District Academic Coordinator

Position Summary:

The DAC will be placed in SCERT and report to the District Lead and play a critical role in strengthening teacher capacity-building and implementing the State’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) and Quality Education initiatives across the Jharkhand State. The role will focus on designing and contextualizing training modules for teachers, monitoring cadres, and other key functionaries by working closely with the literacy and numeracy team of SPMU while also facilitating training sessions to enhance classroom practices in foundational literacy. In addition, the Associate will support the development of Continued Professional Development (CPD) mechanisms for teachers, ensure effective cascading of teacher training, and contribute technical inputs for planning and program delivery. The position will require close coordination with training experts, government stakeholders, and technical partners to ensure robust planning, monitoring, and system strengthening. This role demands a balanced mix of academic expertise in FLN and primary education, strong stakeholder engagement, and project monitoring skills, with the goal of supporting state priorities on FLN and quality education while fostering collaboration at every level of the education system.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

A. Development of Training Module:

• Contribute to the design, adaptation, and contextualization of training modules for teachers, monitoring cadres, and key education functionaries, ensuring alignment with the State FLN and Quality Education roadmap with support of Literacy team of SPMU.

• Support in the development of session plans, training modules, facilitation guides, and digital/print resources to strengthen classroom practices.

• Collaborate with subject experts, training partners, and government counterparts to ensure quality, relevance, and standardization of training content across districts and blocks.

• Continuously review, update, and refine training modules based on feedback from field implementation, monitoring data, and evolving state priorities on FLN and quality education.

• Ensure training content incorporates capacity-building components for continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers and field cadres.

B. Coordination with JCERT on Content, Training and related aspects

• Work closely with SCERT officials and State Project Management Unit to know the various online and offline trainings planned for the coming year, to strategize and engage in Primary Education related trainings

• Work closely with SCERT to create an E-content for NISHTHA, DIKSHA and other platforms

• Support the roll-out of the e-learning modules for capacity building of pre-service and in-service

• Engage with DIETs, Block Resource Person, and school functionaries to demonstrate FLN approaches is implemented at the school level

• Plan and implement district/block level actions , community engagement, teacher training, gurugoshti etc in coordination with SCERT, DIETs and district level officials

• Conduct and Anchor coordination & review meetings with SCERT

C. Technical (Academic) Support:

• Share the need of SCERT with the technical team and support teams in strengthening partnerships with district and state-level education functionaries, fostering collaboration and building consensus around a shared vision for FLN success.

• Collaborate with government officials and technical partners to ensure the effective utilization of existing and newly developed Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) by teachers, students, and Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs).

• Enable continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers and education cadres by integrating academic insights into state-led training programs, workshops, and mentoring structures.

• Contribute subject expertise on foundational literacy and pedagogy, ensuring evidence-based teaching practices are reflected in classroom implementation and teacher capacity-building.

D. Capacity Building and Training:

• In collaboration with the technical team, facilitate training sessions for teachers, monitoring cadres, and key education functionaries to strengthen classroom practices in foundational literacy.

• Do the need analysis of teacher capacity and support designing the capacity building packages for teachers and stakeholders.

• Support the cascading model of teacher training by mentoring block- and cluster-level officials to ensure consistent and effective knowledge transfer.

• Contribute to the development and implementation of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) mechanisms for teachers to sustain and improve instructional practices.

• Build the capacity of district and block stakeholders by fostering collaboration, problem-solving approaches, and evidence-based decision-making to achieve state FLN and quality education goals.

• Any additional tasks allocated by the supervisor, within the scope of the overall project and program implementation done by Room to Read across states.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline; a or a specialized degree in Education/Training will be an added advantage.

• At least 2–3 years of professional experience in the development sector, particularly in government engagement, with a minimum of 1 year of relevant experience in school education or large-scale education projects.

• Proven experience of working with government stakeholders at the district and/or block levels is essential.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and generate actionable insights for planning, monitoring, and decision-making.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in Hindi and good proficiency in spoken and written English.

• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, adapt to dynamic environments, and travel frequently to blocks and districts as required.

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.

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 ( mental health counselling), upon consent.

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

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.

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.