Homeownership Counselor, Operation HOPE Inc, Maywood, CA

Homeownership Counselor

Posted on: July 30, 2014 
Posted by: Operation HOPE Inc.
Employment type: Full-time
Benefits: Medical, Dental and 401k benefits available
Job location: Maywood, CA

Who is Operation HOPE?

For the past twenty years Operation HOPE has been dedicated to empowering underserved communities through financial literacy. Now, our work encompasses much more than financial education. Our work is about instilling knowledge and confidence in those we serve so they can experience, sometimes for the first time in their lives, financial dignity.

Job Summary

Provide one-on-one counseling and group education on the home buying process and assist individuals to improve their financial profile in order to qualify for a mortgage loan. Identify, recruit, educate, counsel potential and exiting homeowners.

Duties & Responsibilities 

• Coordinate and conduct home buyer workshops and classes
• Enroll and counsel potential homeowners in the Case Management counseling program
• Provide homeownership counseling by providing one-on-one credit, debt and savings counseling to individuals for the purpose of qualifying for a home loan
• Conduct follow up appointments to successfully assist individuals in completing the program
• Input, track, and update clients in Client Management System
• Maintain program client files
• Prepare credit bureau dispute letters and settlement letters for program clients (when applicable)
• Provide down payment assistance counseling for homeownership counseling participants (when applicable)
• Enroll, track the progress, and follow-up with program clients and clients participating in the HOPE Fund Matching Grant (when applicable)
• Community outreach and business development
• Recruit for and promote HOPE programs and services
• Maintain a neat clean work area
• Establish referral relationships and additional funding opportunities
• Ensure that all program goals, standards and policies are met
• Complete production and activity reports
• Meet production goals
• Facilitate the lending process
• Facilitate realtor and lender partner relationships
• Ability to articulate the mission, objectives and programs of the organization
• Perform all other miscellaneous responsibilities and duties as assigned 

 

Skills Required 

Adaptability, Administrative skills, Analysis, Control, Delegation, Diagnostic, Impact, Interpersonal Relations, Leadership, Learning Ability, Motivation, Persuasiveness, Planning Ability, Personally well- organized, Presentation, Resilience, Safety, Subordinate Development, Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, Attention to Detail, Cooperation, Decision-Making, Energy, Flexibility, Independence, Information Retrieval, Initiative, Integrity, Organization, Professionalism, Stress Tolerance, Verbal Fact-Finding, High Work Standards. Basic understanding and experience working with Excel, Word, and Publisher. Ability to interact with all levels within a corporate environment.

Educational Requirements  

Bilingual required - Spanish
Bachelor's Degree required
Housing counseling or financial planning/credit counseling experience
Experience in loan packaging and counseling preferred
Experience in outside sales and outreach preferred

Working Conditions

Normal office environment, ability to walk, stand, sit, and talk on the phone for long periods of time in a professional manner. Ability to work and travel outside the office in the field and to coordinate and facilitate workshops/trainings/events throughout the region.

Needed Attributes 

Aptitudes: Ability to effectively monitor the progress of program participants.
Temperament: Willing to modify plans and behavior when necessary to meet a goal, takes time to help customers and others achieve their goals and assignments.
Interests: Public contact, communication of plans and ideas.

How to Apply 

Please email your resume to Rolando.Rivero@operationhope.org

Executive Director, Water for Waslala, Philadelphia, PA

Executive Director

Posted on: September 3, 2013
Posted by: Water for Waslala

BACKGROUND

Water for Waslala (WfW) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the water crisis in Waslala, a municipality in central Nicaragua where over 60,000 residents live in 85 rural communities. Due to a lack of potable water systems, nearly all Waslalans are forced to drink from polluted local rivers, causing severe illness and inhibiting personal and regional development. Water for Waslala seeks to permanently end this crisis by working together with the Waslalan people to provide every Waslalan man, woman, and child with access to safe drinking water within a generation.

Since its inception in 2004, WfW has provided a daily supply of clean water to over 2,500 Waslalans. On the ground in Waslala, WfW supports several full-time staff to deliver its program objectives. In the US, Water for Waslala consists of a volunteer Board of Directors, which oversees the organization's fundraising and programmatic activities.

Learn more at www.waterforwaslala.org.

OVERVIEW


After nine years of refining our drinking water programs, Water for Waslala has recently begun to scale the pace of its work and its impacts in Waslala. Over the last twelve months, we have doubled our Waslala staff from three to six, and plan to gradually increase the number of projects we complete each year as well, with an ultimate goal of providing all 60,000 Waslalans with clean drinking water by 2030.

To enable this growth in Waslala, Water for Waslala is seeking to hire its first full-time US employee, an Executive Director, to build the capabilities of our US side of the organization. The Executive Director will be expected to develop our organization in three areas:

1. Fundraising capacity: To scale our work in Waslala, we need to grow from being a $100K organization to a $200-$250K organization within the next 1-2 years. Our Executive Director will be expected to create and execute a new fundraising strategy that will enable us to double our fundraising revenues through new partnerships, major gifts, and foundation support.

2. Strategic partnerships: given that we are still a young and relatively unknown organization, one of our biggest needs is to develop partnerships with organizations that will:

• Significantly increase awareness of Water for Waslala
• Provide access to potential board members or strategic advisors
• Provide access to new sources of revenue

Such partnerships could include (but not be limited to) industry partnerships with peer water and sanitation (WASH) nonprofits, Latin America or Nicaragua-focused associations, and academic professors or institutions that specialize in WASH. Partnerships could also be formed with PR or media firms that could get our name out in the press, or with SEO organizations that could help improve our presence on the web.

3. US operations: the day-to-day operations of our US organization have been carried out by our Board of Directors for the last ten years. However, as our organization enters into a new growth phase, we recognize that our Board of Directors needs to evolve to focus more on strategy and fundraising. As a result, many of the day-to-day operational activities and processes need to be formalized and delegated to other volunteers. Our Executive Director will be expected to create a strategy to improve our US governance and operations activities, including developing a road map for evolving our Board of Directors, recruiting new Board members, creating a strategy to delegate key operational processes (e.g. accounting, HR, website maintenance) to other individuals, and managing those individuals.

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The successful candidate will be our only US employee, so the position is suited for an entrepreneurial self-starter who has experience and is excited by working independently in a startup-like atmosphere, with few resources to leverage that are common at larger organizations. Our future Executive Director must also be passionate about our organization and eager to build a lasting legacy that tangibly improves the lives of the poor in our world.

Because we are a virtual organization in the US, the location of the Executive Development position is flexible, though frequent travel to Philadelphia, where most of our donors and Board of Directors live, would be required.

QUALIFICATIONS

The right professional will have the following attributes and qualifications:

• Ability to be both a high-level strategic thinker and a doer – must be equally comfortable developing blue-sky strategic plans and driving the day-to-day execution of those plans
• Proven track record of leading similar organizations through their own growth phases
• Proven ability to work independently with little day-today oversight or support
• Creative, out of the box problem solver
• Tenacity – must be resourceful enough to overcome the inevitable challenges and setbacks that will naturally occur over time
• Experience leading and managing teams
• Sales/fundraising background and Executive Director or related experience
• Proven track record in designing and managing fundraising campaigns, developing relationships with donors and prospects, securing major gifts, and meeting fundraising targets
• Experience identifying and cultivating relationships with strategic partners
• Experience with organizational design, process improvement, and Board management
• Experience in the water and sanitation sector, or a proven track record of becoming expert in various industries quickly
• International development experience, as well as experience in a developing country context, preferred
• Entrepreneurial attitude and a willingness to work as sole US employee in a startup-like environment
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills
• Drive and a passion to grow Water for Waslala to new levels of success
• Bachelor's degree required; 10+ years of professional experience preferred
• Ability to communicate confidently and effectively with Board of Directors, donors, prospects, and high-net-worth individuals; strong written, oral, and listening skills a must

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create a detailed fundraising strategy and action plan to meet our fundraising goals and close our projected fundraising gap
• Research and prospect potential individual donors through existing and new networks
• Create high-quality marketing materials and pitches to articulate our achievements, vision, and needs to potential donors
• Build and cultivate relationships with new and existing donors and strategic partners through personal meetings or phone calls, emails, or mailings
• Create a Board evolution strategy and a plan to recruit new Board members
• Formalize key US operational processes, and manage group of volunteers to oversee the execution of those processes
• Travel to Waslala, Nicaragua several times per year to gain a first-hand perspective on our work and its human impacts

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a resume and cover letter to:

Justin Knabb
Director
Water for Waslala
justin@waterforwaslala.org

French Women's Rights Information Coordinator, The Association for Women's Rights in Development

French Women's Rights Information Coordinator

Posted on: July 16, 2013
Application deadline: August 4, 2013
Posted by: The Association for Women's Rights in Development

OVERVIEW

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) is an international feminist organization working to strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally.

The French Women's Rights Information (WRI) Coordinator is a full-time position responsible for:
- Planning, researching and producing information on a wide range of women's rights issues, processes and events
- Coordinating content production, dissemination and related activities with team members, external contributors and allies
- Actively building and engaging with AWID's Francophone constituency and developing French language content partnerships
- Actively participating in team and organization learning and development processes

The French WRI Coordinator reports to the Women's Rights Information Manager

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience:
At least 4-6 years experience:
- In a non-profit development and/or human rights and/or women's rights organization in a related role in the Global South and/or CEE/CIS and MENA
- Producing information, including research and writing, for diverse audiences
- Working in an international organization as part of a multicultural team

Other Requirements:
- Familiarity with elements of feminist theory and women's rights frameworks
- Able to travel internationally (1-2 times a year)
- Committed to the principles and values of feminism, anti-discrimination and anti-racism
- Experience working in a virtual, multi-location team

Assets:
- Knowledge of and contacts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region
- Courses or certificates in communication and/or new media

Content Design
- Works with the WRI Manager and team to identify information themes and priorities
- Develops an information strategy and related work plan for each priority theme, including but not limited to:
a) Defining target audiences and information outcomes, conducting background research, identifying and analyzing key documents;
b) Identifying the most strategic formats and dissemination channels;
c) Identifying relevant stakeholders for content contributions and partnerships;
d) Developing an operational work plan that documents timelines and outputs and division of labour with relevant team members

Content Production, Compilation and Dissemination
- Researches, produces, edits and disseminates diverse content on priority issues including at least two Dossier du Vendredi articles or interviews a month
- Liaises with contractors and external contributors to coordinate timely submission of commissioned content
- Regular sourcing of online content in French relevant to agreed priority issues
- Regularly monitors the use of WRI information and ensures adjustment of dissemination plan to respond to lessons learned

Constituency Building and Engagement and Content Partnerships
- Ensures access to timely news and information related to priority themes by maintaining relationships with strategic external stakeholders, in coordination with the WRI Manager
- Provides opportunities for AWID member and constituency engagement with content in line with AWID's social media and constituency engagement strategy
- Supports the development of AWID's online community in French, through direct outreach and engagement to promote discussion and debate on priority themes
- Develops content partnerships to reach diverse Francophone constituencies

We are looking for a bilingual (French/English) individual who is committed to the principles and values of feminism, anti-discrimination, and anti-racism. The ideal candidate will have an-depth knowledge of knowledge of women's rights and gender and development issues, and excellent written and verbal communication skills, and knowledge of the latest online and social media technologies. If you have strong multitasking skills, a keen attention to detail, and the ability to prioritize tasks with minimal supervision, we would love to hear from you!

For a complete job description, please visit our website at www.awid.org/Get-Involved/Jobs

HOW TO APPLY

Please send:
1) Current CV and cover letter (addressing how you meet the necessary qualifications and outlines why you want to work for AWID)
2) The exact source/location you saw the advertisement for this position

Fax: +416 594 0330
E-mail: jobs@awid.org (please include "Women's Rights Information Coordinator (French)" in the subject line of the email)

No phone calls please. Only email and faxed applications will be accepted. The application closing date is Sunday, August 4, 2013. We thank all who apply, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. AWID encourages, promotes and supports diversity in all aspects of its work.

To learn more about AWID and our programs, please visit our website at www.awid.org.