Director, Girls’ Education Program (GEP)

Director, Girls’ Education Program (GEP)

Room to Read

Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania

Position Overview

The Director, Girls’ Education is a key member of the global Girls’ Education and Gender Equality Program (GEP) team which is part of Room to Read’s Program Design and Technical Assistance (PDTA) Department.

This role will be key in supporting the strategic expansion of Room to Read’s gender equality portfolio and work, both through engaging governments in Room to Read’s countries of operation, as well as through partnerships with civil society organizations across the world and particularly in the Africa region as part of the She Creates Change Campaign. She Creates Change is a multi-media storytelling initiative created by Room to Read – spanning animated and live-action films, books and audio stories – that centers girls’ voices in the pursuit of gender equality.

The Director, Girls’ Education reports to the VP, Girls’ Education and Gender Equality who is based in San Francisco, California, USA.

Duties & Responsibilities

Government Engagement Strategy Development and Implementation (35%)

• Together with the VP of GEP, as well as Regional and Global Program Operations teams, lead the development – and eventually, support implementation – of a strategy to grow the impact of Room to Read’s gender equality work in the Africa region.
• Design a strategy and relative materials for mixed modality delivery of gender-transformative educational offerings, including delivery through radio, video and book publishing in the Africa region, leveraging the tools of the She Creates Change Campaign.
• Identify and facilitate the creation of new partnerships with local civil society organizations and educational institutions, leveraging the She Creates Change campaign, as well as Room to Read’s programmatic offerings.
• Provide strategic guidance in the implementation of projects and offerings that might arise in various areas globally, including financial education, boys’ life skills for gender equality, climate, and other initiatives.
• Work with the RM&E team, the VP of GEP, and other team members to identify key milestones and measurements of success for the GEP program.

Technical Assistance to the Gender Equality Portfolio in Africa (25%)

• Support Tanzania GEP team members with technical assistance and strategic guidance in the implementation of their country strategies and goals.
• Support the Tanzania GEP team in identifying opportunities for government engagement, with the potential of growing scale and impact for Room to Read’s gender equality work.
• Design and oversee plans for the rollout of new programmatic offerings, including GEP’s updated curriculum in Tanzania and the She Creates Change videos and curricular materials across the region.
• Support organizational efforts to design and implement a gender mainstreaming strategy in Room to Read’s organizational practices, with a particular focus on the needs of the Tanzania team.
• Support programs and projects as they might arise, particularly those focused on the Africa region.

Development & Strategic Partnerships (20%)

• Identify and support business development opportunities in collaboration with the global Development team as related to donor engagement, reporting, and proposal writing.
• In collaboration with Room to Read’s Development and Communications teams, support proposal development, providing insights and content especially as related to country contexts.
• Collaborate with the Development & Communications team and with the other members of the GEP team to organize internal/external events highlighting aspects of our Girls’ Education & Gender Equality Programming, such as for International Women’s Day, International Day of the Girl Child, webinars, etc.

Thought Leadership (20%)

• Write op-eds, articles and other written pieces increasing Room to Read’s thought leadership on life skills, girls’ education, and gender equality, particularly with respect to climate and the importance of gender transformative programs for boys, mixed-modality delivery and others.
• Identify and represent Room to Read in external conferences, roundtable discussions, coalitions and other fora advancing girls’ education, life skills and gender equality, when appropriate.
• Participate in internal Room to Read worldwide conferences, events, or subregional meetings to support countries’ programmatic needs.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study, e.g., gender equality, education, international relations, or related development sector, particularly in the Africa region.
• A minimum of 10 years of related professional experience (at least five of them in the Africa region) in the international development field, with at least five years specifically on overseeing and managing programs in the field of gender equality, and/or education programs.
• Experience working with civil society, government institutions and multi-lateral institutions in the field of girls’ education and/or gender equality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; working knowledge of Swahili is a plus.
• Experience designing and delivering trainings as a lead trainer or technical coach and developing training materials.
• Ability and desire to travel domestically and internationally up to 15% percent of the time.
• Experience managing staff across different time zones and flexibility to work across these as needed.
• Based in Tanzania.

Preferred:

• Experience in program design and/or developing technical program content and curriculum preferred.
• Experience and knowledge in one or more of the following fields: climate change, positive masculinity, distance learning, positive youth development, girl-centered learning, psychosocial wellbeing, social-emotional learning, financial literacy.
• Experience providing support to multiple countries simultaneously.
• Experience leading or managing gender mainstreaming processes, including gender analysis, etc.
• Experience managing projects and programs funded and implemented by a variety of bi-lateral, multilateral and private sector institutions.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization.
• Recognized thought leadership in the field of girls’ education, gender equality and life skills (e.g., published blog posts, articles, part of national coalitions, etc.).

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.

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