Bangladesh: Regional Operations Manager, South Asia

Organization Profile:

Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, our innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools in low-income countries during two time periods which are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. Room to Read has benefited 10 million children across 17,500 communities in Asia and Africa, and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

Position Overview:

This position is part of the Global Office (GO) International Operations team. The GO Regional Operations Manager supports the alignment and linkages between Country Office (CO) and GO teams responsible for technical support, implementation, and building the capacity of country programs and staff. The position provides support to the relevant GO Regional Director, Country Directors and Country Management Teams (CMTs) to ensure effective communication flows and efficiency and effectiveness of the Country Office programs. The post-holder will effectively and efficiently support operation systems, processes, and activities for countries in their portfolio so that programs are delivered on time according to the CO and organizational strategy. S/he will triage issues for the Regional Director and ensure issues are raised to the Regional Director in a timely manner.

This position supports India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The position can be located in any of these locations, but strong preference is for location in New Delhi, India & Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This position reports directly to the Regional Director, Asia based in Phnom Penh. Room to Read Global Headquarters is in San Francisco.

Duties & Responsibilities:

General Program Operations Support:**

· Provision and identification of operational support needs and assistance to Country Offices

· Ensure implementation and management of key organizational and operational decisions, policies and actions agreed across departments at the GO (US and Field Based) and Country Office level

· Liaise with other Room to Read (RtR) departments (Development/Fundraising & Communications, HR, Finance, Programs, Accelerator (Technical Assistance)) to ascertain operational bottlenecks/challenges and seek solutions to ensure programs are delivered in timely and cost-effective ways with quality

· Review CO internal audit reports and follow up with Program Operation Directions and relevant CMT members to ensure action points are addressed promptly and effectively

· Work in collaboration with the Director of Field Operations to ensure effective functioning of logistics systems to procure, store and distribute books, materials, and other relevant supplies for the timely delivery of project objectives

· Actively monitor external factors that may influence the program context (security environment, natural disasters, political change), and provide necessary support to ensure smooth program implementation and safety of staff

· Maintain high level knowledge and information on country context in education and economic events and trends

· Advise on improving system, process and tools as part of the Global Operations team

Strategy & Planning:

· In cooperation with the Regional Director lead the development process and ensure effective implementation of the Country Strategy reviews and geographical targeting exercises as an essential part of the country program to help achieve Room to Read goals

· Support COs in the development, review and analysis of annual plans and budget management

· Monitor and track execution of annual planning and budgeting, encouraging the use of monitoring data to foster improvement in program quality

· Encourage and facilitate collaborative behavior across country teams in working towards the planning and delivery of the annual plans and budgets, improving coordination, communication and maximizing the cooperation between country offices and the Global Office (both SF and field based) in the development and delivery of the plans

Management and Coordination:

· Monitor and build the capacity of the Country Management Team (CMT) to maximize planning, reporting, accountability and systems to manage programs effectively

· Encourage the CMT to openly recognize and manage risk, set clear quality and accountability standards and foster transparency in decision making processes

· Monitor and communicate major country news impacting the Country Office

· Provide coordinated and integrated finance, HR, PDTA and Accelerator (as relevant) support to Country Offices to enable effective and efficient project implementation according to donor guidelines and RtR standards

· Ensure that partnership agreements with NGOs and government accurately reflect the realistic capacities of both parties; optimal efficiency and effectiveness; and the strategic priorities of Room to Read

· Serve as Project Manager for in-country donor funded projects, and potentially for other projects in the region

· In partnership with the GO Donor Relationship Manager, oversee the implementation, tracking and gathering of information for reports for in-country donor funded projects and potentially for other projects in the region

Program Implementation and Monitoring:

· Review and analyze ongoing, monthly, quarterly and annual reports/data to identify best practices, challenges and support needs and follow-up with CO or GO as needed

· Encourage constant focus on solutions and results, active learning, sharing of knowledge and innovation for cost efficient, effective and sustainable alternatives that will impact more children

· Monitor program implementation through visits, implementation calendar tracking and regular communications

· Identify operational or program quality issues and alert Regional Director or technical team as appropriate

· Review allocations of Country Office resources and assets ensuring that programs meet their commitments and are accountable to beneficiaries and donors

Capacity Building:

· Identify core capabilities/capacity needs across country programs and staff, liaising with the GO functional teams to plan capacity building

· Coordinate, and at times lead, the delivery of capacity building plans to develop the requisite operational competencies in operational staff

· Coach and mentor operational staff (specifically the Country Office Program Operations Directors) and link in to wider organizational talent development mechanisms

Budget Management:

· Help country programs become more cost efficient and effective, working with CMTs to set efficiency targets, identify areas where changes can be made and devise strategies to manage costs

· Analyze, review and provide feedback on quarterly financial reports and forecasts with Finance and Country Office

· Work with GO and CO Finance to monitor rate of spending in COs on a monthly and quarterly basis against budget and mitigate issues in over or under spending; analyze annual and quarterly budget submissions

· Work with the CO and Regional Finance to monitor donor funded project spending monthly and match reporting when required by donor and to ensure expense charges are allowable, allocable and reasonable

HR/Personnel:

· In coordination with HR, analyze and respond to staffing models, competency models, and other Human Resources tools designed to improve effectiveness and efficiency of CO staff

· Present key operations related sections of the on-boarding and orientation of new staff for operational related activities

· Advise Country Offices on the structure and management of Country Office operations team to help implement effective programs

· Participate in the recruitment of operational staffing for Country Offices

· Work with Country offices and their CMTs to build their operational capacity and strengthen the structure of the field offices that deliver programs

Development/Fundraising:

· As needed, actively engage in the development of grant proposals – for both direct (core) implementation and Accelerator (technical assistance) programs initiated at both the CO and GO

· In coordination with the Donor Relationship Manager, Donor Communications team and Grants Finance, monitor, track and support external reporting to donors for quality, timeliness and accuracy

· Support the coordination of site visits and treks in cooperation with the Country Office and relevant GO team through briefing the GO Dev team on the country context, managing some logistical aspects and scheduling of the donor visits

· Actively participate, as requested, in new Accelerator and core project initiatives including feasibility studies, consultant contracting and management, desk review and program planning

· Review draft agreement documents & submit feedback to relevant GO departments (Accelerator, Dev)

· Update grant budgets and process approvals, including amendments, in cooperation with the CO

· Participate with GO departmental leadership to improve award management systems, policies, procedures

· Ensure donor tracking is kept up to date and committed funds are used per contracts and MOUs

· In collaboration with Communications, review Country Office information and communications materials as needed

Qualifications:

Required:

• Related B.Sc./B.A. or equivalent degree; master’s degree preferred
• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in a related field
• Strong planning, budgetary and analytical skills
• Project management and implementation experience
• Ability to travel at least 30% to support Country and Field Offices.
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people based in locations around the world, and able to demonstrate cultural sensitivity.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
• Proven ability to problem-solve, prioritize, take initiative and multi-task, with a track record of achieving results
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suites; Excel, Word, and PowerPoint and comfort learning new applications (Salesforce, Adaptive, SharePoint)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, approachable, good listener and easy to talk to
• Accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Room to Read values; and holds the Country Office team to deliver on their responsibilities in the best way they see fit, providing input to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
• Track record of setting ambitious and challenging goals, taking responsibility for personal professional development, and encouraging the team to do the same.
• Future orientation, ability to think strategically and on a global scale while understanding the local context
• Proven ability to collaborate and motivate others. Works well both independently, with minimal direction, and as part of a high-functioning team
• Innovative and creative thinker, willing to take disciplined risks and encourages new and innovative solutions from the team
• High level of honesty, transparency and integrity including, the ability to demonstrate leadership in relation to Room to Read policies and practice with respect to child protection, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures

Preferred:

• Significant experience living and working in one or more of Room to Read countries of operation
• Proficiency in one of the relevant national languages of Room to Read countries of operation

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include 13^th month bonus, retirement benefits such as Provident Fund, medical insurance, performance bonus etc. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

Please apply here with your cover letter and resume or alternately visit our website https://osv-rtr.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/RoomToRead and apply online for the position of “GO Regional Operations Manager – South Asia”.

No letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins are encouraged. 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.