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
The Research Officer, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) Unit at the Country Office (CO), designs, implements, and manages program-specific research activities. The Research Officer’s primary responsibilities at least over the first few years will focus on literacy instruction, specifically on qualitative research and surveys. The position will be based in the Country Office.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead the development of methodology related to country research studies (including instrumentation, data collection, implementation, and analysis plans), with a particular focus on the Literacy Instruction program, and with support from Literacy Instruction team members.
- In consultation with CO program and M&E staff, develop and update the annual country research agenda for each program. The focus for the first few years will be on literacy instruction.
- Work with RO and GO staff to review and finalize the research agenda and individual activities according to steps described in the M&E Strategy Document.
- Oversee the implementation of research projects.
- Lead the development and management of budgets for research.
- As activities relate to literacy instruction, the Research Officer will also:
- Carry out research in collaboration with Literacy Instruction on various aspects of literacy instruction including instructional design and materials, effectiveness of teachers in implementing program strategy, classroom teaching-learning processes, use of materials, functioning of Literacy Facilitators, and teacher professional development programs.
- Support the Country Team in selecting and implementing appropriate research designs, development/ modification of tools, collection and analysis of data, and report writing for enhancing literacy instruction in Literacy Instruction schools.
- Help coordinate cross-national research and evaluation under the guidance of RO/GO teams from M&E or Literacy Instruction
- Guide the Country Team in planning, developing, and implementing literacy research, within the global literacy strategy framework. This will include regular co-ordination with country team members, and management and technical assistance in design, implementation, analysis, and report writing.
- Collaborate with the Country Team in identifying best practices (case studies) and documentation of literacy instruction programs.
- Establish, develop and maintain the literacy section of the projects database, reports, articles, and research on various critical aspects in literacy instruction.
- Support and guide the development and translation of tools to conduct quantitative and qualitative research to assess literacy instruction and teacher effectiveness/ beliefs, print rich environment, and tracking students’ progress.
- Travel within the country to project sites to conduct and support research as visualized by RO and GO teams.
- Collaborate with and support the country and RO teams in regular capacity building of the country literacy team in research.
- Collaborate with M&E colleagues in other countries, and with the ROGO M&E Team, in carrying out the above roles and responsibilities.
- Other duties as necessary.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in education or a related field (such as international development, program evaluation, research methods, or statistics)
- A minimum of five years of related professional experience, including three years of conducting/guiding research.
- Experience and/or technical competence in several or all of the following areas:
- Education, with a particular focus on reading instruction
- Student reading assessments
- Research, monitoring, and evaluation
- Management of research and evaluations
- Management of consultants
- Working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, including experience using software packages such as SPSS
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Ability and desire to travel in-country frequently, and occasionally internationally
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering 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 juggling multiple priorities simultaneously and taking initiative
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:
The salary range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. Health and retirement benefits 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:
Interested and suitably qualified candidates must be Zambian Nationals and need to send their CVs and letters of motivation by e-mail to constance.pola@roomtoread.org. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by Room to Read. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.
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