Manager, Girls Education and Gender Equality Program

Overview

Manager, Girls Education and Gender Equality Program Jobs in Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka at Room to Read

Title: Manager, Girls Education and Gender Equality Program

Company: Room to Read

Location: Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka

Position Overview

The GEP Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership and ensuring the technical quality of Room to Read Sri Lanka’s Gender Equality and Girls’ Education Program (GEP) across both direct and accelerated implementation models. The role ensures the GEP team is equipped to deliver high-quality program content aligned with Vision 2025 and the country strategy. The Manager leads the development of partnerships to integrate proven gender portfolio components into government systems and drives scalable, gender-transformative interventions designed for sustainable integration within the national education system. Working closely with the Global Office (GO) Regional GEP Representative, the Manager serves as the Country Office’s technical lead, developing strategies that support Room to Read’s organizational goals and country priorities. The role is responsible for strengthening the capacity of the GEP team through training, coaching, technical guidance, and ongoing performance monitoring. Additionally, the Manager provides leadership and technical support to Country Office and field staff to ensure effective implementation of contextualized Girls’ Education Program resources in line with Vision 2025 and the country strategy. The position also supports the review, adaptation, and implementation of global program resources and implementation packages. The GEP Manager directly supervises Program Officers at the Country Office and provides technical oversight to field-based teams. As a member of the Country Management Team (CMT), the Manager reports directly to the Country Director (CD).

Responsibilities

Program Management, Contextualization, Training and Coordination

• Develop, design and lead gender-transformative interventions that are scalable and designed for integration into the country education system in both direct and accelerated approaches
• Lead government collaboration to integrate and mainstream core elements of our girls’ education and gender equality portfolio into government school systems.
• Review and revise worldwide Gender Equality Program content and professional learning materials for Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the regional GEP representative (PDTA).
• Build capacity of GEP core team staff in the use of contextualized program content and professional learning materials, in collaboration with the PDTA team, including delivering necessary orientations and trainings.
• Provide technical oversight of Core GEP staff and Social Mobilizers (SMs); including providing ongoing capacity building, on-site coaching, and technical support as required to address issues of program implementation quality in content areas.
• Provide general technical support to Core GEP staff in program content areas where contextualized worldwide content and professional development are not yet available.
• Provide input into performance evaluations of core GEP staff as needed.
• Monitor and collect feedback/best practices on the use of contextualized program content and professional learning materials, including conducting regular field visits.
• Provide regular feedback to the Global PDTA team on the use and effectiveness of contextualized program content and professional learning materials to improve design and content.
• Revise contextualized program content and professional learning materials as needed based on learnings from field implementation, in collaboration with the GO PDTA team.
• Serve as a member of the CMT, which provides overall support and direction for the work of RtR in country.
• Travel frequently to the field and schools to monitor and provide on-site support to the GEP team and field leaders.
• Design and implement different types of life skills and other customized programs depending on the needs of the girls and make sure that the programs are operating satisfactorily, and the girls benefit from the program.
• Develop and help support Program Officers to conduct mentoring to the sponsored girls as per their needs.

Planning, Reporting, and Documentation

• Develop department strategies and goals in consultation with the core GEP team and field leadership to meet the country goals. Prepare milestones and activities on the same working closely with the country team and GO PDTA team.
• Support country leadership to explore possible partnerships, fundraising possibilities, and through preparation of documentation including concept notes and proposals.
• Provide technical expertise with the Country Research, Monitoring & Evaluation (RM&E) team to support design, implementation, and refinement of monitoring and evaluation systems and procedures used to track progress against planned program outcomes and undertake required studies/surveys
• Provide technical input to the Program Operations Director(POD) to analyze annual program goals and budgets to ensure alignment with organizational strategies and priorities, as needed.
• Provide technical input to the POD on developing and providing oversight of the implementation calendar, PIC, budget, annual planning, procurement plan, quarterly reporting, and overall tracking of program implementation and spending, as needed.
• Prepare and review program reports as necessary.
• Support the communications manager to capture success stories and other relevant documentation.
• Carry out other activities as and when required, in the guidance of CD.

Government Coordination and External Networking

• Develop and implement a mechanism in coordination with field leaders and POD for building stronger relationships with the government at all levels in relation to girls’ education and gender equality portfolio.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community and school members, local educational authorities, government officials at national and sub-national levels, and other NGOs as needed for program mobilization and possibilities of partnership leading to scale up and integration.
• Represent RtR internally and externally by attending and speaking at relevant forums, and advocate for the importance of girls’ education and gender equality program work.
• Liaise with and explore opportunities for knowledge sharing with NGOs, experts, and institutions involved with girls’ education.
• Recommend schools and/or Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) partners to work with in supporting the program recipients in line with the RTR policy.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with school and/or NGO partners’ management team, education department, local authorities, and the parents. Schedule and conduct regular meetings with them to monitor the girls’ progress and address issues as they arise and take remedial action.
• Represent Room to Read at relevant meetings and occasionally assist in hosting key donor visits as directed by POD / CD.

Qualifications

Required:

• Master’s degree in a related field of study, e.g: education, social work, Gender
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in a similar capacity in the field of gender equality, education, life skills education, and/or community-and youth-development, and /or Girls education.
• Strong and proven records of planning, supervising, program development, and program monitoring & evaluation skills (Skills in having developed a Logical Framework for a program will be an added value)
• Good knowledge and understanding of education issues, including teaching methodologies, life skills, bridge course development, implementation, and monitoring process.
• Ability to travel frequently to RTR working areas throughout the country and to prospective areas of operation.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English
• Proven track record of achieving results, prior success working and building relationships with diverse groups of people and understanding of monitoring, evaluation, and process documentation
• Proven track record in developing and implementing program improvements that achieve results.
• Knowledge, understanding, and experience in conducting training for adults and adolescents.
• Experience adapting program and/or training content to fit different contexts and strong computer skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office programs

Preferred:

• Significant experience working in Sri Lanka with government agencies, government schools, teachers, youth workers, and school-going adolescents.
• Experience with mentoring, coaching, and/or providing capacity building support and effectiveness in working in a non-governmental organization that is focused on maintaining high-quality work and low overhead.
• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global/regional organization and ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative.

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have high energy level, comfortable performing multifaceted tasks in conjunction with day-to-day activities,
• Have superior interpersonal abilities and ability to get along with diverse personalities, tactful, mature, flexible, and team-oriented.
• Have good reasoning abilities, sound judgment and analytical skills.
• Be resourceful and well-organized
• Have the ability to establish credibility and be decisive – but be able to recognize and support the organization’s preference and priorities.
• Be results and people oriented but have sound judgment ability to balance other business considerations and service-oriented but assertive/persuasive.
• Have a strong work ethic and require minimal direction.

Compensation

Room to Read offers competitive pay with excellent benefits. Benefits include health, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, Personal Accident cover and other statutory benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing transforming the lives of millions of children by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.