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, Vientiane.

Position Overview:

The Director of Strategic Expansion’s primary responsibility is to lead Room to Read’s geographical expansion by performing research on new opportunities, conducting feasibility studies, project design, and business plan development activities and performing all pre-implementation activities required for the establishment of successful Room to Read operations in new locations within countries, new countries, and new regions. The position is a member of the International Operations team based in San Francisco, CA, reporting directly to the Chief of International Operations and managing occasional contracted staff and consultants. Approximately 30%-40% international travel annually is required.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Drive strategy, conduct research and prepare reports with recommendations on new business development opportunities for Room to Read (RtR) operations. This will require for each new country opportunity as well as expansion within our existing locations an analysis of economic, political, social, poverty and security-related indicators; a review of education sector conditions, in particular with respect to literacy and gender equality in education; research of local, regional and national government policies, strengths and weaknesses regarding the education sector; and an analysis of the key local community, nongovernmental, and international organizations engaged in education sector support.
• Undertake visits to potential new countries to conduct on-site research into program opportunities, program design(s), operational and legal requirements, and potential partners.
• Act as a thought partner and work effectively with senior-level leadership and management staff including RtR Board Members, Global Office Department Heads and Regional Office Directors.
• Produce program business and fundraising plans based on research and field visit findings and recommendations to share with RtR’s Global and Regional Office staff as appropriate. These documents will include details on program goals, objectives, activities and expected results in addition to finance, administration, procurement and logistical requirements.
• Provide backfilling management, operations and administrative support to new and existing Country Offices as needed. In particular, new Country Offices as they are becoming established during the Operational and Programmatic Launch phases and existing ones when there is a senior level vacancy requiring Global Office support.
• Manage in-country project launches and the start-up of new country programs, including negotiation of all project-related memoranda of understanding or agreements, hiring and orientation of key staff, engagement of partner organizations and other duties as required. Suggest and implement process improvements as needed.
• Support new country staff and all pre-implementation operations as necessary until such time that the appropriate RtR Regional Office assumes full responsibility for the oversight, supervision and support for the new RtR Country Office.
• Provide information as needed by the Global Office Development Team for foundation, corporate and individual fundraising efforts; by the Legal and Finance Team for information on program budgets, procurement, legal registration, and project agreements; and by the Human Resources Team for information on labor laws, personnel recruitment, selection, hiring, and orientation.
• Prepare presentations for the Management Team, Board of Directors and Room to Read staff on expansion related plans, activities and results.
• Network with key potential partners—local, national, and international NGOs; local, regional and national government entities; bilateral/multilateral agencies; and foundations and corporations-- implementing similar and/or complementary programs to find areas of possible collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Effectively articulate RtR’s technical model, approach and methodologies related to RtR’s Literacy Program—consisting of Literacy Instruction, School Libraries, Local Language Publishing and School Infrastructure—and Girls’ Education Program.
• Represent Room to Read in meetings and negotiations with host governments, donors, community leaders and other interested parties
• Respond and/or assist with responses to parties interested in supporting Room to Read’s work in a new country or region.
• Other duties as required and assigned.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Master’s degree in International Development, Economics, Education, or a related field of study, e.g., MA, MBA or MPA in Nonprofit Management.
• Minimum of ten years of related professional experience in project management and new program development, ideally working on office/program start-ups in developing countries.
• Significant prior experience living and/or working in one or more developing countries, similar to those considered prime candidates for RtR expansion in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
• Prior successful experience in working with senior-level management and technical staff, cross-cultural negotiation, representation, capacity building, training and technical assistance.
• Ability and desire to travel to Asia, Africa and Latin America, approximately 30%-40% of the time annually, occasionally on short notice and for extended periods of time.
• Effectiveness in working in a nonprofit 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 strategic thinking and achieving results
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative.
• Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship provided.

Preferred

• Fluency in another language

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker that tries new things and inspires 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 of education.

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “Director of Strategic Expansion” 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 personally respond to all applicants. 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.