Contract Literacy Specialist, Africa

Room to Read is seeking a Literacy Specialist to join the Global Office Team in Pretoria for a fixed term contract of either 6 months full time or 1 year at 50% time, with the possibility of extension. The Literacy Specialist, Africa is part of Room to Read’s Literacy Team that specializes in Instructional Design and Teacher Support (IDTS). The primary duties of this position are supporting countries in the region in contextualizing Room to Read’s global modules. This position will also support countries with revisions and implementation of their current curriculum. This position reports directly to the San Francisco based Associate Director of Literacy, and is part of Room to Read’s Global Office in Africa.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Work with Room to Read country office (CO) team members to develop their skills in understanding literacy curriculum/professional development from both a theoretical and practical perspective
• Work with CO Program Specialists to contextualize worldwide curriculum/professional development materials when it becomes available. This may include the following:
  • Revising scope and sequence to fit the global template and streamlined instructional strategies
  • Creating new teacher’s guides and pupil books
  • Building classroom based assessments into the country program
• Work with CO Program Specialists to prepare CO program staff in the use of contextualized curriculum/professional development materials
• Work with CO program staff, regional counterpart, and Research, Monitoring and Evaluation staff to determine next steps for curriculum/professional development based on evaluation data
• Provide input into business development opportunities as well as communication with the Fundraising team as related to donor reporting on design and technical assistance activities
• Represent Room to Read and IDTS internally and externally to message our work and advocate for our programs
• Collaborate meaningfully with regional counterparts on Literacy, Operations, and Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation teams to ensure coordinated support to country teams

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study, e.g., Education or related development sector; Master’s degree strongly preferred
• A minimum of 3 years of closely related professional experience, and a total of 7-10 years’ of professional experience highly preferred
• Knowledge, understanding and experience of technical work in reading/literacy at the primary stage
• Experience developing and conducting training programs for teachers
• Prior experience living and/or working in Africa, including visiting primary classrooms and working with teachers and children around issues of learning
• Knowledge of Bantu languages
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally

Preferable:

• A Tanzania national
• Experience in language education at the primary stage
• Experience teaching at the primary stage
• Experience working with local communities

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

HOW TO APPLY:

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

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