U.S. Program Director

Position: U.S. Program Director
Location: Washington, DC
Level: Full-Time
Apply By: October 31, 2006

Summary
If you are interested in becoming an integral part of making international exchange experiences possible for overseas nonprofit professionals, you will want to join Atlas Service Corps as the U.S. Program Director. Along side a highly-motivated and collegial staff, you will work to provide expertise in the J-1 Visa process.

As the U.S. Program Director, you will create and foster relationships with nonprofit organizations and technical companies and administer exchange programs by (1) overseeing the application and visa processes for Fellows volunteering in the U.S. for one year; (2) providing support services and assistance to foreign nonprofit leaders during their stay in the United States; and, (3) responding to written and verbal inquiries from grantees, Host Nonprofit Organizations, State Department posts abroad, and the Education and Cultural Affairs Bureau of State Department.

This is an outstanding opportunity to work for a new international nonprofit organization that is setting out to revolutionize international volunteerism.

About Atlas Service Corps
Atlas Corps is a new nonprofit organization that will revolutionize international volunteerism by bringing leaders from the developing world (starting with India & Colombia) to volunteer in the U.S. as Fellows. Atlas Corps envisions a global citizen sector where best practices, talent, and services cross borders efficiently and effectively to serve the needs of the world community through international partnerships and collaboration.

Atlas Corps launched in August 2006 and is finalizing Host Organization Partners and Funders for the inaugural year. The Fellowship will begin in the summer of 2007 with 10 nonprofit leaders from India and Colombia coming to volunteer at U.S. nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC. Atlas Corps Fellows will address a wide variety of issues, focusing on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, including poverty, hunger, education, health, gender equity, and the environment, as well as human rights.

Atlas Corps is the first program to ever bring yearlong, mid-career professionals from the developing world to volunteer at U.S. nonprofit organizations. During this fellowship they will learn new skills, share perspectives from the developing world and return home to strengthen the international nonprofit sector.

Scott Beale founded Atlas Corps after working in New Delhi for two years coordinating the U.S. Government's efforts to fight human trafficking in India. Previously he worked for Youth Venture, an Ashoka: Innovators for the Public sister organization. At Ashoka/Youth Venture, he helped expand the staff from two to twenty five people, in part through incorporating AmeriCorps VISTAs into the organization. He has also worked in the White House as the liaison to U.S. Governors and in Bosnia, as the youngest-ever Core Supervisor organizing elections for the OSCE (A UN-type international organization.) Scott is a high energy social entrepreneur who is seeking a talented individual who wants to not only make a significant impact in the global nonprofit sector, but make history in how we go about doing it.

The Opportunity
To fulfill the critical need for experience with J-Visas, the position of U.S. Program Manager is being created. Reporting to, and working closely with, the Executive Director, the U.S. Program Director of Atlas Corps will be a unique position to not only meet the State Department requirement of hiring someone with J-Visa/international exchange experience, but also to be the primary individual responsible for the logistics of the U.S. side of Atlas Corps. In essence, the successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing much of the day-to-day of the organization to successfully pilot the model and lay the groundwork to take the program to scale.

The role of this U.S. Program Director will be a complex and unique one. While the skill set required to fulfill this job is critical, equally important to the successful candidate is the right outlook and cultural fit. This is a young organization facing the challenges and opportunities of a startup. The candidate needs to be an experienced nonprofit manager, comfortable in a multicultural environment, and passionate about turning an innovative idea into a systems-changing international organization. Atlas Corps is setting out to be nothing less than the "21st Century Peace Corps", completing the circle of current programs that send U.S. volunteers overseas.

In addition to managerial experience in a nonprofit or cause-related environment, the candidate must also have significant experience with international exchange programs. Experience with various D.C. nonprofit organizations is a plus.

The Location
The U.S. Program Director will be based in Washington, DC. In the beginning, the individual may need to work from home, until office space is secured in 2007.

The Responsibilities
The U.S. Program Director will report to the Executive Director and responsibilities in the beginning will include:
Manage J-Visa / SEVIS requirements: Assist in the administration of J-1 and J-2 Visas for all Atlas Service Corps Fellows, including, but not limited to the following tasks: data entry; word processing; database report writing; processing letters; maintaining and updating Fellow files; preparing documents related to insurance, immigration, and general orientation for Fellows; enrolling Fellows in insurance program; processing tax forms and certificates; closing out Fellow files. This also includes:

- Maintaining written and verbal communication with Atlas Service Corps Fellows and the Department of State.

- Keeping abreast of immigration issues as they apply to J-1 visa holders and J-2 accompanying dependents, including current national security issues, initial issuing and reissuing of DS-2019 forms, and SEVIS compliance.

- Assisting with information gathering, data entry and SEVIS web application maintenance related to the issuance of SEVIS immigration forms.
- Tracking information to ensure that Fellows are in compliance with immigration regulations and that SEVIS procedures have been followed.

Manage U.S. Program: While the vision for the programs will flow from the Executive Director and the Board, the U.S. Program Manager will be most engaged in implementation in the United States. The U.S. Program Manager will develop short-term programs, goals, and work plans for implementing programs. They will also:

- Ensure that all short-term programs fit within long-term organizational goals.
- Monitor progress of programs.
- Produce progress reports, evaluations, and summaries of program work. Provide updates on programs for grant reports.
- Develop methodology for evaluating program quality and outcomes.

Financial Management: Develop and implement sound financial practices and reporting. Work with Executive Director to (1) ensure efficient day-to-day accounting practices, (2) prepare yearly budget, (3) prepare project budget projections for Board of Directors and Management Committee members, and (4) conduct quarterly budget reviews to ensure compliance with program projections, contracts and grants.

The Candidate. All employees of Atlas Corps must be committed, self-motivated professionals with the ability to work effectively independently and with a team. As they are committed to creating a broad, international fellowship program, they value strong interpersonal skills and strong written and verbal communication skills.

Other Requirements Include:

Bachelor's degree or higher.

Able to organize, prioritize and handle a large volume of work.

Be detail-oriented, flexible, and able to handle multiple deadlines.

Possess word processing, database and spreadsheet skills.

Able to take initiative and to work independently.

Able to apply general program guidelines to specific cases.

Able to work in teams of colleagues to accomplish tasks.

Have excellent interpersonal and communication (written and verbal) skills.

Possess good problem solving and analytical skills.

Able to operate under time constraints and pressures.

Demonstrate multicultural sensitivity and maturity to deal with complex situations.

Interest and/or experience in working with international nonprofit professionals.

Knowledge of Spanish is not required, but preferred.

How to Apply:
Please email your cover letter & resume to scott@atlascorps.org. Applications are due October 31, but early applications are encouraged. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Atlas Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, creed, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, party or political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any illegal or prohibited factor.