Location: Tennessee, USA (with regional travel across Appalachia)
Position Overview
The Senior Program Operations Associate (Associate Manager) supports the day-to-day coordination and delivery of Room to Read’s literacy programs in Tennessee and contributes to program expansion across the Appalachian region. The role manages assigned literacy initiatives—including summer reading programs, family literacy workshops, read-aloud workshops, and book distribution efforts—ensuring consistent, high-quality implementation across partner schools and communities.
The role serves as the primary point of contact for assigned schools and community-based partners and represents Room to Read in external meetings and site visits related to program implementation. The Associate Manager applies independent judgment in managing timelines, identifying implementation risks, and proposing practical solutions within established program frameworks. Internally, the role works closely with Literacy Program Operations, Publishing, Research, Monitoring & Evaluation (RM&E), and Fundraising teams to support aligned implementation and reporting.
This role requires demonstrated familiarity with rural Appalachian communities. Effective performance depends on the ability to build trust-based relationships with educators, families, and community partners by working in culturally responsive, relationship-centered ways that reflect local values, communication norms, and school and community contexts.
This is an individual contributor role with ownership of assigned programs and geographies.
Responsibilities
Program Implementation & Partner Management (45%)
Coordinate day-to-day implementation of assigned literacy programs, ensuring activities are delivered on time and to quality standards.
Serve as the primary liaison for assigned partner schools and community-based organizations, supporting relationship management and issue resolution.
Coordinate logistics for workshops, trainings, site visits, and book distributions.
Implement programs in ways that are responsive to rural Appalachian community contexts, including local school environments and family engagement norms.
Adjust communication and facilitation approaches to reflect local culture while maintaining program quality expectations.
Support identification of new partners and strengthening of existing partnerships to support program delivery.
Represent Room to Read in external meetings, workshops, and site visits related to assigned programs.
Project Management, Planning & Tracking (30%)
Track program timelines, deliverables, and resources for assigned programs, flagging risks and delays.
Support development and monitoring of operating plans and budgets for assigned activities.
Maintain accurate program documentation, tracking tools, and resource inventories (e.g., books and materials).
Compile and synthesize monthly and quarterly implementation reports for internal review.
Monitoring, Data Quality & Learning (20%)
Conduct site visits to observe program implementation and provide clear, actionable feedback to partners.
Support routine data quality checks to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency of program data.
Support data collection processes, including indicator tracking and partner orientation as needed.
Apply understanding of rural Appalachian school and community contexts when interpreting monitoring data and site-visit observations.
Assist with analysis of monitoring data and contribute to recommendations for program improvement.
Coordinate with the global RM&E team to support alignment with organizational monitoring standards.
Program Growth & Continuous Improvement (5%)
Contribute implementation insights and lessons learned related to program delivery in Tennessee and Appalachia.
Support documentation of best practices to inform future program design and expansion.
Assist with refinement of tools, templates, and processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Expectations for the First 3–6 Months
Independently coordinate implementation of assigned literacy programs in Tennessee.
Establish effective working relationships with schools and community partners.
Conduct site visits and provide timely, practical implementation feedback.
Demonstrate culturally responsive engagement grounded in familiarity with rural Appalachian communities.
Improve or refine tracking tools and reporting processes for assigned programs.
Build strong working relationships with cross-functional internal teams.
Requirements
3–5 years of professional experience in children’s literacy, elementary education, or education-focused programs in the United States.
Demonstrated familiarity with rural Appalachian communities and school environments, gained through lived experience, professional work, or sustained community engagement.
Experience coordinating programs or projects involving multiple partners and timelines.
Experience working with schools, community-based organizations, or external partners.
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
Comfort representing an organization externally in implementation-focused meetings and site visits.
Experience supporting pilots, program adjustments, or geographic expansion efforts.
Experience supporting data collection, reporting, and quality assurance processes.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel) and comfort learning new tracking tools and systems.
Preferred
Prior professional experience working in rural Appalachian education or community-based programs.
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.
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.
Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.