Program Officer, IDTS

Job Description

World Change Starts with Educated Children ® Position Overview: The Officer, IDTS will anchor and support all literacy inputs. S/he will be based at Jharkhand and will report directly to SPMU lead and have dotted reporting to Country office Manager, IDTS. One Program Associate (IDTS) will report to him/her. This position will involve frequent travel to field as well as regular interaction with education officials, partners and external experts. Roles & Responsibilities: Lead and Design state level Curriculum, FLN approach, Literacy Materials and TLM: Facilitate in formulating curricular position paper and vision document for state around FLN, contributing to SCF. Provide guidance to state FLN PMUs in reviewing and finalizing Learning outcome framework, curricular frameworks on Literacy as per NIPUN guidelines through a consultative process with SCERT. Provide technical support to state FLN PMUs in designing curricular materials inclusive textbooks, school readiness materials, learning gap addressing materials, in-service teacher training plan. Support PMU and state level institutions in development of FLN tool kits with a focus around Foundational literacy. Guide in designing curricular materials and TLMs around Literacy for early grades. Build relationships with state and district education officials, government partners, and school administrators to further the program. Vision building and Capacity Building of State and District Resource Groups on Literacy: Orient state curricular group on FLN principles and approaches. Build capacities of SRG, DRG and core groups at different level around FLN vision and approaches. Provide technical guidance to FLN core group in designing and facilitating capacity building workshops on literacy at state and district level. Ensure a resource group is available to the state around Literacy to support all FLN related technical work in the state. Provide technical support in establishing a system in the state to map level of proficiency of FLN teachers on literacy. Lead Teacher Professional Development and support in strengthening field implementation of Foundational literacy: Provide support in developing a roadmap for CPD of teachers on Literacy. Enable development of a professional development framework on Literacy for the state. Enable creation of professional development packages for teachers on Foundational literacy. Support state FLN state level core group in developing teacher development package on Foundational literacy. Support in developing assessment mechanism for the state in assessing efficacy of professional development and teachers’ proficiency around Foundational Literacy. Develop/refine state team capacity building on policy level, pedagogical level and teacher training facilitation skill with the Facilitator Guides. Regularly participate in coordination meetings with government counterparts, implementing partners, and internal teams to stay aligned on objectives, timelines, and deliverables, to ensure the project/intervention is on track in the state. Keep track of progress towards the agreed outcomes. Plan visits to the field to track project progress on regular basis. Analyse data from reading assessments, classroom monitoring data and/or library rating indicators to determine trends, if any and identify areas that need more focused attention. Review and revise program design, materials and training content accordingly. Work with the govt and internal stakeholders to strengthen the monthly review meeting at/state/district/block level around data-driven discussions and action plans on FLN implementation. Regularly participate in coordination meetings with government counterparts, implementing partners, and internal teams to stay aligned on objectives, timelines, and deliverables, to ensure the project/intervention is on track in the state Support in planning and participate in community mobilization events (e.g., FLN campaigns, Melas) and annual recognition ceremonies for high‑performing teachers/officials. Guide and Support Technical Team at PMU level: Technically inform state FLN PMUs on conducting studies and formative assessment frameworks and tools around Foundational Literacy. Provide support to MEL team in designing FLN related studies in states with a focus on foundational learning and TPD. Provide technical support to PMUs in developing sustainability plan for FLN post NIPUN mission period. Provide technical support to state FLN PMUs in reporting the progress vis a vis Foundational Literacy as per approved work plan. Provide technical guidance to state FLN PMUs in developing monitoring indicators for education departments. Qualifications: Required: Master’s in education / social sciences or equivalent. Minimum 5 years of relevant experience. Prior experience of working with state governments towards state reforms in literacy would be desired. In-depth knowledge about language and reading practices and approaches, including national and international research on the same. Knowledge about early grade reading assessments Experience of having worked with program design and log frames will be an added advantage Strong written and oral communication skills. 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 - Jharkhand 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.