Manager, Partnerships and Government Relations

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.

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 Manager, Partnerships and Government Relations, is responsible for providing strategic leadership and coordination for the implementation of the Accelerate 2.0 project, a donor funded Literacy Portfolio initiative. While managing and stewarding strategic partnerships with foundations, corporates, government, and other stakeholders. This role is responsible for ensuring effective project delivery through strong collaboration with program, technical, and Research Monitoring & Evaluation (RM&E) teams at country and site level, while maintaining high quality partnership engagement and compliance. The Manager will also play a critical role in strengthening partnerships with government stakeholders to promote ownership, sustainability, and scalability of project outcomes, cultivating long-term collaborations, and positioning Room to Read Tanzania as a thought leader and partner of choice in foundational learning in Tanzania. This position will report to Country Director and will have literacy field staff at Associate and Facilitator level as direct reports as well as dotted line supervision of RM&E staff members.

Job Requisition ID: R-03206

Roles & Responsibilities

Management, Planning and Coordination (Overall Project)

• Maintain accurate and up to date tracking of project activities and spending and serve as primary point of contact for overall project execution.
• Support departments to revise work plans as needed to meet deadlines, and communicate with necessary stakeholders when major work plan changes occur.
• Identify implementation challenges and provide solutions or flag for Program Operations Director (POD), Literacy Director, Senior Manager - RM&E or other government stakeholders for additional support.
• Act as primary liaison between Country Office, Community Based Office, and other government stakeholders’ counterparts as needed, to communicate project updates, delays, changes, and concerns.
• Monitor project budget to ensure project activities stay within approved budget and coordinate with Accounting and Finance Manager, POD and program leads to address budget issues.
• Facilitate and support annual planning and budgeting in partnership with country team technical leads.
• Review and approve staff expense reports to ensure expenses, documentation, and coding are compliant and within approved budget.
• Review and approve staff weekly/monthly timesheets and trip reports and ensure accuracy and compliance.

Partnership and Government Engagement

• Develop and implement the country’s partnership strategy with key stakeholders including the government in alignment with Room to Read’s global and regional strategies and guidelines.
• Lead engagement with government stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and ownership of project activities.
• Promote sustainability and scalability of literacy interventions through government systems.
• Identify, cultivate, and manage high-value relationships and government institutions specifically with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST); President’s office- Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG) and other educational institutions like Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE), Zanzibar Institute of Education (ZIE) and other educational agencies both from Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
• Represent Room to Read Tanzania in high-level external meetings, forums, and networks to advance partnership goals.
• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with government ministries, especially Education and Gender, to ensure alignment with national priorities.
• Attends to donor affairs including hosting donor and project site visits in collaboration with programs of staff including providing feedback for the same.
• Liaise with NGO Partners and Government Agencies, especially at provincial and district education levels. This includes periodic meetings with partners to exchange information and updating programs’ work progresses.
• Create a network of collaboration between Room to Read and other organizations working in the foundational learning space in Tanzania. This also includes working closely with the Tanzania Education Network in Tanzania (TENMET).

Program Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting

• Plan, coordinate, and document all the project related activities including success stories.
• Participate in and supervise the successful execution of each stage of the Accelerate 2.0 project, including frequent open communication with the project team members and stakeholders.
• Work closely with the RM&E team to ensure data driven implementation and decision making.
• Ensure monitoring frameworks are effectively applied and learning is documented.
• Support the use of evidence and data to inform project improvements and reporting.
• Conducts regular field visits to monitor and verify the projects’ progress and impact, understand the challenges and needs of stakeholders (e.g., Room to Read staff, LP Senior Associate, Senior Literacy Facilitators, communities, children, etc...), and the appropriate Room to Read solutions.
• Oversee Tanzania Country Office contributions to quarterly and annual Room to Read and overall Accelerate 2.0 narrative reports and financial reports, including reviewing department inputs for quality, contributing when appropriate, and ensuring timely submissions to the Global offices.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly implementation updates, including monthly newsletters.
• Facilitate documentation of best practices and lessons learned.
• Develop quarterly report for distributing to partners, if applicable.

Communications and Advocacy

• Collaborate with the communications team to design materials that showcase Room to Read Tanzania’s brand and impact.
• Position Room to Read Tanzania as a leader in foundational literacy, participating in policy dialogues, thought leadership platforms, and advocacy campaigns within the government and donors related platforms.
• Leverage partnerships to enhance Room to Read’s visibility and credibility in Tanzania.

Qualifications and Experience

Required:

• Master’s degree in international development, Education Management, Business Administration, Communications, Public Relations, or related fields.
• Minimum of 10 years’ progressive experience in partnership management, donor relations, or external engagement in Tanzania or the East Africa region.
• Minimum of 7 years' experience working in the education and development sector in Tanzania, particularly literacy and girls’ education.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, networking, advocacy and presentation skills in English and Kiswahili.
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to manage diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Strong project management and coordination skills.

Preferred:

• Established networks within partners, corporates, and government institutions in Tanzania.
• Experience working in international NGOs, particularly in education, gender, and related fields.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams.
• Familiarity with Room to Read’s mission, programs, and global operations.

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 (e.g. 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.