JOB DESCRIPTION
 Technical Advisor,  Literacy Program, Narail

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 23 countries and in more than 182,000 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

Room to Read focuses on two key areas for educational development: literacy and girls' education. Literacy is essential for social, economic, and political participation. The Literacy Program aims to help primary school children acquire reading skills and develop lifelong reading habits. To achieve this, Room to Read establishes school libraries, publishes local language books, and provides teacher training and supplemental materials. They work with local authors to create culturally relevant content and ensure schools have safe, well-equipped spaces for learning. This strategy is designed to foster increased literacy and a love of reading among children.

Position Overview

The Technical Advisor-Literacy is responsible for overseeing literacy curriculum and training related to pre-primary, grade 1-3 literacy instruction and school library activities. This includes adaptation of Room to Read global and CO guidelines and content to project context and standards, improving the design based on implementation experience, monitoring & evaluation data. In collaboration with the Country Literacy Team and Project Team, the Technical Advisor-Literacy is responsible for providing technical assistance, support and supervision on all aspects of professional development of staff associated with school and project staff on Literacy instruction and library management and activities. This position will be based in the Narail and will report directly to the Field Maanger.  This position will involve frequent travel to field offices, as well as regular interaction with education officials, partners, school administrators, teachers and students. This position is based in Narail.

Roles & Responsibilities

Project Management, Contextualization, and Coordination

  • Responsible for contextualizing Room to Read’s approach to teacher and librarian professional developmnet to improve students’ literacy skills and habit of reading.
  • Mentor and build capacity of project technical team, to continue developing their skills in understanding literacy instruction and library management from both a theoretical and practical perspective.
  • Ensure Room to Read’s guidelines are followed and manage the process of contextualizing guidelines, training, and content as needed to fit project requirement.
  • Works closely with the Country office-based Instruction Design and Teachers’ Support (IDTS) team to ensure reading materials are appropriate and enhance the literacy and library experience;
  • Provides technical support and guidance to staff involved in supporting project implementation.
  • Support and mentor Literacy Officer, ensuring that project activities are carried out efficiently and effectively;
  • Makes regular visits to project sites to support, coach and deliver training to the Literacy Program Officer and Literacy Facilitators.
  • Ensures that all the program activities planned as per IC have been carried out with quality

Program Design, Implementation and Training.

  • Provide technical assistance to Country Ofiice team to develop/adapt curriculum and Literacy materials  and build capacity of the project team in acquainting  curriculum, training manuals, training modules and documenting best practices.
  • As needed, assit the analysis of government curriculum to identify gaps, pilot specific instruction design and materials, and designing of training and workshop modules for Literacy facilitators and teachers.
  • Advocate to integrate Room to Read’s approach to teacher professional support to improve students’ literacy skills and habit of reading, adapted as needed based on research, monitoring and evaluation data.
  • Provides expertise to the RM&E team to support the design, implementation and refinement of monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned project outcomes. 
  • Provide feedback and strategic inputs and suggest improvements/ changes needed in the project implementation approach.
  • Researches and recommends improvements to Literacy interventions to more efficiently and effectively manage the project.
  • Plan and coordinate workshops, conferences and meetings for instructional materials development and learning sharing;
  • Keep track of progress towards the agreed outcomes.

Planning, Reporting, and Documentation

  • Provides support to design, implement and refine the monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned project outcomes;
  • Develop assessment tools for tracking students’ performance, provide orientation on them to the users and support in analyzing the results
  • Analyze various data and information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion. Undertake action research for program learning.
  • Assist in preparing qualitative reports and documenting case studies and best practices.  Regularly communicate and work with government counterparts to build awareness and understanding among them with respect to the Room to Read literacy program and its main features
  • Collaborate with the CO Program Operations team on oversight of the implementation calendar, budget, annual planning, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of project implementation and spending;
  • Review project reports and respond as necessary.
  • Sets work objectives for direct reports and supervise performance.
  • Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.
  • Practice the RESPECT model as guided in new strategic plan.

External Coordination and Networking

  • Stay informed about trends in the fields of literacy instruction, teacher professional development, and library programming in the local context. Use this information to assess and inform project performance
  • Collaborates with the government to build support for early grade reading
  • Attend donor affairs including donor site visits and documenting anecdotes that evolve through field work;
  • Liaise with other Room to Read’s LP team and govt officials to coordinate workplans and share program information;

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 a Child Safe Organization and is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation (Child Protection Principles)
Room to Read Representatives must create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. (PSEA Principles)
  • 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.
  • Room to Read has zero tolerance for adult sexual exploitation and abuse.  
  • Sexual exploitation and abuse are serious violations of fundamental human rights and will not be accepted or tolerated.
  • All adults should be treated with respect and dignity. 
  • Room to Read implements a survivor-centered approach, putting the survivor’s rights and dignity at the forefront.
  • Survivors referred to available professional assistance (e.g. mental health counselling), upon consent.

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---Narail/Technical-Advisor--Literacy-Program_R-02892?locations=6706d3461dbd100138df918993200000 on or before 8 March 2025. Any persuasion attempt will disqualify your candidacy. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

“Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply”