Vice President for International Programs

Inspired by Judaism’s commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. AJWS is a Philanthropy 400 international human rights organization that works to promote global citizenship and social justice through grantmaking, public policy advocacy and volunteer service. In its first 27 years, AJWS has had extraordinary impact around the world, working in more than 30 countries and sending over 400 volunteers to the developing world annually. Throughout its history, AJWS has remained committed to its core values: essential dignity of every human being, sense of possibility, partnership and community, initiative and accountability, and humility.

The $50-million organization has 120 national employees, four national offices in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and 25 country consultants in Africa, Asia and the Americas.  AJWS has granted over $100 million to grassroots organizations to build civil society, foster economic development, expand access to education and health care, and advance human rights.  AJWS has 125,000 activists engaged in fighting for global justice and 60,000 donors who understand the intersections among Judaism, international development and human rights.

AJWS focuses its work in two areas: (1) Building and strengthening civil society in the developing world through grantmaking and technical assistance to NGOs; and (2) Raising awareness of, educating, engaging, training, mobilizing, and organizing the American Jewish community and its allies to actively support the human rights of marginalized people in the developing world. AJWS is currently in the implementation phase of an ambitious, forward-thinking strategic plan.

About the position

AJWS is seeking an experienced Vice President for International Programs to oversee the International Programs division. In this newly created role, the Vice President will be responsible for leading the organization’s international change-making strategy in three priority issue areas in six sub-regions in Asia, Africa and the Americas: (1) Civil and political rights in conflict, post-conflict and repressive contexts ; (2) Natural resource rights and economic justice; and (3) Sexual health and rights. With the support of approximately 30 national staff and 25 in-country consultants located in the Global South, the Vice President will oversee several program initiatives including grassroots grantmaking, a cross-regional strategic allies program, and the deployment of skilled volunteers. Partnering closely with the Vice President for Strategic Learning, Research and Evaluation and the Vice President for National Programs, the Vice President for International Programs will ensure that the organization is optimizing the strategic fit among its programs for maximum impact. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, this individual will be a member of the Executive Team, and as such, will work with a collaborative group of experienced executive leaders responsible for leveraging the organization’s resources to successfully realize the organization’s goals.

The Vice President for International Programs will be responsible for leading the smooth execution of the international program strategy enabling AJWS to continue to deepen its impact and position itself as a leading human rights organization committed to ending poverty and realizing the human rights of marginalized people in the developing world. The Vice President will foster teamwork, cultivate and maintain a collaborative culture, and integrate, align and monitor policies and organization-wide systems.  The Vice President for International Programs will have overall responsibility for:

• Scaling up the international work in priority countries, which will include the implementation of a tiered grantmaking strategy and the strategic deployment of skilled volunteers; this will also include overseeing the opening of regional/country offices (HQ/field staffing models, legal, financial, and regulatory compliance);
• Leading the successful integration and operationalization of the organization’s grantmaking and skilled volunteer programs and ensuring AJWS has the necessary systems and technology to track and share program data in a uniform way across program areas and geographic regions;
• Overseeing the international program budget to ensure accountability and excellent stewardship of resources;
• Modeling and reinforcing collaboration as the organization moves toward operating under a more complex matrix structure; and fostering cooperation, information sharing and cohesion between and among international and national programs;
• Serving as a member of the executive management team and participating in the development and implementation of strategic and tactical plans, operational budgets, as well as general management of the organization;
• Partnering with Development to ensure needed funds are identified and raised, reports and presentations to funders are prepared; strong relationships with funders are maintained and donor study tours to visit grantee partners are planned, staffed and supported;
• Working closely with the Strategic Learning, Research & Evaluation unit to further develop a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework that measures country-level, regional and global progress on the priority issue areas and program activities;
• Serving as AJWS’s international programs spokesperson with funders and media as needed; identifying appropriate forums for AJWS to participate and develop high-level visibility to promote its work;
• Overseeing the recruitment, placement and training of up to 80 skilled volunteers a year who can offer support and capacity building assistance to the organization’s grassroots partners;
• In partnership with Human Resources, providing oversight for safety and security; ensuring risk mitigation measures are taken by staff traveling internationally and for in-country consultants and volunteers; ensuring staff representatives adhere to security policies and procedures, risk assessments and recommendations;

In addition, the Vice President for International Programs will

• Performance manage staff within areas of responsibility to include performance planning, coaching, dialogue, performance feedback and development; take overall responsibility for creating and maintaining an environment that fosters a high performance learning culture, good employee morale, teamwork and effective talent management and utilization;
• Partner with communications to identify external opportunities to leverage AJWS’s impact and promote the reputation and visibility of AJWS, its projects, and its leadership; enhance how AJWS tells its story and shares the impact of its projects with broad audiences in order to advance the mission;
• Ensure the Board of Trustees and staff are informed of changes in external trends and initiatives that impact the organization through ongoing engagement between executive staff and board members at both board committee meetings and full board meetings.

Ideal Experience

The Vice President for International Programs must have a minimum of 15 years of successful experience within complex and dynamic organizations of comparable size and scope; S/he must have a strong background as an executive leader with experience managing global human rights programs and professionals across multiple continents, and maintaining strong relationships internally and externally. The successful candidate will display a strong sense of sophistication and a collaborative, strategic approach to running international programs.

• Advanced degree in international relations/human rights/social sciences or public administration/affairs required;
• Minimum of ten years international human rights program experience, including five years at a senior management level;
• Specific experience working in at least one of the following issue areas: natural resource rights and economic justice; sexual health and rights; civil and political rights; Knowledge of and experience with diverse funding streams;
• Extensive background working internationally with a minimum of two years living and working in the Global South;
• Commitment to grassroots and social movements and the human rights of marginalized people;
• Demonstrated ability to work in and with diverse communities;
• Strong familiarity with international human rights mechanisms;
• Sound, seasoned judgment and ability to provide values-based leadership, with particular attention to AJWS’s core values;
• Strong ability to coach and mentor staff and provide visionary leadership to a team of talented professionals from diverse backgrounds;
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build supportive relationships internally (board and staff) and effective collaborations externally (community partners);
• Experience presenting work to prospective donors and facilitating conversations to negotiate their financial support;
• Experience working effectively and respectfully with members of a senior leadership team as well as board members;
• Experience with planning, finance, budgeting, and development information systems;
• Highly developed communications skills; ability to represent AJWS’s history, mission, vision, identity, core values, strategies and frameworks in a manner that furthers the organization’s credibility, reputation and desired impact;
• Experience and outstanding abilities in strategic leadership, operational management/administration, managing collaboration and fostering teamwork, and budget and human resource management.

The ideal candidate will possess

• Strong commitment to the mission and vision of AJWS with the ability to serve as a strong, compelling ambassador for the organization;
• High degree of flexibility in order to achieve organizational objectives and meet its demands/needs;
• Excellent judgment, an ability to exercise discretion and tact in difficult or confidential situations and an ability to project a positive, professional image to the public;
• Exceptional analytical, strategic planning, and research skills;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate articulately and interact comfortably with high-net-worth individuals and groups;
• The capacity to build and maintain strong relationships with constituents of varied backgrounds, including AJWS’s Jewish constituency;
• Superior ability to communicate effectively and concisely in English (both in writing and orally);
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to solve problems, work independently, and excel in a high-performance culture;
• A demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines while maintaining disciplined adherence to program goals;
• The ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally as necessary (approximately 20 to 25 percent travel).

How to Apply

For immediate consideration, please forward your resume and cover letter to opportunities@ajws.org and indicate your name and "Vice President for International Programs" in the subject line.

Applications submitted without a personalized cover letter will not be considered.

We thank you for your interest in career opportunities with AJWS. Due to high volume, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

AJWS is an equal opportunity employer and provides competitive salaries and benefits.

Moreinfo: http://ajws.org/who_we_are/jobs/vice_president_for_international_programs.html