Friends of Matènwa: Chief Executive Officer

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Budget:  $ 500,000—1,000,000

 

Purpose:

Friends of Matènwa FOM is organized and operated exclusively for educational and charitable purposes that are aimed at supporting programs that offer the Matènwa, Haiti community and, by extension, other communities of Haiti, opportunities to improve their education, social justice, community and cultural development, health and welfare.

 

Mission:

Our mission is to be a democratic model of hands-on education that reflects the learning and growing possible in one’s local environment, using methodologies that have been tailored to local culture through experimentation, evaluation, and ongoing improvement. We seek to empower the local community in its ability to reflect and determine its own solutions, thus creating a healthy interdependent relationship when seeking financial and material resources.

 

Background:

The Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) has been working for almost 25 years to develop an effective model for quality education in Haïti that is inclusive, equitable and respectful of children’s rights. Founded in 1996 by Chris Low and Abner Sauveur, two visionary educators, MCLC is located in mountains of La Gonâve, a rugged island off Haiti’s mainland that is home to about 120,000 people, most living in absolute poverty. MCLC has evolved to include an elementary school serving over 155 students and showcasing best practices in eight Pre-K to 6th grade classrooms; a high school serving over 170 students from Matènwa and surrounding communities in grades 7 through 13; and an Institute of Learning dedicated to promoting replication of the MCLC model in other locations, while supporting ongoing innovation and quality assurance at MCLC. MCLC also supports community dialogue and resulting sustainable development initiatives – helping families improve their food security and livelihoods skills, protect their health and environment, and respond to natural disasters.  By teaching in mother-tongue in the first three grades, using child-centered non-violent methods of education, MCLC has achieved notable community and educational success, such that 83% of its first high-school graduates passed the national baccalaureate exam, compared to a national average of only 37%.  The program’s mother-tongue books, created by and for children, was recognized by a US Library of Congress literacy award.

 

In 2010, Friends of Matènwa (FoM) was founded in Cambridge, MA as a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting outreach to help Matènwa and its partner communities achieve their educational and development goals. More than a decade later, it is an exciting time for Friends of Matènwa and the Matènwa Community Learning Center. More and more organizations in Haiti are recognizing the importance of our model, while increasing numbers of public and private school directors are asking for their teachers to be trained by our Institute of Learning so they can adapt all or parts of it into their schools. For this reason, our present CEO, Chris Low, will be focusing much of her efforts on this scale up of the model, and taking the position of Chief Strategy Officer while our Deputy Director, Samantha Menard will be moving into the position of Chief Operations Officer. To complete this C-Suite team, we seek a passionate candidate devoted to the advancement of Haiti, with a fervent belief in the transformative power of education.  The CEO will lead implementation of the 2020-2024 Strategic Plan, and its ambitious goals for expansion of MCLC’s successful model of education to children across Haiti; s/he  will strengthen FOM’s institutional capacity and systems to ensure an enduring legacy for generations of Haitian children to come.

 

 The CEO will report to the Board of Directors (https://www.matenwa.org/board-of-directors) and have two direct reports,  the Chief Strategy Officer, who as co-founder, drives the educational and technical design, management and scaling up of the MCLC program in Haiti, and the Chief Operations Officer, who ensures the smooth, accurate and timely financial and administrative operations of the organization, and assists the team by communicating with and providing operational support for all donor-related and fundraising activities. 

 

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

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Chief Executive Officer:  Friends of Matènwa (FOM)

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Purpose:

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Friends of Matènwa’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) leads the organization’s international team in promoting innovative educational initiatives, and in expanding and stewarding its human and financial resources. S/he builds global partnerships that support FOM’s educational mission, in particular the mission of its foundational Matènwa Community Learning Center (MCLC) model, for which the Chief Strategy Officer, under the CEO’s guidance, has ultimate technical authority.

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FOM Chief Executive Officer duties and responsibilities:

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• Report to the FOM Board’s Executive Committee; serve as primary liaison with the Board of Directors.

• Under the guidance of the Board of Directors, and in close cooperation with the Chief Strategy Officer, identify, create and implement strategic plans to achieve objectives.

• In collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer, identify, recruit, train, develop and manage a talented team of employees able to carry out objectives in line with the organization’s mission and budget.

• Develop the organizational culture and promote transparency and collaboration throughout the organization. 

• Identify potential risks and opportunities within the organization and its environment to protect business interests.

• Develop partnerships with stakeholders, donors, foundations, corporations, and other relevant parties domestically and internationally.

• Develop annual fund-raising goals and a strategy to attain these goals.

• Work closely with the Chief Strategy Officer to identify needs, obstacles, opportunities, and to coordinate fundraising efforts for MCLC.

•  Monitor and ensure the success of the MCLC model and its educational initiatives.

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FOM Chief Executive Officer skills and qualifications:

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• An advanced university degree and at least fifteen years progressive leadership and management experience.

• Excellent understanding of Haiti’s challenging political and socio-economic environment, as well as the international community’s involvement in Haitian affairs.

• Excellent understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by Haiti’s education sector. 

• Experienced in working with an Executive Board to shape policy, strategy and ensure good stewardship of resources.

• Ability to develop, shape and carry out fund raising campaigns promoting educational. philosophies similar to MCLC’s, leading to greater support from US and international donors.

• Excellent understanding of finance-related performance standards.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, manage and evaluate supervisees.

• Collaborative management approach.

• Proven ability to develop and execute programmatic and financial strategies.

• Proven experience of results-oriented partnership development.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, French, and Haitian Creole.

• Demonstrated knowledge of corporate and regulatory best practices.

• Problem-solving, organizational and leadership skills.

• Strategic thinking and analytical skills.

• Ability to collaborate and network with similar organizations advocating equity in education in Haiti.

• Knowledge and experience of educational reform an advantage.

 

Flexible working arrangements.

Salary: $72,000 - $80,000 

 

Interested candidates are invited to submit a cover letter, stating their qualifications and how they can navigate FOM into its next phase of growth, together with a copy of their resume in a single PDF.

 

APPLICATIONS DUE:  No later than August 31, 2021

 

SEND TO: lizgibbons53@gmail.com