Short-Term Research Assistant, Contract Position

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 million children by constructing more than 1,600 schools, establishing over 15,000 libraries, publishing 800 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and rewarding over 20,000 girls with long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$43.7 million and our global staff numbers over 500. 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:

Room to Read’s Research, Monitoring & Evaluation team seeks a Short-Term Research Assistant to support a multi-country research study of its School Libraries program. This fixed-term opportunity will be through December 2013 and will require two to four days per week. The Research Assistant must have previous two to three years of experience. Days and times of the week worked are negotiable.  Work can be done remotely with occasional phone calls and/or in-person meetings with the Research, Monitoring & Evaluation team as necessary. This is a great opportunity to learn about a highly results-oriented global nonprofit and gain exposure to working in a fast-paced and dynamic business environment.

Duties & Responsibilities: 

The Short-Term Research Assistant will be tasked with supporting various aspects of a newly-launched research study that is examining how books and other reading materials are used by librarians, teachers and pupils. The main responsibilities of the Short-Term Research Assistant are to:

• Review background literature for the study
• Design instruments for data collection
• Liaise with in-country staff charged with implementing the study
• Coordinate data collection
• Clean and analyze data

Qualifications:

The successful candidate shall have the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree (required); PhD in progress or completed (preferred)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
• Prior experience designing quantitative and qualitative research instruments
• Prior experience analyzing medium to large data sets
• Familiarity with education issues in the developing world

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 nonprofit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker; you’re 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

Compensation:

This is a 6-month fixed-term, temporary position with the possibility of an extension. There is a competitive hourly rate for the position and we kindly ask that you send us your hourly requirements with your application.  This position offers a unique opportunity to gain nonprofit experience and be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through education. 

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “Research Assistant” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to hiring@roomtoread.org.  Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we cannot send personalized responses to all applicants.  Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

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.