Program Assistant, GEP

Job Description

World Change Starts with Educated Children ® Position Overview: The Girls’ Education Program (GEP) Program Assistants (PA) spend will assist the planning and execution for work related to government engagement of Room to Read’s Girl Education program at the field level and provide strategic, technical and management support. They will oversee the quality of implementation, coordination, development and reporting of the Girl Education Program for the State under Technical Assistance. The Program assistant, GEP will report to the Program Officer. This position will involve close interaction with education department officials, school administrators, teachers and students along with travel to Districts. They would serve as the main point of contact for the local government officials. The base location would be the State office of the government department at Dehradun. Roles & Responsibilities: Program Understanding: Strong understanding of Room to Read’s Girl Education Program design and the ability to defend the program in various forums. Good awareness of Gender and Life Skills programs, their design and strategies operating in region, its planning and implementation nuances. Technical assistance and advocacy: Closely work with Government Education Department and serve as a technical resource at the State/ district/ block level and participate proactively in technical assistance discussions. Developing good understanding of existing policy documents and attend government meetings, discussions and committees and use those forums to advocate for enabling policies and government orders in support of Girl Education Program. Provide onsite technical assistance to school as per observation and make suggestions for improving quality and utilization of library resources. Program coordination and monitoring: Responsible for managing relationships with government counterparts in their jurisdiction and respond to issues that may arise in these relationships. Collate and analyze program data and school information emanating from the field, develop programmatic co-relations and flag off issues for larger discussion. School visits: Make joint visits to schools, observe trainings ,classroom implementation , speak to teachers and headmasters Identify design and quality issues, including problems being faced in field implementation. Discuss these issues with the concerned person and based on that provide solutions at the field level. Training, workshop and Reporting: Identify gaps in training plan and ground practices and suggest on future plans. Act as the resource person with respect to different capacity building initiatives at different level. Attend review meetings at the district and state/national level and participate in key government level meeting, trainings and development workshops. Prepare monthly reports for submission for external as well as internal team. These reports to have qualitative inputs, case studies and best practices. Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization. Prepare monthly dashboard and able to draw trends from data. Qualifications: Required: Master’s degree in education/social work/development/Gender Studies or equivalent. Minimum 2-3 years of relevant work experience in areas of gender and life skills. Previous experience working closely with schoolteachers and government. Demonstrate understanding of Uttarakhand educational challenges, including gender issues, and knowledge of regional policies and guidelines governing education in the state. Good interpersonal skills and a team player. Proficient in MS Office for reporting purposes. Strong organizational and planning skills, including the ability to monitor program implementation progress. Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative. Previous experience working closely with diverse groups of people. Experience in facilitation and training. Good knowledge of Hindi and English. Compensation: Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include thirteenth month bonus, health insurance and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education. Room to Read is a child-safe organization. Location(s) India - Uttarakhand To be successful at Room to Read, you will also: Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization Be a proactive and innovative thinker who achieves results and creates positive change Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness Embrace diversity and a commitment to collaboration Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled About Room to Read: 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 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 45 million children and has worked in 24 countries and in more than 213,000 communities, providing additional support through remote solutions that facilitate learning beyond the classroom. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.