Senior Coach, Literacy Field

locations

South Africa - Western Cape

time type

Full time

posted on

Posted Today

job requisition id

R-03241

World Change Starts with Educated Children® 

World Change Starts with Educated Children®

IMPORTANT: All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the country where the position is located. Room to Read is not able to provide sponsorship.

Position Overview

The Senior Literacy Coach is responsible for supporting and coaching foundation phase teachers in delivering high-quality, developmentally appropriate instruction that builds strong foundations in literacy. The coach works collaboratively to improve classroom practice and learner outcomes. The role further entails training and supporting teacher librarians, library volunteers, working with school management teams, principals, school governing bodies and department officials to adopt new ways of working with children.

This position requires regular travel to project sites.

Responsibilities

Educator Training and Coaching (70%)

• Supports teacher librarian(s) in the initial set up of the library
• Attends and participates in teacher and librarian training related to the Literacy programme.
• Collaborate with the school to support improvements in the library space
• Observes and coaches primary grade teachers and teacher librarians in implementing library periods and reading activities, modelling best practices in reading instruction and literacy engagement.
• Regularly observes and coaches Grade 1 to 3 teachers in delivering the instructional components of the Literacy Programme, modelling effective classroom instruction and providing structured, actionable feedback.

• Regularly observe, demonstrate and coach designated teacher- librarian(s) in good library management practice (book levelling, check-out system, etc)
• Models strong coaching practices and provides mentorship to strengthen coaching competencies among educators.
• Attends and actively participates in teacher and librarian training sessions related to the Literacy Programme.
• Provides ongoing feedback to School Management Team (SMT) on programme progress and coaches them on strategies to support teachers and promote sustainable improvements in literacy outcomes.

Curriculum and content (10%)

• Serves as the technical resource in the schools on applying literacy skills and the habit of reading techniques in the classroom or library.
• Coordinate closely with the Instructional Design and Teacher Support Unit to ensure they are successfully implementing the programme design and able to provide feedback on how well it works.
• Regularly observes, demonstrates and coaches Grade 1 to 3 teachers in delivering the instructional component of the Literacy Programme.
• Supports Grade 1 to 3 teachers in effective use of ongoing student tracking assessments to inform instruction.
• Participates in regular programme review meetings and contributes to continuous improvement initiatives aligned with organizational objectives.
• Perform other duties as assigned by direct supervisor.

Research and Insight (10%)

• Conducts ongoing planning, documentation, and reporting of school visits.
• Conducts and analyses data related to formative student assessments to inform support for Grade 1 to 3 teachers.
• Regularly collect school-level data, programme implementation monitoring data, library systems data and other required key programme indicators.
• Document best practices and lessons learned and share with the supervisor and the Literacy Programme Officer Technical.
• Support Literacy Programme Officer Operational in school site selection activities

Programme Delivery Structure (5%)

• Participates in literacy events, parent meetings, and community engagement activities to strengthen programme impact and stakeholder involvement.

• Works collaboratively with school leadership, programme teams, government officials and other stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of the Literacy Programme.
• Engages in regular review meetings and undertakes additional activities as required to fulfil organisational objectives and ensure successful programme delivery.
• Set up systems to ensure sustainability and establish district training teams.
• Support logistics of annual delivery of library books, instruction materials and other programme materials to schools

Other Administrative and Miscellaneous (5%)

• Participate in literacy events, parent meetings and other community activities.
• Participate in regular review meetings and any other activities which may be required to be undertaken to fulfil the objectives of the organization.
• Support any partner, government official or donor visits and other school-level activities that may be required to fulfil the objectives of the organisation.
• Conduct ongoing planning, documentation, and reporting of school visits.
• Supports donor visits through demonstration projects and presentation, as needed.

Qualifications:

Required:

• University degree in Education, Social Development, or another related field
• Minimum 3 years’ work experience in education and school environment, specifically Foundation Phase.
• Apply communicative language understanding (including Afrikaans and isiXhosa) to accurately capture intent, nuance, and meaning in verbal exchanges.
• Strong knowledge of foundation phase literacy instruction, methodologies and curriculum
• Experience in literacy, reading and learning improvement programmes
• Ability to build and manage relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to monitor progress of programme implementation
• Experience working with young children, schools and teachers
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, digital reporting tools and remote communication platforms.
• Ability to spend 90% of time travelling and visiting school sites to provide coaching and monitor progress of programme implementation.

Preferred:

• A passion for Room to Read mission and a strong desire to impact on a dynamic non-profit organisation.
• High level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness.
• A strong work ethic, ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent 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 in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

Room to Read is a child-safe organization; all personnel are expected to adhere to Room to Read’s Child Protection Policy and Child Protection Code of Conduct. Due to high applicant volume, we regret that we are not able to send personalized responses to all applicants. Applications are accepted until the position is filled. Room to Read reserves the right at any time to withdraw or alter this advertised position.

Child Protection Principles

• Room to Read has zero tolerance for child abuse and exploitation.

• All children should be treated with respect and dignity.

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Principles

• Room to Read has zero tolerance for adult sexual exploitation and abuse.

• All adults should be treated with respect and dignity.

About Room to Read:   

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®,

Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.