Literacy Facilitator Jobs Vacancy at Room to Read February, 2022
Position Overview:
The Literacy Program Officer, Quality Reading Materials’ (“QRM”) primary responsibilities include managing and coordinating all aspects of Room to Read’s publishing initiatives including sourcing content, reviewing, and editing. S/he will also be required to research and 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 and involves frequent interaction with authors, illustrators, publishers, printers, and officials. The position will report directly to the Literacy Program Manager, Quality Reading Materials.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Manuscript development
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to source writers and illustrators’ pre-workshop (preparation and implementation)
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager with content preparation for workshops
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to conduct the writers’ and illustrators’ workshops
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager in mentoring writers on story development
- Monitoring story selection, story review, and approval
- Monitoring development of sketches and illustrations
- Mentoring illustrators during storyboard development
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager in monitoring the review and approval of illustrations
- Coordinating and monitoring the translation of Adaptation stories
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to prepare designers’ briefs
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to give feedback and edit layout and design
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager prepare the manuscripts for language evaluations
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to coordinate the implementation of language evaluators’ comments
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to coordinate the submission of both new titles and adaptations for Government approval
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager in working on all comments given at different stages by Government evaluators
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to coordinate the selection of re-prints
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to prepare re-print titles for printing
- Will be responsible for translating English portions of published books, including dedication language, copyright information, story summaries, and author/illustrator biographies and submit them to the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager for review and approval.
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to translate QRM documents, agenda and to adapt content of GO titles
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to review and revise the layout of QRM books.
Distribution
- Prepare the distribution plan and submit it to the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager for review and approval.
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to prepare technical documents and provide technical advice to publishing partners regarding printing specifications for QRM books
- Supervise printing process with printing houses
- Warehouse visits and quality checking books once delivered from printers.
Book list
- In collaboration with Administration Team, keep contact with publishers and bookstores – keeping abreast with latest catalogues and pricelists
- In collaboration with the IDTS team, take the lead in categorizing books by genre and reading level, and inputting the data
- Conducting orientation and working with the Book Selection Committee to review and categorize books
- Take the lead in dividing the books into main booklist, standby list, and into school list
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to prepare technical documents and providing technical support (contacting publishers, receiving feedback from publishers, finding, and replacing books on the booklist, checking packing process) to Admin-team regarding technical requirements for the booklist, and developing the booklist report.
Other Technical Tasks
- Attend trainings/workshops/activities of other Literacy Program components
- Conduct other operational tasks relevant to Literacy Program team
- Visit book market and publishers to stay informed about the children’s book publishing industry
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to contextualize documents from GO
- Coordinate meetings with publishers on co-publish and licensing
- Organize research on book publishing land scape survey and publishing eco-system
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to support Literacy Cloud team on book selection and translation /versioning
- Perform other technical tasks assigned by Literacy Director and GO
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager on strategic planning for collaboration with the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEst).
Operational Tasks
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to forecast budget monthly and quarterly, and reporting to Finance (12 forecast monthly, 4 forecasts quarterly)
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to prepare annual plan and budget for the QRM program including detailed cost estimation of each book title and ensuring cost efficiency
- Assisting the Literacy Quality Reading Materials Manager to support GO Development team to provide technical information for obtaining donors’ grants
- Collaborate with Communication Officer in compiling Fact Sheets about QRM.
- Conduct warehouses visits, and providing audit assistance
Qualifications:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree (in education, languages, communications, or a related field)
- A minimum of 3 years of related professional work experience
- Knowledge and understanding of local book publishing industry
- Experience managing a printing and publication process
- Manuscript editing, design, and layout experience
- Facilitation and training skills
- Experience in developing and implementing programmatic improvements
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people and organizations
- 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
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
- Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously.
Preferred:
- A master’s degree in a related field of study
- Prior experience in the book publishing field
Compensation:
Room to Read offers a competitive pay with excellent benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.
Application Procedure:
Please visit our website at www.roomtoread.org and click on the “careers” link under about us tab. This will take you to Room to Read’s Career Portal. Click on the See Current Vacancies to find this vacancy, select the vacancy you are interested and click apply to begin the online application process. If you do not hear from Room to Read within one month of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Please note that late applications will not be considered, and correspondence will be limited to short-listed candidates only.
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, Women are encouraged to apply. Room to Read is a child safe organization. CLOSING DATE: February 14th, 2022.
Location(s)
Tanzania – Main – Dar Es Salaam
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
