Job Description

World Change Starts with Educated Children®

IMPORTANT: All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located. Room to Read is not able to provide sponsorship.

Position Overview

The Senior Lead, Capacity Building owns how Room to Read India builds the capability of its people and partners to improve children's literacy learning outcomes. The person in this role will lead all literacy training across the organization and with government and partner systems: analyzing training needs at every level, designing role-specific training and materials, including virtual modules and courses, building competency frameworks that track individual learning over time, and measuring training impact jointly with the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) team, with improvement in Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) as the central measure. The Senior Lead also owns the quality standards that all literacy training must meet. This position will be based at the Country Office in New Delhi, report directly to the Senior Director, Programs, lead one Officer, work closely with the IDTS team, and require frequent travel to project locations and regular interaction with state teams, education officials, partners and training agencies.

About Instructional Design and Technical Support Team (IDTS): The team enables RtR's state units to enhance program implementation by improving the adoption of structured pedagogy resources, teacher and team professional development, and evidence-informed assessment in instruction. The team is in charge of content creation amidst a lot of academic rigor and field experiences.This team supports other teams by providing technical inputs at various levels including internal and external stakeholders. It also leads Room to Read India's work on INCO, an AI-powered literacy coaching app, ensuring the technology stays anchored in sound pedagogy and real classroom practice.

Responsibilities

Training Needs Analysis Across Levels

• Conduct periodic training needs analysis across all levels of the organization.
• Draw on program data, field observations, coaching and monitoring records, assessment results and consultations with Program and RM&E teams to identify capability gaps.
• Translate needs into a prioritized, role-specific capacity-building plan aligned to program calendars, hiring phases and project goals.

Ownership of Literacy Training and Quality Standards

• Lead the end-to-end literacy training architecture: induction, technical training on literacy pedagogy and program models, data-use training and mid-course correction training.
• Sequence and coordinate training delivered by IDTS, other internal teams, external agencies and consultants, and oversee logistics, facilitators and batches across locations with Admin, Finance and Program teams.
• Oversee training for government and partner systems (such as SCERT, DIET and partner organizations) where Room to Read supports capacity building.
• Define and uphold quality standards for the design, delivery and follow-up of literacy training, observing sessions, reviewing facilitator performance and gathering participant feedback.
• Document lessons from each training cycle, feed them into the next one, and share learning and recommendations with Program, Technical and Leadership teams.

Training Materials and Virtual Courses

• Lead the design of training modules, facilitator guides, participant materials and job aids for literacy projects, including materials that help teams understand and use program data and run mid-course correction training when data shows implementation or learning gaps.
• Design and manage a library of virtual training modules and courses for each role and level, with defined learning outcomes, duration, mode, content sequence, practice tasks and assessments.
• Develop course content such as short videos, interactive lessons, case studies, classroom practice clips and quizzes, in Hindi, English and other languages the program needs.
• Run a learning management system or equivalent platform with enrollment, completion tracking, certification and links to competency and Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) results, and plan virtual and blended delivery, including live online sessions, peer learning and offline or mobile-friendly formats for low-connectivity locations.
• Ensure all materials are linked to children's learning outcomes and reviewed with technical experts before roll-out; build and mentor a pool of internal facilitators and master trainers.

Competency Frameworks and Learning Tracking

• Create a competency framework for each training area and role, with defined learning outcomes and observable indicators.
• Design assessments, observation tools and rubrics so that each individual's understanding and practice can be measured and tracked over time.
• Set minimum competency thresholds for trainees to begin contributing to the project as per role expectations, and define follow-up support (refreshers, coaching, reassessment) for trainees who have not met them.
• Maintain learning records and a training dashboard that show progress by individual, role, cohort and project.

Training Impact Analysis with RM&E

• Jointly with RM&E, design and carry out evaluations of training impact, with KAP improvement as the central measure.
• Co-develop KAP baseline, post-training and follow-up tools, and agree sampling, timing and analysis methods with RM&E.
• Link training participation and competency results to changes in field practice, program quality indicators and, where possible, children's learning outcomes.
• Co-author findings and recommendations with RM&E, and use them to revise training design, content and delivery for subsequent cohorts.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Management or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in education or development programs, including substantial responsibility for training needs analysis and for planning and managing training across multiple cohorts, roles and locations.
• Experience designing training materials and competency frameworks, with assessments or observation tools that track individual learning over time.
• Experience measuring training effectiveness, including KAP assessments, and working with an M&E or research team to use findings for improvement.
• Strong understanding of literacy instruction and how adults and teachers learn; ability to link training to children's learning outcomes.
• Experience using program and learning data to diagnose implementation gaps and design corrective or refresher training.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in Hindi and English.
• Willingness to travel frequently to project locations.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification or professional certification in education, training, or learning and development.
• Experience in foundational literacy or large-scale government education programs, including work with systems such as SCERT and DIET.
• Experience with multilingual education, or with digital and AI-supported coaching and learning tools.
• Experience managing external training agencies, consultants or facilitators.

Compensation

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits include a thirteenth-month bonus, health insurance, and a retirement plan. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, and rapidly growing organization that is changing and transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries on literacy and gender equality in education.

Room to Read is a child-safe organization.

Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel must adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy, Child Protection Code of Conduct and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Policy.

Room to Read is an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.

Child Protection Principles

• Room to Read is committed to the education and welfare of children and protecting them from abuse and exploitation
• Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation.
• All children have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation, including neglect, maltreatment, and physical, mental or sexual violence, injury or abuse.
• All children should be treated with respect and dignity.
• The well-being of the child is Room to Read’s first priority when dealing with all identified or suspected cases of child abuse.
• Room to Read shall integrate child protection into all its organizational strategies, structures and work practices.

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Principles

• Room to Read Representatives must create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
• Room to Read has zero tolerance for adult sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Sexual exploitation and abuse are serious violations of fundamental human rights and will not be accepted or tolerated.
• All adults should be treated with respect and dignity.
• Room to Read implements a survivor-centered approach, putting the survivor’s rights and dignity at the forefront.
• Survivors referred to available professional assistance (e.g. mental health counselling), upon consent.

About Room to Read: 

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow – creating lasting change. Through our Literacy Portfolio, we train and coach teachers of the early grades in literacy instruction; create and publish quality books and curricular materials in local languages; and establish children’s libraries filled with diverse children’s books that can be enjoyed at school and home. Our Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality, helping them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions.

We support young people of all genders to overcome gender biases and build the knowledge and skills to create a gender-equal world. Room to Read collaborates with local communities, partner organizations, publishers, 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 50 million children in 28 countries.

Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.