JOB DESCRIPTION
PROGRAM OFFICER, TRAINING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT (RE-ADVERTISED)

 

Organization Profile
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality through education. We are achieving this goal by helping children in historically low-income communities to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls as they build life skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions.

We collaborate with governments and other partner organizations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children and has worked in 24 countries and in more than 192,000 communities providing additional support through remote solutions that facilitate learning beyond the classroom. Room to Read aims to benefit 40 million children by 2025. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org

Since 2009 in Bangladesh, Room to Read has been implementing education support Programs in low-income and remote communities in Cox’s Bazar, Dhaka, Moulvibazar, Narail and Natore districts. Till 2023, we have supported the education of more than 0.4 million children in Primary and 7,386 girls in Secondary schools. We are proud to have worked with DPE, NCTB, NAPE, DSHE, a2i as well as national radio and TV in executing scalable and systemic initiatives to eradicate illiteracy and embed life-skills.

Room to Read’s Literacy Strategy
Of the many aspects of quality education, Room to Read has identified and committed to two critical areas of educational development where we believe we can have the greatest impact:

a) Literacy
b) Girls’ Education

Literacy is fundamental to exercising the right to a basic education and is crucial for economic, social and political participation and development. For these reasons, Room to Read has made literacy development a cornerstone of our work. The goal of our Literacy Program is for primary schoolchildren to acquire literacy skills and reading habits to become lifelong independent readers. 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 school 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. To achieve the long-term goal of making all children independent readers at the primary level, Room to Read also provides supplemental teaching materials/aids and teacher professional development in grades one and two to support and augment existing literacy instruction in the schools where we work. Additionally, Room to Read ensures schools have access to quality reading materials in libraries and classrooms by sourcing local-language materials and working with local authors and illustrators to develop original storybooks. Where needed, we also prove infrastructure support to schools to ensure there is adequate and safe classroom and library space for learning.  Our literacy strategy capitalizes on our organizational strengths built over the last decade 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.

Position Overview
The Program Officer, Training and Curriculum Development  is a member of the Instructional Design and Teacher Support Unit (“IDTS”), based within the Country Office Literacy Program and it is a lower mid-level position. This unit is responsible for managing Room to Read’s program design and training curriculum related to grade 1 and 2 literacy instruction and primary grade library management and reading activities. This position will also collaborate with the technical teams at the partner level in project areas. This position will directly report to Program Manager-IDTS.

Roles & Responsibilities

  1. Develop or update an existing scope and sequence of skills that is used to identify strengths and weaknesses of national curricula and a guide to developing RtR’s instructional approach
  2. Develop and/or update existing instructional approaches for Grade 1 and Grade 2, including specific lessons in the areas in which national curriculum gaps exist
  3. As needed, develop and/or contextualize training modules provided by GO on the five components of reading for Grade 1 and Grade 2 Teachers’ Training
  4. As needed, adapt existing session plans for library management and reading activities to support sequence of the Library Teachers’ Training
  5. Develop and/or contextualize contents of family and community engagement and sustainability and facilitate training for principals and relevant teachers
  6. Develop assessment tools for tracking students’ performance, provide orientation on them to the users and support in analyzing the results
  7. Develop and design the supplementary materials needed for Instruction and Library components and lead the materials printing and publication related tasks of IDTS unit
  8. Research and recommend program improvements
  9. Work closely with Reading Materials Unit to ensure quality reading materials
  10. Work as the lead technical point from CO for Dhaka Field Office
  11. Support in the communication and coordination with relevant government offices for any technical clarification related to Literacy program materials and others working groups
  12. Support in planning, budgeting and tracking, forecasting, implementing and reporting
  13. Support the WFP supported accelerator projects on capacity building and materials development process

Qualifications

Required:

  • A master’s degree in Education or a related field of study, or equivalent experience
  • A minimum of 5 years of professional experience
  • Experience with reading/literacy or learning improvement programs
  • Excellent knowledge and understanding of teaching methodologies, curriculum and teacher training at primary stage
  • Experience in developing educational learning materials for students or teachers at the primary stage
  • Experience in developing and conducting training programs for teachers
  • Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
  • Prior success in working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people and organizations
  • Ability and desire to travel frequently to visit school sites
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Bangla and English

Skills & Competencies Required

  • Strong planning, and program development skills
  • Understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and process documentation
  • Strong motivation in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
  • Prior track record of achieving results in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
  • Skills of typing in Bangla
  • Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously

Preferred

  • Experience in teaching at the primary stage
  • Experience in developing and conducting on-site school support and coaching initiatives for teachers
  • Development and use of observation and other monitoring tools and practices to assess progress of primary school interventions

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 organization
  • Be an innovative thinker, 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

Room to Read is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation.

  • Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation
  • All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation, including neglect, maltreatment, and physical, mental or sexual violence, injury or abuse.
  • All children should be treated with respect and dignity.
  • The well-being of the child is Room to Read’s first priority when dealing with all identified or suspected cases of child abuse.
  • Room to Read shall integrate child protection into all its organizational strategies, structures and work practices.

Compensation:

We offer competitive salary. The benefits include:

  • Provident Fund
  • 13th Month Allowance
  • Gratuity
  • Health coverage for staff and dependents
  • Insurances
  • Professional Development opportunities. The most significant benefit is the opportunity to work with one of the fastest growing international organizations, which has sole focus on education & continuously innovating efficient & effective social entrepreneurship

Application Procedure:
Interested candidates meeting the above requirements should apply online https://osv-rtr.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/RoomToRead/job/Bangladesh---Main---Dhaka/Program-Officer--Instructional-Design-and-Teacher-Support_R-02645 on or before 4 May 2024. Any persuasion attempt will disqualify your candidacy. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

“Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply”