Program Officer, Volunteer Corps, AJWS, New York, NY

Posted: August 7, 2007

Organization Overview

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community. For more information, visit www.ajws.org.

Position Overview

AJWS’ Service Department is seeking a Program Officer, Volunteer Corps to join a team of professionals who are instrumental in sending Jewish volunteers on assignments in the developing world. The Program Officer will be dedicated to the concept of service and will have an understanding of the developing world. He/she will bring to this position a strong commitment to detail, execution, and customer service. Reporting to the Associate Director, he/she will be responsible for the programmatic aspects of the cycle of recruiting, selecting, preparing, placing and debriefing volunteers. In addition, he/she will assist volunteers in adjusting to their assignments and to their host countries as well as develop relationships with community based organizations in developing countries which serve as our partners for placing volunteers.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

• Evaluation of volunteer applications;
• Interviewing candidates and review of qualifications and suitability for volunteer assignments;
• Placing volunteers in appropriate volunteer assignments in the developing world, and providing assistance to the volunteers throughout the placement process;
• Facilitating connection between volunteer and partnering NGO, trouble shooting when necessary;
• Establishing relationships with partnering NGOs working with the support of In Country Representatives to ensure success of placements;
• Evaluating placements through volunteer and NGO assessments;
• Working with In-Country Representatives to ensure success of placements;
• Developing strategies for NGO selection in Africa and/or in consultation with the AJWS Grants Department, and needs of partnering organizations;
• Developing and maintaining systems for assessing and tracking the needs of NGO's for volunteers;
• Consultation with Education and Communication departments in developing orientation materials for volunteers, linking technical assistance, international justice and Jewish values; and
• Conduct field visits to Africa to visit potential partnering NGOs and evaluate while strengthening AJWS' relationship with current partnering NGOs.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 5-7 years work-experience required;
• Master’s degree in International Development, Public Health, Human Rights or Non-profit Management preferred;
• Prior experience working with volunteers preferred;
• Work or volunteer experience in the developing world required;
• Knowledge of regional development issues in Africa preferred;
• Strong customer service, interpersonal skills and ability to relate to high level professionals as well as community representatives required;
• Organizational skills which demonstrate attention to detail and ability to multi-task required;

How to Apply:

For immediate consideration please forward a resume and cover letter to opportunities@ajws.org, and indicate "Program Officer, Volunteer Corps" in the subject line.