Country Director, Interim Tanzania Country Office

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$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  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 Country Director Interim is the highest position of Room to Read’s in-country organizational structure.  This position oversees in-country staff in strategic and tactical execution of implementation, coordination, development, expansion, monitoring and evaluation of current and prospective work.  The main duties will include staff management, organizational development, developing and maintaining relationships with key partners, community building and training, compiling various program, financial, and donor reports, and managing the project funds in accordance with the organization’s procedures.  The position reports to the Africa- Associate Director. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assume overall management, development and implementation activities of all programs and country administrative responsibilities
• Developing and implement  mentoring  and coaching plan for a  future Country Director  for Tanzania Country office
• Direct the management team and supervise appropriate staff, providing them with all the necessary assistance to ensure that program activities are carried out in alliance with headquarter requirements and in a timely manner with attention to quality
• Conduct regular staff meetings to asses organizational progress and communicate updates and developments as needed
• Communicate all program-related activities, issues, and updates to the Regional office and/or headquarters as appropriate and seek approval for budget activities and any related program developments
• Oversee the recruitment and training of staff
• In conjunction with HR, write terms of agreement for consultants and oversee their work
• Conduct staff appraisals and identify and ensure support for staff capacity building needs
• Visit project sites as needed to supervise the site and organize discussions with the school management team and local authorities.  Gather feedback and ensure that they deliver on their portion of the challenge grant and on all terms of agreement with Room to Read.
• Oversee organizational and logistical support of program related activities
• Oversee annual monitoring and evaluation projects
• Develop ideas that address organizational priorities and conduct strategic and operational planning exercises
• Work with relevant in-country and headquarter staff to strengthen and improve program impact and sustainability. 
• Work with the Finance/Admin Manager to manage the organization’s legal compliance in  Tanzania
• Participate in any other activities, which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
• Represent Room to Read to external parties in country
• Performs other duties as assigned

Meetings/Networking:

• Explore opportunities for partnerships and knowledge sharing with NGOs, experts and institutions involved in related education initiatives
• Develop and manage relationships with other NGO’s, government officials and appropriate educational facilities/authorities; schedule and attend meetings with them as needed to coordinate planning and implementation of projects
• Represent Room to Read at relevant meetings and assist in planning and hosting donor visits

Qualifications:

Required:

• Related B.S/B.A. or equivalent degree, master’s degree preferred
• A minimum of ten years of professional experience in the related field
• Good knowledge and understanding of education issues, including teaching methodologies and community involvement in schools
• Strong planning, budgetary, supervising, and program development skills
• Ability to provide leadership  through mentoring and coaching
• Ability to travel frequently to districts throughout Tanzania
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
• Proven track record of achieving results
• Strong leadership skills  
• Strong organization and people management skills

Preferred:

• Advanced degree in a related field, ie. education, development
• Prior experience living and/or working in African countries or a rural setting.
• Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials
• Experience in successful implementation of a wide range of tasks as well as developing and implementing improvements in a prior position
• Experience developing and/or implementing large-scale literacy initiatives
• General management experience

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have a passion for the mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and-coming non-profit organization.
• A capacity to listen and to work with others
• An ability to inspire trust, a proven ability to lead and facilitate with strong interpersonal skills and an ability to move from ideas to action
• An ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a diverse range of people from different environments, sectors, and society
• An ability to listen to others and learn from their best ideas, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, approachability, and openness to input from all levels of staff
• An ability to  stay grounded, trustworthy, an ability to give credit and recognition to others and personal style of acting with humility and grace – in sum a superb professional and personal presence
• A person with high sensitivities toward issues e.g. gender and disability.
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment
• Be an innovative and creative thinker; you’re not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so
• Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. 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:

Interested persons can forward a comprehensive CV and a cover letter with “ CD Interim—Tanzania” in the subject line to tz.hiring@roomtoread.org or send by post to Associate Director Africa, Room to Read Tanzania, Post Box 105459, Ileje Street, Mikocheni B, Plot No 36, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

If you do not hear from Room to Read within one month of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Please note that late applications will not be considered and correspondence will be limited to short-listed candidates only. 

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.