Manager, RME

Manager, RME

Organization Profile

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. We are achieving this goal by providing support during the two most critical time periods in a child’s education: primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. Our Literacy Program trains and coaches teachers, creates quality books and curricular materials and establishes libraries filled with diverse children’s books in local languages that can be enjoyed at school or home. Our Girls’ Education Program helps girls build skills to succeed in secondary school and make key life decisions by providing life skills curriculum, opportunities for mentorship and peer support, and family and community engagement. We deliver additional remote solutions that leverage local logistical infrastructure, broadcast media networks and internet-based technologies to facilitate learning beyond the classroom. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations and governments to test and implement innovative models that can be integrated into the education system to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. To date, Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children and has worked in more than 182,000 communities and 23 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia. Room to Read plans to benefit 40 million children by 2025. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

Room to Read in Nepal

To date, we have partnered with government schools to establish over 4814 school libraries to encourage a reading habit in primary school children, published 388 children’s books for quality materials to read, constructed over 1249 schools and renovated 46 schools and supporting to create an enabling learning environment through comprehensive Reading & Writing Instruction program in 1338 primary classrooms. Through our Girls Education Program, we have supported over 11608 girls from underprivileged families to complete secondary education and beyond by providing material, academic and life skills education support. We are at a growing stage and working to expand our coverage more in the future.

Position Overview

The Manager, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E), Nepal’s role is to oversee all aspects of the RtR Nepal Country Office’s monitoring, evaluation, and research activities in coordination with the Global RM&E team. This position reports to the Country Director and is a part of the Nepal Country Management Team. The position is based in Kathmandu and requires frequent travel to our district offices and project sites within different parts of Nepal and occasional international travel.

Primary duties and responsibilities
Design and Implementation of RM&E Activities (60% of the effort):

• Oversee the strategic planning and implementation of data collection, analysis and reporting (including data visualization) as part of the evaluation of RtR Nepal’s Literacy Program and Girl’s Education Program in accordance with RtR’s protocols and best practices in the field.
• Provide technical assistance on the development and adaptation of instruments/assessments to be used in support of RM&E projects in Nepal.
• Develop research proposals and designs specific to RtR Nepal’s portfolio and context.
• Lead the analysis and reporting of Project Implementation Monitoring (PIM) data, collaborate with Country Office (CO) leadership and Program Teams to reflect on PIM findings, and incorporate lessons learned into Nepal’s project design and implementation.
• Conduct regular visits to the field offices and project sites to ensure compliance with implementation monitoring and other data collection activities and collaborate with Operations and Program team to remediate issues.
• Ensure high-quality collection and reporting of RtR’s Global Indicator (GI) data and coordinate GI reflection with CO and GO colleagues.
• Support data collection for program expansion-related activities, including contextualization of GO guidelines and support capacity building of RM&E-related activities for Nepal CO, field staff, partners, and consultants such as data collectors (enumerators and supervisors).
• Provide input into donor communication, proposal development and donor reporting with a focus on learning and evaluation results.
• Lead evaluation result review process with Program colleagues to identify program design and implementation improvements.
• Collaborate with GO RM&E team members (especially the Asia Regional RM&E team based in Delhi and GO RM&E team) to enhance global RM&E products and guidance.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building (25% of the effort):

• Ensure the RM&E department has the staff and technical capacity to implement required activities.
• Build the capacity of RM&E staff to implement high-quality data collection and relevant analysis of implementation monitoring data.
• As needed, develop Terms of Reference for consultants, data collection firms, or individual data collectors and manage the execution of activities.
• Collaborating with team members, developing goals and professional development plans to advance organizational goals and individual professional expertise.

Thought leadership (15% of the effort)

• Stay informed about research, evaluation, and measurement methods in RtR program areas and translate that knowledge into improved practices for the RtR Nepal CO. Facilitate dissemination of monitoring, evaluation, and research reports/ findings to Nepal CO staff.
• Represent RTR and facilitate dissemination of RtR’s RM&E works and results to various external stakeholders including government officials, academia, funders, and other local partners.
• Identify partnership opportunities in Nepal aligned with RtR’s Strategic Plan to improve visibility and recognition of the organization’s thought leadership capability.

Person Specification
Required:

• Master’s or advanced degree in social sciences or relevant field.
• Minimum 8 years of post-education relevant experience with at least 3 years of management experience in the development sector or international development in line with the duties and responsibilities outlined above.
• Strong technical competence in research, monitoring, and evaluation theories, methods, and their practical application in the field.
• Prior experience in implementing and overseeing large-scale data collection activities and monitoring processes.
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, with proven ability to work with data analysis software packages such as Stata/ SPSS/ SAS/Atlas.ti/Nvivo/Dedoose.
• Strong planning, team building, leadership, supervision, and capacity-building skills.
• Ability to take own initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Ability to travel frequently within Nepal (including remote and hard-to-reach project sites) and occasional international travel.
• Proven track record of juggling multiple priorities simultaneously and taking initiative.

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 a dynamic nonprofit organization.
• Be an innovative and creative thinker that tries new things and inspires others to do so.
• Have a strong work ethic, professional integrity, trustworthiness and require minimal direction.
• Work well independently as well as part of a team.
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment.
• Superior interpersonal abilities.
• Ability to get along with diverse personalities, tactful, mature, flexible.
• Good reasoning abilities, sound judgment.
• Resourceful and well organized.
• Participative management style-advocate of a team concept.
• Ability to establish credibility and be decisive – but be able to recognize and support the organization’s preference and priorities.

Location(s)
Nepal – Main – Lalitpur

To be successful at Room to Read, you will also:

• Have passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact a dynamic nonprofit organization
• Be a proactive and innovative thinker who achieves results and creates positive change
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Embrace diversity and a commitment to collaboration
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

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. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled