Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, we have been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world.

EDC promotes equity and access to high quality education and health services and products that contribute to thriving communities where people from diverse backgrounds learn, live, and work together. We support an inclusive workplace culture that embraces many perspectives and broadens our understanding of the communities we serve, enhancing and enriching our work.    

The USAID Let’s Read Project is a 5-year, $48.9 million project in the five target provinces of Eastern, Muchinga, Southern, Northwestern and Western Zambia that works to improve reading outcomes for approximately 1.4 million children attending pre-primary (kindergarten) through to Grade 3 and provide professional development for teachers to support reading interventions in Zambian public and community schools.

Position Description

The Senior Reading Advisor (SRA) is based in Lusaka. The SRA will provide overall technical leadership for the USAID Let’s Read project promoting Zambia’s Primary Literacy Programme (PLP), including guidance for the project’s support to improved reading instruction – including policy review related to local language instruction, teacher professional development and coaching, standardized formative assessment, as well as materials development with a focus on integrating gender and disability inclusive approaches. Additionally, the SRA will work to ensure complementarity of activity approaches in reading across project regions, collaborating closely with Ministry of General Education (MoGE) officials in both Teacher Education and Specialized Services (TESS) and the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), as well as the project’s Reading and Monitoring & Evaluation/Performance Tracking System Teams.

Functional Responsibilities

• Provide overall technical oversight and guidance to program work related to improving instruction on early grade reading, enhancing delivery systems for better early grade reading instruction, and increasing family and community engagement in early grade reading;
• Manage technical staff working on materials development, training, and liaising with private publishers;
• Guide program staff on essential components of reading programs, including curriculum design, lesson planning, instructional approach, teacher professional development, materials development and distribution, classroom-level assessment, and large-scale assessment, to develop and integrate highly effective activities for maximum effectiveness at the program level;
• Guide program staff with expertise in materials development, including appropriate scoping and sequencing of leveled texts in multiple languages;
• Engage with actors across the education system to optimize use of available resources with specific attention to school and classroom management practice, including quality assurance, supportive supervision, and coaching leading to improvement in learning outcomes at the primary-school level;
• Contribute knowledge of effective school research findings and practices applicable to developing country contexts;
• Engage directly with host-country organizations on their capacity development needs with the overall aim of improving equitable and high-quality service delivery to host-country populations for improved reading outcomes;
• Assist Ministry of General Education personnel in the appraisal of PLP support efforts and the adaptation of PLP implementation as needed based on evidence;
• Build collaborative relationships with governmental agencies, donor/client organizations, relevant private sector actors, and other nongovernmental organizations and institutes to enhance quality and effectiveness of the project’s materials;
• Review, analyze, and evaluate the effectiveness of literacy-related activities and recommend improvements to meet project goals;
• Contribute to the design and implementation of the project’s learning agenda;
• Support other project specialists to ensure coherent design and implementation;
• Contribute to Quarterly and Annual Reports, and other communications documents;
• Work with home office experts and local partners to ensure program relevance and quality;
• Other duties, as assigned.

Reporting and Organizational Relationships:

The Senior Reading Advisor reports to the Chief of Party.

The Senior Reading Advisor will manage a technical team that includes central and field-based staff working on reading, assessment and materials development.

The candidate for the position of Senior Reading Advisor shall have at a minimum the following qualifications:

Education:

Master’s degree in Education, Literacy, Language/Linguistics or a related field, preferably with a specialty in early grade reading.

Skills and Experience:

• Ten years of demonstrated experience working in improving early grade reading, teacher professional development, and education policy
• Strong understanding of the development and education issues in East/Southern Africa (Zambia preferred)
• Knowledge of a balanced literacy framework, early literacy competencies, and reading diagnostics
• Knowledge of mother tongue and English transition instruction strategies
• Experience developing multilingual literacy teaching and learning materials.
• Familiarity with USAID tools and methodologies to improve reading outcomes
• Leadership experience in a large internationally-supported education program; and
• Proven ability to coordinate and manage teams of diverse professionals.

Language:

Fluency in English is required.

Deadline for Application:

All applications must be submitted by midnight May 19, 2021

EDC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce and ensuring an equitable and highly inclusive work environment. EDC is a smoke-free workplace, and offers a supportive work environment, competitive salary, and excellent benefits. Women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.