Haiti Country Manager At What If Foundation

TITLE: Haiti Country Manager
LOCATION: Remote, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti (with ability to travel country-wide)
COMMITMENT: 60 hours per month to start with the understanding that additional hours will be required as we expand our partnerships with community-based organizations in Haiti.
APPLICATION DATE: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

COMPENSATION: $25/hr

Position summary

What If Foundation (WIF) funds and supports community driven organizations in Haiti as they deliver critical programs that invest in youth, families, and communities. We are seeking a Country Manager who brings a combination of non-profit experience, a passion for social change, intellectual curiosity, strategic thinking, a focus on tangible results, a collaborative “can do” attitude and a desire for continuous improvement. We are looking for an inspired individual who is up for the challenge to recruit and provide oversite of new and existing partnerships in Haiti. Someone to manage grant-making initiatives independently and help us build a strong presence within the country.

The Country Manager will be responsible for building strong relationships with key stakeholders within private, public and civil society sector, working to establish cross cultural collaborations and pushing the field of community-based organizational change. The Country Manger will find, support and evaluate WIF funded community-based organizations throughout the country. Working locally in Haiti and as part of a global team the Country Manager will be contribute to WIF’s vision where Haitians have the opportunity and tools to foster their own prosperity from the ground up, one small step at a time.

About Us

The What If Foundation (WIF) invests in the future of Haitian children living in poverty. Founded in 2000, historically we have worked in close partnership with the grassroots Haitian organization Na Rive/OSDE to deliver food, education, and community support through funding programs that are transforming young lives in the Ti Plas Kazo community of Port-au-Prince, and beyond.

WIF creates the opportunity to have a positive, direct and immediate impact on the lives of Haitian children and families living in poverty. We do so by working in close partnership with local grassroots organizations to support programs that can transform the future of their community and beyond. We aim to elevate the inspiring voices of Haitians who are on the ground creating change. WIF funds, promotes and supports Haitian-led community organizations in their ambition to become agents of change in Haiti. We offer funding, visibility and awareness of their work in the US and internationally; connections to experts based on their evolving needs; and access to relevant innovations and ideas. And above all, we are a partner who believes wholeheartedly that change needs to spring from the ground up.

We are a small but mighty organization and well positioned to expand our reach. The programs we fund are Haitian-led and Haitian-run, which is why they are so effective. We believe in a culture of inclusiveness, warmth, thoughtfulness, nimbleness and hope.

In 2023, WIF has committed to expand our grant making efforts to fund and support at least 2 additional community -based organizations in Haiti. WIF is expanding our grant-making initiative by strategically building strong relationships with a number of Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in Haiti, with the potential to provide growing funding (over time) to select organizations while developing deep, trust-based relationships with each partner that mirrors our current model of partnership with OSDE.

WIF will begin to develop these desired partnerships with Haitian CBOs by funding projects to be implemented by small number of organizations. Using an RFP process, this will provide opportunities for WIF to support and fund multiple organizations, better understand the various landscapes of need, evaluate and expand new partnerships.

Primary responsibilities

• Lead What If Foundation grant-making initiative in Haiti with the goal of increasing WIF’s visibility throughout the country while supporting WIF’s current and potential grantees
• Seek out potential partnerships with community-based organizations promoting RFP process
• Provide support to WIF’s current grantees and all applicant organizations
• Provide training and networking opportunities to recipient organizations
• Develop relationships with key stakeholders and partners in the country to advocate for community-based initiatives, recruit support and report on funded programs.
• Provide strategic support to program partners.
• Manage the monitoring and reporting of the progress of the operations and indicators, and contribute to processes to measure, learn from, and improve impact.
• Networking and support to further expansion and development of grant-making initiatives in Haiti.
• Handle administration, data collection and grant reporting of new and existing organizations

Qualifications and abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of the practices and contributions of community-based organizations in Haiti.
• Excellent project management and interpersonal skills.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset.
• Explicit engagement for social change and understanding of historical and current challenges that exist in Hati.
• Demonstrated ability to work sensitively with diverse people and communities and ability to navigate challenging environment
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work cooperatively to build networks and satisfy needs of internal and external stakeholder.
• Ability to work independently and be part of a virtual team, thriving in an independent environment.
• Good IT skills and ability to quickly understand and use web-based applications and grant-reporting platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Spoken and written fluency in English and Haitian Creole.
• Readiness for travel within the country and internationally.

Education and experience

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible positions, with a distinguished record of relevant accomplishments in the business sector and/or in the nonprofit sector.
• Experience with project managing, rolling out, leading, managing or coordinating non-proft, community-based program operations in Haiti
• Documented experience of work within philanthropic/nonprofit sector.
• Solid knowledge in and experience of cultural practices in Haiti and the United States
• Experience working with media sector a plus.
• Management experience