Asia Regional Director

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Job Description
Asia Regional Director

Organization Profile:
Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.

We are non-governmental, non-religious and work with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement our programs. We currently work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Zambia - countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. Since our inception, Room to Read's worldwide team has impacted over 4 million children by constructing more than 1,100 schools, establishing over 9,200 libraries, publishing 433 new children's book titles in 11 local languages, and putting over 8,700 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$30 million and our global staff numbers over 300. Our global headquarters is located in San Francisco, and we have smaller fundraising offices in New York, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo and Delhi. We have an Asia Regional Office located in New Delhi, a Southern Africa Regional Office in Pretoria, and program offices in Colombo, Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane. Our long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.
Position Overview:

The Asia Regional Director provides both leadership and support to seven country teams engaged in all aspects of Room to Read’s operations including program planning and budgeting; ongoing project implementation and monitoring; and the finance and accounting, human resources, compliance and administrative functions. The position reports directly to the Chief of Operations (CoO) in the Global Office in San Francisco and supervises seven Country Directors in South and Southeast Asia as well as a regional support team. This position is based in Asia, requiring frequent travel throughout the region.

Goals:
• Communicate regularly with the Chief of Operations and other relevant Global Office staff on important issues and events related to Regional and Country Office operations - including program implementation; legal, financial and human resource issues; donor, local government and external relations; and new program opportunities, including local fundraising
• Lead Regional Office support to Country Office teams in developing annual plans and budgets, ensuring that such plans align with Room to Read’s Strategic Plan. Coordinate and monitor implementation of, and reporting on, annual plans and budgets.
• Work with Country Directors to identify key (“top 3-5”) Country Office annual program and operational priorities and monitor, on an ongoing basis, actions taken and progress achieved, providing support to CO teams as needed
• Ensure, with Regional Office team, that Country Offices properly develop and utilize critical tools used to track program implementation and spending, such as Implementation Calendars and calendarized budgets/spending forecasts
• Make recommendations for program and process improvements to Chief of Operations and other relevant Global Office staff and, in collaboration with Program Team members, help to support their implementation following agreement
• Assist Country Directors with development of annual performance plans, provide regular feedback on performance, and undertake formal performance reviews when desirable/required
• Assist with the design and implementation of an annual monitoring and evaluation plan for the region in collaboration with the M&E team
• Work with program team to codify best practices for each Room to Read program so that it can be shared across existing countries of operation and rolled out in new ones
• Identify Regional and key Country Office staff capacity-building and professional developments needs and assist Human Resources team with sourcing of support to address the needs.

Responsibilities:
• Provide input on regional human resource growth plan for the organization, including developing and monitoring HR policies, employee handbooks and administration policies for in-country operations.
• Review and provide feedback on Country Office reports, including Monthly Implementation Updates and Quarterly Reports.
• Work with Country Directors and Manager of Legal Operations to manage all legal and compliance issues related to Room to Read’s international corporate and charitable registrations and reporting requirements.
• Attend Room to Read conferences and meetings as necessary and assist in planning and facilitating regional conferences as needed.
• Ensure that new Regional and Country Office staff receive a proper orientation and ongoing training as needed.
• Lead the recruitment process for Country Director-level positions and assist Country Directors with recruitment of key staff.
• Implement and monitor compliance with organization-wide operating policies; ensure region has adequate internal financial and program controls, and recommend additional controls as necessary.

Professional Qualifications:

• Experience in the international educational field - A strong background in capacity building.
• A balance of program technical skills (community driven programming) and strong participatory management experience - Proven experience in program development, fundraising and networking
• Prior experience living and working in Asia.
• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people.
• Proven track record of achieving results among staff with varied skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to prioritize and multi-task and to clearly communicate priorities and deadlines.
• Strong collaborative nature with a commitment to “matrixed” as well as “hierarchal” management.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently (at least 50% of the time), occasionally on short notice.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization.
• Effectiveness in working or volunteering in a non-profit organization that is focused on maintaining high quality work and low overhead
• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience, several in the International NGO environment - Master’s degree required, higher degree preferred.
• Fluency in verbal and written English; knowledge of one or more Asian languages preferred

Personal Attributes:
• Have a passion for the mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and-coming non-profit organization.
• A capacity to listen and to work with others.
• An ability to inspire trust, a proven ability to lead and facilitate with strong interpersonal skills and an ability to move from ideas to action.
• An ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a diverse range of people from different environments, sectors, and society.
• An ability to listen to others and learn from their best ideas, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, approachability, and openness to input from all levels of staff.
• An ability to be stay grounded, trustworthy, an ability to give credit and recognition to others and personal style of acting with humility and grace – in sum a superb professional and personal presence.

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. Benefits including health insurance and a retirement plan are also provided. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through the lifelong gift of education.

Application Procedure:

Please send a cover letter and resume by email, with “Asia Regional Director” in the subject line, (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins) to ashutosh.khanna@kornferry.com. Due to high applicant volume you may not receive a response from Room to Read. Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

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

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