Global Director of Reading and Writing Instruction

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 the education of more than 7 million children by constructing more than 1,600 schools, establishing more than 15,000 libraries, publishing more than 800 new children’s book titles in 27 local languages, and supporting more than 20,000 girls to complete secondary school with the skills to negotiate key life decisions.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 million and our global staff numbers over 500. 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 and program offices in Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane.

Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy

 

Literacy is part of the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social and political participation and development. For children to acquire literacy skills to become lifelong readers and learners, one crucial input is regular access to books and other reading materials, which are scarce in many of the communities where Room to Read operates. Room to Read establishes libraries and publishes local language books to fill this gap. Since our inception, we have witnessed that children often do not have the grade-appropriate literacy skills needed to take full advantage of the School Libraries and Book Publishing resources. To achieve the long-term goal of helping all children become independent readers, Room to Read has initiated a Reading and Writing Instruction (RWI) program for instructional and material support to primary schools. This program is grounded in the systematic and explicit approach to reading and writing, and practices are based on the strongest, scientifically documented research basis for successful literacy instruction. At its core, the program provides supplemental teaching materials/aids and teacher professional development to support existing literacy instruction in the schools where we work. Increasingly, Room to Read has been asked by Ministries of Education to develop more comprehensive literacy programming. Our experience in RWI over the past seven years is helping us develop a strategy that both capitalizes on our organizational strengths and defines a clear and carefully constructed path to the goal of increased literacy and a habit of reading in the children with whom we work.

The Reading and Writing Instruction program is one of four programs under Room to Read’s Literacy Pillar. The other three programs include development of libraries, publication of books for young children in local languages, and support for school infrastructure. At present, all four programs work collaboratively but separately from each other. However, we are working through a process to integrate the individual programs as a single, comprehensive literacy program.

 

Position Overview:

 

The Director of Reading and Writing Instruction provides thought leadership and overall program management to the global Reading and Writing Instruction team, which in turn offers guidance, direction, and technical assistance to Room to Read’s Regional and Country Offices as the organization evolves its current programming to include reading and writing instructional support. This person is responsible for working with Room to Read staff as well as local and external consultants on developing and implementing reading and writing instruction programs that are in line with Room to Read’s evolving effort to support the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills for children in primary school. The Director is also responsible for sharing information about Room to Read’s Reading and Writing Instruction program with internal and external audiences as well as participating in strategic efforts to include Room to Read programming in the larger international education agenda. He/she directly manages the Global Strategic Advisor for Reading and Writing Instruction based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Africa Regional Director for Reading and Writing Instruction based in Pretoria, South Africa, as well as the Senior Program Officer at the Global Office. He/she leads the design and program improvement efforts of the Global and Regional Office Reading and Writing Instruction teams. A member of the Global Programs Senior Management Team, the Director participates in strategic discussions about organizational development and plays a leading role in the development of our comprehensive, integrated literacy program. The Director of Reading and Writing Instruction reports to the Chief Program Officer. This position is based in San Francisco and requires substantial international travel.

 

Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Support

• Oversee the refinement of the reading and writing instruction program strategy and design, including setting and meeting budget and programmatic goals annually
• Support Regional Office Reading and Writing Instruction staff to provide technical assistance to countries for reading and writing instruction. Examples include the following:
• Design and launch of reading and writing instruction in new Room to Read countries and support for implementation in existing countries
• Creation, implementation, and analysis of annual program goals and budgets to ensure alignment with organizational strategies and priorities
• High quality, effective and efficient management of the program and successful achievement of annual goals
• In collaboration with Room to Read’s Global Research, Monitoring and Evaluation team, design, implementation, and refinement of research, monitoring ,and evaluation systems and procedures to track progress and achievements against planned program outcomes
• Lead efforts to write guidelines for standard practices, policies, and specifications
• Travel as needed to Room to Read countries to review and monitor implementation of programs and work with Regional Office staff to train in-country personnel and provide hands on support for capacity building

Knowledge Resource 

• Research educational issues, especially as they relate to literacy programs, and stay abreast of global trends and challenges in the field of developing reading skills among children
• Research and recommend improvements to our program(s) to more efficiently and effectively manage the program(s) in each country where we operate
• Share internal and external research findings throughout the organization to support program improvement

Capacity Building

• Work with Regional Office staff to support in-country teams to increase their skills in understanding reading and writing instruction from both theoretical and practical perspectives
• Support and mentor Global and Regional Office Reading and Writing Instruction team members and country Reading and Writing Instruction Program Managers, ensuring that program activities are carried out in a timely manner and with attention to quality
• Plan and coordinate internal conferences and meetings for staff
• Bring knowledge and lessons about literacy programming from our Regional and Country offices to the Global Office as well as to other colleagues around the world

Management and Operations

• Recruit, hire, train, and manage Reading and Writing Instruction team members
• Lead the Global and Regional teams in the overall design and quality improvement efforts of the program
• Collaborate with the Program Operations team on oversight of reading and writing instruction operations globally, including annual planning, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of program implementation and spending
• Work with the Director of Strategic Expansion to make recommendations for Room to Read’s geographic expansion strategy
• Participate as an active member of the Global Office Programs senior leadership team
• Contribute as an active thought leader in the evolution of Room to Read’s integrated Literacy program, and serve as a change-management leader over the course of the transitional process

Communication

• Write and review program reports
• Track, edit, and provide information to the Global Business Development team regarding foundation, corporate, and individual donor reporting
• Collaborate with the Global Business Development team to write program-specific portions of funding proposals
• Represent Room to Read internally and externally to message our work and advocate for our programs
• Liaise with other Room to Read Offices to coordinate workflows and share program information
• Network with other organizations running similar programs to find areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing
• Assist the Marketing and Communications team in developing program-specific marketing materials

 

Qualifications:

Required: 

• Master’s degree required and doctorate preferred in education, with an emphasis on reading, literacy, or educational assessment, or a related field of study
• Prior experience living and/or working in developing countries, preferably with work in Africa or Asia
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience, with a minimum of 5+ years in a senior management capacity in implementing large-scale educational programs
• Prior experience working on reading/literacy programs in primary education
• Previous primary classroom teacher experience preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally approximately 40 percent 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 juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Legally eligible to work in the United States; no sponsorship provided

 

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 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 “RWI Director” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to 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.