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.

The Senior Program Officer, Gender Equality Portfolio provides technical support through training facilitation, coaching, and guidance for National Master Trainers (NMTs) and school principals. This role contributes to the design of life skills training packages and ensures the delivery of high-quality training-of-trainers (TOT) sessions. The Senior Program Officer also provides on-site coaching and technical support to master trainers. This position reports to the Gender Equality Portfolio Manager.

Responsibilities

Overall

• Support the design and development of life skills training packages and professional learning materials.
• Deliver high-quality Training of Trainers (TOT) sessions and provide on-site coaching and technical guidance to master trainers and implementing partners (i.e., Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs)).
• Collaborate with the Senior Program Operations Associate to coordinate logistics for program activities, including participants, venues, travel, and accommodation.

Management and Coordination

• Work closely with the GEP Manager to support program implementation and coordination.
• Serve as the technical focal point for GEP at the provincial level, ensuring effective communication and issue resolution with partners (i.e. Provincial Education and Sports Services (PESS), Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs)).

Program Design, Implementation, Training, and Monitoring

• Support the rollout and delivery of life skills training aligned with program design and standards.
• Provide ongoing coaching and technical support to partners to ensure quality implementation.
• Conduct monitoring visits to assess program delivery, gather feedback, and identify best practices and areas for improvement.

Planning, Reporting and Documentation

• Provide inputs to planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes in line with Country Office (CO) and Global Office (GO) guidance.
• Collect, consolidate, and review program data (i.e. Monthly Implementation Update (PIM)) to support monitoring and reporting.
• Document best practices, lessons learned, and implementation insights, and share with Literacy Prorgam (LP) and GEP teams.
• Support coordination with government counterparts (i.e. PESS) and TTCs to strengthen alignment and implementation

Networking and Thought Leadership

• Build and maintain strong relationships with implementing partners, local stakeholders, and Non-Profit Orgnizations (NGOs).
• Represent Room to Read in relevant forums, promoting gender equality and life skills education.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strengthening partner capacity.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g. education, social work, community development).
• At least 5years of relevant work experience.
• Prior experience in planning and facilitating training.
• Prior experience coaching or supervising others.
• Prior experience of working with and/or counselling adolescent girls and life skills development is preferable
• Good interpersonal skills and a team player.
• Strong organizational, planning and budgeting skills include the ability to monitor progress of program implementation.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative.
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people.
• Desire and ability to spend a quarter or more time traveling.
• English fluency strongly is preferable

Compensation

Room to Read Laos values the commitment of our staff, and offers a professional & respected working environment, competitive monthly salary and other benefits such as annual salary review, a Wellbeing allowance, 13th month salary bonus, gratuity bonus, performance bonus, Staff Medical Insurance, Social Security Organization (SSO), annual medical check-up, phone allowance and other leave benefits based on Lao Labour Law.

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