Lifting Hands International is looking for a Child Friendly Space Manager to start at the end of April in Greece with a minimum six-month commitment. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
About Us
Lifting Hands International operates a community center in Serres, a small city about an hour from Thessaloniki in Northern Greece. We work with a population of 1000+ refugees & asylum seekers at the local camps, providing regular aid distributions and a range of psychosocial support programs.
Role Profile
The Child Friendly Space (CFS) is a safe space for children (age 3-12), offering primarily play-based activities to support children’s development during these key years. The CFS comprises both indoor and outdoor spaces, including designated sessions for children aged 3-5 (Early Years Session) and an After School Club (ages 6-12).
Main Responsibilities
Program Management and Daily Operations
- Manage the daily operation of the Child Friendly Space
- Coordinate facilitators to run activities, including an indoor Early Years development programme (ages 3-5), an After School Club (ages 6-12) and outdoor sports, games and crafts.
- Ensure resources are well maintained and that space remains clean, safe and organised
- Track attendance, manage budgets, oversee inventory, and coordinate logistics to ensure consistent program quality.
Team Management
- Manage and support a large and diverse team of visiting and community volunteers
- Induct and train new CFS facilitators, supporting their wellbeing and engagement through regular check-ins.
- Lead weekly CFS team meetings, including activity planning and task delegation.
- Provide further training opportunities as the need arises; contribute to the organisation training cycle by delivering CFS-specific training to the wider team
- Work closely with the Community Engagement manager to support the participation of community volunteers
- Program Development:
- Monitor and evaluate program goals and outcomes; producing weekly and monthly reports
- Adapt the program to respond to the changing context and the evolving needs of children
- Manage collaborations with partner organisations and visitors
- Collaborate with the Operations Director and other program managers to coordinate activities and contribute to a multi-agency approach to child protection and positive engagement
Child safeguarding and wellbeing:
- Maintain a stable, structured and predictable environment for children
- Positively manage children’s behaviour, including responding appropriately to challenging behaviour
- Act as a responsible role model for children and facilitators, ensuring all CFS team members uphold safeguarding policies and professional boundaries.
- Collaborate with parents/carers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of each child.
- Report any child welfare concerns.
- Additional Organisational Support
- Assisting with other duties when required, including the support of other program operations across the organisation.
- Support aid distribution activities when required, including communication and participation in baby shop and children’s distributions.
Essential Criteria
- Quick-thinking and proactive, able to thrive in a fast-paced environment
- Confident and positive communicator; able to connect with program participants without shared common language
- Previous experience working with children in a refugee, forcibly displaced person, or at-risk youth context (experience of working with children aged 3-12 is a plus)
- Solution-focused and an active listener; possess a kind, understanding and approachable attitude
- Understanding of how to put children’s rights into practice and how to manage behaviour positively by maintaining routine, structure and boundaries
- Previous experience in people management
- Professional attitude, able to remain calm under pressure
- Able to work well in a large, multicultural team
- Minimum six-month commitment
- Fluent English speaker
- Some knowledge and understanding of child development, and trauma-informed care and practice with children
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of the implementation of Psycho-Social-Support programmes
- Understanding of the benefits of play for child development and stress reduction
- Potential to stay on the team for 6-12 months
- Knowledge of Greek / Arabic / Kurmanji / Farsi
- International Drivers License
We offer
- Free shared accommodation
- Five-day work week + full week break after every 6 to 8 weeks of work
- Monthly reimbursement (starting from 550 euros per month)
How to apply
To apply, please fill out this link
To learn more about Lifting Hands International in Greece and around the globe, visit our site at https://www.liftinghandsinternational.org/. Please send any questions to our Director of Operations, Rebecca, at operations@liftinghandsinternational.org.