| 

ROOM TO READ
CHIEF OF OPERATIONS

Organizational Overview

Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls, and establishing computer labs. It seeks to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportunities that only education can provide, Room to Read strives to break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time.

Room to Read is non-governmental, non-religious and works with many local NGOs and community based organizations to implement programs. The organization currently works in Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Zambia – countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children. In 2007, expansion into Bangladesh began.

John Wood, Founder and CEO, launched Room to Read after a trek through Nepal. He visited several local schools and was amazed by the warmth and enthusiasm of the students and teachers, but also saddened by the shocking lack of resources. Driven to help, John quit his senior executive position with Microsoft and built a global team to work with rural villages to build sustainable solutions to their educational challenges. Founding Room to Read, John wove proven corporate business practices with his inspiring vision to provide educational access to 10 million children in the developing world.

Since inception, Room to Read’s worldwide team has impacted over 1.3 million children by constructing over 400 schools, establishing over 5,000 libraries, publishing over 220 new children’s book titles in 11 local languages, and putting over 4,000 girls onto long-term, holistic scholarships. It is one of ten non-profits to have won the Fast Company / Monitor Group Social Capitalist award five years in a row and has been featured in a variety of media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and PBS.

Room to Read has an annual budget of approximately US$22 million, and the global staff numbers over 225; both of these figures will continue to grow rapidly in 2008. The global headquarters is located in San Francisco, the Asia Regional Office is located in New Delhi, the Southern Africa Regional Office is located in Pretoria, and program offices are located in Colombo, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Lusaka, New Delhi, Pretoria, Phnom Penh, and Vientiane. Their long-term goal is to help 10 million children to gain the lifelong gift of education.

Chief of Operations

This position is part of the management team. The Chief of Operations (COO) is responsible for leadership and management of the Global Office-based programs operation and information technology teams, as well as regional teams who oversee all Room to Read country programs and operations. Through management of Regional Directors, this position will oversee the annual planning and implementation of Room to Read’s operations worldwide as well as expansion in to new geographies. The Chief of Operations will manage two Regional Directors and three global office staff – the Chief of Operations will indirectly manage a staff of ten professionals in the San Francisco office. The Chief of Operations will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and will have regular interactions with the Board of Directors and the international management team of Room to Read.

The following sections will describe the Duties and Responsibilities for the new Chief of Operations:

Duties & Responsibilities:

Global Program Operations Responsibilities

• Oversees Regional Directors to ensure day to day management and oversight of all of Room to Read’s programs and operations globally

• Oversees the development of annual plans by all international offices and works closely with Regional Directors and the Chief Program Officer to set the annual strategic direction for the country offices

• Ensures regional and country team reporting is conducted timely and accurately; regularly monitors annual budgets to ensure costs do not exceed budgetary constraints

• Works closely with the Chief Program Officer to ensure quality implementation of all five of Room to Read’s programs across all countries

• Works closely with the CFO and Chief People Officer to ensure timely roll-outs of all HR and Finance initiatives at the Regional and Country levels

• Participates in planning the annual management team conferences for Global Office, Regional and Country senior staff, which serves as our annual opportunity for training and idea sharing

• Serves as a resource to the regional and country teams for problem-solving and crisis management

Global Operations, Business Process and IT Responsibilities

• Works with program team to codify best practices for Room to Read’s programs so that they can be shared across existing countries of operation and rolled out in new ones

• Manages the flow of information regarding strategic direction, program operations and expansion projects to the development team to assist in foundation, corporate and individual fundraising efforts

• Supports and enhances global staff’s ability to perform their jobs by ensuring clear processes and systems are designed and set up in terms of work management and communication skills

• Oversees the information technology team and spearheads the development of technology planning and ensures the streamlined operation of IT processes in alignment with the business objectives of Room to Read and its global programs

New Country and Partnership Responsibilities

• Oversees program operation’s work in researching new countries for operation, including writing detailed country level reports on macro socio-economic and educational issues • Oversees study trips to potential countries of operation and operational launch of new Room to Read countries, including hiring of key management staff • Explores and makes recommendations on potential partnerships with other NGOs

Communication, Strategic and External-Facing Responsibilities

• Participates on management team to develop and implement strategy for Room to Read’s growth in general

• Keeps management team, Board of Directors, and staff up to date on all program operations and expansion related information

• Stays informed about research and trends in the area of international education and development and recommends improvements to our systems accordingly

• Networks with other non-profits running similar programs to find areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing

• Represents Room to Read by attending and speaking at different forums and advocates the importance of our educational work

Professional Qualifications and Personal Attributes

Beyond these objectives, the Chief of Operations should ideally possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

Professional Qualifications

• Strong skills, training, and experience in professional development and management/mentoring;

• Prior experience living in a developing country;

• A management style that is outcome-oriented, but flexible, and that respects the capabilities and independence of staff, while providing them with a clear sense of direction;

• Prior success working closely with and building relationships with staff, partnerships, donors and a Board of Directors;

• Prior experience in a fast-paced, growth-oriented global or regional organization;

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English;

• Prior success working closely and building relationships with diverse groups of people;

• Ability to juggle multiple priorities simultaneously and take initiative;

• A master’s degree in a related field of study, e.g., MA, MBA or MPA in Nonprofit Management;

• Ability and desire to travel internationally.

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 include health, dental, vision, long-term disability insurance, and a 401K match. 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.

How to Apply

This search is being conducted by Daniel Sherman and Steven Sherman of Explore Company Executive Search in Washington, DC.

Interested candidates should e-mail a cover letter explaining how your skills and background fit this position and a resume to resumes@explorecompany.com. Please include Room to Read COO in the subject line.

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

Download This Job Posting

Web site by Marc Nathan and Simply Computers Plus