Literacy Coach, Zambia

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 7.8 million children by constructing more than 1,700 schools, establishing over 16,000 libraries, publishing 882 new children’s book titles in 27 local languages, and reaching over 25,000 girls through our Girls’ Education program.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 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 and program offices in Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane.

Position Overview:

The Literacy Coach (“LC”) is responsible for supporting and coaching teachers, librarians, and principals to adopt new ways of working with children to increase their literacy skills and habit of reading.  The LC will report to the Literacy Program Field Operations Officer with strong communication, programmatic direction, and oversight also provided by the Literacy Program Sr. Field Officer. The Literacy Coach has no direct reports.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Implementation, Training, and Monitoring

• Serves as the technical resource in the schools on applying literacy skills and the habit of reading techniques in the classroom or library.
• Through the Literacy Program [Sr.] Field Officer, coordinates closely with the Instructional Design and Teacher Support Unit to ensure they are successfully implementing the program design and able to provide feedback on how well it is working.
• Regularly observes, demonstrates and coaches Grade 1 and 2 teachers in delivering the instructional component of the Literacy Program.
• Regularly observes, demonstrates and coaches all primary grade teachers and librarians in the implementation of the library period and reading activities.
• Supports Grade 1 and 2 teachers in effective use of ongoing student tracking assessments to inform instruction.
• Conducts and analyzes data related to formative student assessments to inform support for Grade 1 and 2 teachers.
• Regularly provides an update to the principal on progress and coaches him/her on ways to support teachers and ensure longer term sustainability of literacy outcomes within the school.
• Attends and participates in teacher and librarian trainings related to the Literacy program.
• Participates in literacy events, parent meeting and other community activities.
• Participates in regular review meetings and any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Supports donor visits through demonstration projects and presentation, as needed.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation

• Conducts ongoing planning, documentation, and reporting of school visits.
• Documents best practices and lessons learned and shares with the Literacy Program Field Officer.  

Qualifications:

Required:  

• University degree in Education, Social Development, or other related field
• 1-2 years of related work experience
• Proficient user of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), internet and related applications
• Good command of English (both written and oral)
• Good interpersonal skills and a team player
• Ability to monitor progress of program implementation
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Desire and ability to spend 90% of time traveling and visiting school sites to provide coaching and monitor progress of program implementation
• Experience working with young children
• Experience working with schools and teachers
• Experience with reading, literacy or learning improvement programs

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 an up-and-coming non-profit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker – you are 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, take initiative, 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. Health and retirement benefits 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 the lifelong gift of education.

Application Procedure:

Please submit your resume and cover letter by email (no calls, faxes, or drop-ins, please) to constance.pola@roomtoread.org with Literacy Coach in the subject line. Due to the anticipated high volume of applicant response, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identify and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse background.