Manager, Field Operations at Room to Read March, 2020
Position Overview:
The Field Operations Manager is responsible for Room to Read Tanzania’s field operations in all the geographic area (Districts). The Field Operations Manager is primarily responsible for ensuring the timely and effective implementation of programs operations in the field, including implementation, spending, hiring, local procurement, inventory management, distribution and logistical support. The position is required to take initiative for project planning and management, improving work approaches, collaboration, partnerships, selection of projects sites, and ensuring adequate staff to work at the field level. S/he will work to strengthen coordination and collaboration within teams and across all Country Office program teams, maintaining and ensuring constructive communication, building team morale within individual teams and contributing to a positive working environment. S/he will report to the Program Operations Director. The Field Operations Manager directly manages and supervises the Literacy Program Officers, Senior School Infrastructure Associate, and Girls’ Education Program Officers.
Contents
Duties and Responsibilities:
Management and Coordination
- Ensures efficient and effective coordination across all elements of the Literacy Program, including School Infrastructure and Girls’ Education Program.
- Supervises and oversees the work of the field staff and is responsible for optimizing their productivity through effective management and leadership techniques (i.e., coaching/advising).
- Ensures staff are consistently complying and adhering to policies, procedures and guidelines articulated in the Country Office handbooks, and facilitates the dissemination of information to all staff members to promote transparency.
- Supports staff through consultation with Country Office level technical team to regularly assess staff capacity building needs.
- Ensures the performance management process is well-planned and conducted in a timely for all field staff. This includes setting performance goals, conducting progress check-ins, providing feedback, conducting year-end appraisals, and making recommendations for staff development and career advancement.
- Collaborates with Human Resources to handle recruitment and training of staff according to need and all other HR initiatives.
- Leads and facilitates field staff one on one, bi-weekly or monthly staff meetings to review progress against plans, find solutions to problems, share lessons learned, exchange expertise across programs, and to motivate, feedback and encourage teamwork.
- Ensures that field staff are aware of and understand the programs’ goals and objectives, working approaches and methodology, and have all necessary information related to annual plans, targets, and implementation calendars.
- Supervises fund disbursement, reviews and approves the field monthly financial expenses in accordance with financial and purchasing policy and procedures.
- Perform other tasks as assigned by the Program Operations Director or Country Director.
Program Implementation and Monitoring
- Leads, coordinates and reports the implementation and achievement of the Country Office program targets in the region, while ensuring high impact for children, quality and cost-effectiveness in accordance with the strategy, policies and guidelines of Room to Read.
- Conducts regular field visits to monitor and verify the programs’ progress and impact, understand the challenges and needs of stakeholders (e.g., Room to Read staff, Social Mobilizers, Field Facilitators, communities, children, etc…), and the appropriate Room to Read solutions.
- Oversees the implementation of the global Family & Community Engagement (“F&CE”) strategy in the region, including coordinating site selection activities, ensuring schools are advancing along the F&CE strategy continuum, as appropriate, and supervising the regular support provided to schools by field staff.
- Identifies training needs, coordinate development and delivery of technical training to field staff.
Planning, Reporting and Documentation
- Develops the field office annual and long-term plans, and budgets appropriately to meet the goals and objectives of the Room to Read Country Office.
- Coordinates the timely completion of annual planning.
- Prepares monthly and quarterly implementation updates and budget forecasting.
- Develops quarterly report for distributing to partners, if applicable.
- Facilitates development/ completion of donor reports and quality pictures as required.
- Facilitate documentation of best practices and lessons learned.
External Coordination and Networking
- Attends to donor affairs including hosting donor and project site journey’s and visits in collaboration with programs staff including providing feedback for the same.
- Meets regularly with local government representatives, NGO partners, school administrators and parent groups.
- Promotes and protects the reputation of Room to Read in external settings, ensuring that the organization’s experience and expertise is well communicated and consistently presented, and that we are looked upon as a professional Education organization.
- Liaises with NGO Partner and Government Agencies, especially at provincial and district education levels. This includes periodic meetings with partners to exchange information and updating programs’ work progresses.
School Infrastructure
- Supports the School Infrastructure Senior Program Associate to create and review designs periodically for the repair and renovation of existing rooms, and internal designs for child-friendly furniture and classroom layouts in collaboration with the Program Operations Director’s office and the Literacy program team.teams.
- In collaboration with the Literacy Director, Programs Operations Director, Country Director, and Regional and Global Office staff, annually reviews and improves the School Infrastructure program design, including community engagement strategies, community orientation agendas, and community-based construction training’s.
Qualifications and Experience for Manager:
Required:
- Master’s Degree in Education Administration, Social Science, Project Management, or equivalent experience
- Minimum of 5 years’ related work experience, with experience in leadership and management roles
- Strong planning, budgeting/financial management, administrative, supervisory, coaching and program development skills
- Good knowledge and understanding of education issues, including teaching methodologies and community involvement in schools
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Ability to stay in the field and travel to designated project sites
- Computer literate (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Workshop/training and facilitation skills
- Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people
- Proven track record of achieving results
- Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative
Preferred:
- Prior experience working with schools, teachers, administrators and government officials
- Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization
- Report writing experience
- Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
- A valid driving license would also be preferred though not a must.
Location – Tanga
“Room to Read is a child safe organization”
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
