Program Manager, Quality Reading Materials

Room to Read

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The primary responsibilities of the Program Manager, Quality Reading Materials is to ensure our Literacy Program schools are supplied with engaging, relevant, and reading-level appropriate books and materials that support the development of reading skills and a habit of reading. This includes working with the Instructional Design and Library Support unit to identify the reading material needs of schools and surveying the books available in the market to fill those needs. Where gaps exist in available books for purchase, the Program Manager, Quality Reading Materials is responsible for coordinating all aspects of Room to Read’s publishing initiatives including sourcing original content, reviewing, editing, producing and negotiating agreements. S/he will also be required to form networks within the publishing industry to gauge local market trends and promote Room to Read as a key player in children’s book publishing. The position will require some travel within and involves frequent interaction with authors, illustrators, publishers, printers, and officials. The position will report directly to the Literacy Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Management, Contextualization, Training and Coordination (80%)

QRM

Responsible for the overall Quality Reading Materials tasks, especially in identifying the ideal book list, gap analysis process and coordination with other units to identify needs
Responsible for identifying the criteria for engaging, relevant and culturally appropriate supplementary reading materials for primary school grades creating an ideal book list and materials list in order to keep pace with the mainstream education scenario
Establish guidelines for authors and illustrators to produce original, high quality content that is appropriate for target age groups, suitable for the local cultural context and functional as a tool for education
Prepare session plans and conduct sessions of the writers’ and illustrators’ workshops
Work with local authors and illustrators for sourcing manuscripts and artworks to advise them on story development, reviewing, editing and finalizing for publishing
Edit and proofread manuscripts and storybooks in order to ensure lucidity of language, correct spelling, appropriate storytelling and quality illustrations
Write and edit Global Publications and adaptations as required and instructed by GO
Supervise design and layout, DTP, and pre-press works of the LLP titles and instruction materials
Assist Literacy Director in ensuring government approvals for RtR and non-RtR books and materials
Cooperate with Administration in entering into copyright agreements with selected writers and illustrators for RtR storybooks, and upload the agreements in GSD for archival
Upload, in GSD and Room to Read (GO) Onedrive, the Adaptations as well as New Titles in the required design formats for GO feedbacks and approval for final print
Ensure that global QRM guidelines are being adhered to and adapted as needed

COLLABORATION WITH IDTS

Collaborate with IDTS unit to develop engaging instruction resources and materials through review, editing and pre-press support
Coordinate with IDTS team for recommendations on improving book content and layouts before submitting final drafts to Literacy Director for approval
Prescribe appropriate texts and illustrations from the LLP books to work as standalone decodable as well as describable content in the Student Books and Teacher Guides
Provide inputs to RtR overall printing and publication works and help uphold expected standards for RtR print materials
Attend teachers’ training workshops as resource person to facilitate session on book leveling, book sourcing and usage of books in the RtR libraries

LIBRARY

Responsible for selecting library books and materials for procurement from the marketplace that meet the criteria as per QRM operations guideline
Generate year-specific list of books for purchase and distribution by calculating required number of books during the AP&B exercise based on the number and size of the target schools
Develop and maintain Book Distribution Excel Tool every year for segregated list of and required number of books (both RtR published and purchase books) based on student numbers in the different batch schools, the IBC Tool, and the Book Procurement Tool
Provide support to the field offices in planning school-level book distribution of RtR and non-RtR books for the classroom libraries
Lead book labeling with color strips/level colors for both RtR and non-RtR books in collaboration with CO Program Operations Team and the field offices

Planning, Budgeting, Reporting, and Documentation (15%)

In collaboration with CO Program Operations Team, create, implement and analyze annual program goals and budgets to ensure alignment with organizational strategies and priorities
Collaborate with the CO Program Operations Team on development of the implementation calendar, budget, annual planning, monthly implementation updates (MIU), quarterly reports, and overall tracking of the program implementation and spending
Prepare monthly forecast and complete monthly expense reports
Review and ensure approvals of Purchase Requisition, specifications and event budgets, and coordinate with Administration for procurement
Complete detailed written reports in a timely basis to Global Office regarding the status and progress of printing books and materials
Put in GSD the data and information about new title editions, genres, number of books printed (print runs) and number of books distributed to the RtR schools
Review best practices and lessons learned documented and share with Literacy Director, Country Director and appropriate GO based Program Staff
Provide information about titles that are coming to print and send copies of books once they are printed

External Coordination and Networking (5%)

Establish and manage relationships with other NGOs, government officials and local educational facilities/authorities
Represent Room to Read in different forums and advocate the importance of reading and the need for quality children’s reading materials
Stay informed about the CO’s children’s book publishing industry, investigating major children’s book publishers and local market demand
Track changes in market trends with respect to content, format, types, age/grade levels, themes, language, etc., and use this information to evaluate and inform Room to Read’s publishing initiatives
Build partnerships with organizations and associations involved with children’s books (NGOs involved with content development, writers groups, creative writing departments of universities, etc.) with the goal of becoming a key player in this community
Liaise with other teams of the Global Office to coordinate workflows and share program information
Participate in any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfill the objectives of the organization and any other responsibilities assigned by the Literacy Director

Qualifications:

Master’s degree in education, Fine-arts, Administration, Social Science, Project Management, or related fields
Minimum of 10 years related work experience with at least 5 years in similar position
Prior experience working in the book publishing industry, preferably related to children’s books
Strong editorial skills, with a demonstrated eye for visual design
Understanding of bilingual and multi-lingual issues
Excellent knowledge, experience, and understanding of the story development and creative writing process, preferably for beginning reader books
Strong planning, budgeting/financial management, administrative, supervisory, coaching and program development skills
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
High commitment and trustworthy person
Work more effectively in problem solving and delegation approach
Ability to stay in the field and travel to designated project sites
Proven track record of achieving results
Experience in leadership and management roles
Computer literate (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Analytical and critical thinking skills,
Workshop/training and facilitation skill
Report writing experience
Networking and good interpersonal skills
Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
Proven track record of achieving results
Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
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