Asia Regional Program Manager, Local Language Publishing (South East Asia)
DUTY LOCATION: Any one of these countries: Cambodia, India, Laos, or Vietnam
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 6th December2011
Organization Profile:
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 15,000 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, 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 LLP Regional Program Manager is responsible for providing guidance and expertise to local in-country teams in managing our local language publishing program. The position will report to the Deputy Regional Director and will be based in any one of the countries mentioned in the Duty Location above and will require international travel to countries of operation in South East Asia to provide technical, operational and capacity building support to LLP teams.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Support and inform Global Office teams, Regional Offices, and Country Offices on programmatic information to ensure effective management of programs and successful achievement of program goals.
- Maintain regular communication with Global and Country Office LLP teams.
- Ensure LLP team’s operational commitment to organizational programmatic convergence.
- In collaboration with Global Office and Country Directors, help create and analyze annual program goals and budgets for their country’s LLP Program, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and priorities.
- Offer technical support to in-country teams in materials development
- Support local teams to design and as needed, co-facilitate capacity building workshops for authors, illustrators and editors.
- Assist with capacity building of new LLP team members in new Room to Read countries
- Offer input and guidance on partnerships and potential partnerships for country teams.
- Plan and coordinate conferences and trainings for in-country Local Language Publishing program team members, which include developing training materials and designing future workshops.
- Coordinate the development and implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems for the LLP Program
- Stay informed about research and trends in the area of literacy, children’s literature, bi-lingual/multi-lingual children’s book publishing and literacy. Recommend improvements to our programs accordingly.
- Network with other non-profits running similar programs to find areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing
- In collaboration with GO LLP Sr. PA and RR teams, oversee distribution of LLP books in Asia. Recommend improvements for efficiency and tracking.
- Provide information for foundation, corporate and individual reporting requirements
- Represent Room to Read in different forums (within the organization and externally) to educate about our programs and advocate for them with a particular focus on the LLP program
- Provide input on unique program strengths and innovations for award submissions
- Other tasks in relation to LLP program as needed
Qualifications:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree
- A minimum of seven years of professional experience
- Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks
- Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
- Strong editorial skills, with a demonstrated eye for visual design
- Prior experience working in materials development for children and/or the children’s publishing industry
- Understanding of literacy, language, education, and children’s literature issues
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Ability and desire to travel frequently internationally
- 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
Preferred:
- A master’s degree in a related field of study
- Prior experience living and/or working in a developing country
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Additional skills in languages spoken in RtR countries will be added advantage
Core Competencies:
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
- Builds supportive and cooperative relationships with colleagues from diverse background
- Proven track record of achieving results
- Ability to take initiative and juggle multiple priorities simultaneously
- 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
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:
The salary range for this position will be determined based upon the experience of the candidate hired. Benefits including health and a retirement plan 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:
Please submit your resume and cover letter by email (no calls, faxes, or drop-ins, please) to “asiahiring@roomtoread.org” with “Asia Regional Program Manager – LLP (SEA) in the subject line.
Due to the high volume of applicant response, not all applicants may receive a response from Room to Read.
Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. Applicants from the countries in which Room to Read operates are encouraged to apply.
Last date for applications: 6th December, 2011