The first organization that I found to be worthwhile is the
Mercy Corp. This organization saves and improves lives in the world’s toughest
places (Mercy Corp, 2013). In these important and imperiled places, they listen
to locals and prioritize their most urgent needs, and they take the long-term
view and commit to innovative solutions that drive true change (Mercy Corp,
2013). I chose this organization because they work with children and their
families in the world’s toughest places, such as, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Central African, Republic,
China, Colombia, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Georgia. I like this
organization, but I don’t think I can leave my family and travel to a foreign
country. Although, Mercy Corp is dedicated to serving children in the world’s
toughest places, they also provide job opportunities in the US. The current
US-based job opportunities are Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, and
Technical Support.
As
for qualifications, the Accounting and Finance job requires you to have a BA/S or equivalent in finance or a relevant
field.
·
Four to six years of progressive
grant management experience in a medium to large international organization,
including responsibility for grant management, compliance systems, and sub
award administration, is required.
·
An advanced knowledge of the
rules and regulations governing the management of US Government grants
(particularly USAID, Dept. of State and USDA) and other donor-funded grants is
required.
·
Demonstrated experience
and understanding of generally accepted accounting principles, financial
reporting, accounting systems, budget development and administration is
required.
·
Effective verbal and
written communication, analytical, organizational and prioritization skills as
well as presentation skills are necessary.
·
Employment overseas and
experience working for an NGO with high levels of USAID funding is
preferred.
·
Experience with USAID
contracts, FAR and AIDAR compliance is highly desirable.
The Human Resource job
requires you to have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
in human resources, business administration, social science or relevant field.
·
2+ years of experience
with recruitment/talent acquisition with preferred in an international
context.
·
Experience with successful
sourcing strategies for globally representative and diverse candidates.
·
Demonstrated experience and
ability to create, implement, maintain and improve recruitment strategies and
systems in a high-volume context.
·
2+ yeas living and working
overseas preferred.
·
Demonstrated understanding
of staffing in international relief and development environments.
·
Ability to communicate
effectively across diverse cultures and geographical distances with
sensitivity.
·
Language skills in
French, Spanish, or Arabic preferred.
The Technical Support requires you to have a Master’s degree preferred in area relevant to
international development, with a strong preference for agriculture-related
degree.
·
At least 5 years’
experience with agricultural development, in particular production and natural
resource management, with at least three of those years overseas.
·
Demonstrated experience
in building capacity among vulnerable farmers/ pastoralists and improving
productivity. Able to provide feedback/ training to field staff on challenges
related to productivity of crops and/or livestock, or connect such staff with
appropriate technical support.
·
Experience working in
transitional environments, addressing root causes of hunger and poverty and
building resilience even in areas that are prone to frequent shocks.
·
Familiarity with
innovative practices in agriculture, which may include value chain development,
linking nutrition and agriculture, conservation agriculture, social and
behavioral change and/or the market systems approach.
·
Strong writing ability,
with experience in writing assessments, concept notes, proposals and reports.
·
Familiarity with major
donors such as USAID/Food for Peace, USDA, DFID, the EC and the Gates
Foundation.
·
Familiarity with
programs employing food, cash or voucher transfers preferred.
·
Experience building
solid working relationships with the government, other INGOs and local NGOs.
·
Familiarity with
professional standards for monitoring and evaluation, case studies and surveys.
Able to connect field staff with appropriate tools for designing, implementing
and measuring agricultural development work.
·
Proven success working
on matrixes teams and in non-hierarchical settings.
·
Proven success working
with staff with diverse backgrounds.
·
French and/or Spanish
language proficiency preferred.
Mercy Corp. (2013). About Us. Retrieved March
26, 2013, from http://www.mercycorps.org/about-us
The second organization
that I found to be worthwhile is the Kentucky River Foothills Development
Council, Inc. This organization is committed to the promise of helping
people and changing lives (Kentucky River Foothills Development Council, Inc.,
n.d.). This agency, which primarily serves Clark, Estill, Madison, and Powell
counties, embraces a philosophy of needs-based strategies and family-based
services leading to family self-sufficiency and economic self-reliance (Kentucky
River Foothills Development Council, Inc., n.d.). I chose this
organization because it works with low-income families, which is my passion. Currently
they do not have any career opportunities available, but they will allow you to
fill out an application, so they will have it on file. As for the qualification,
you won’t be able to see those until they post the jobs available.
Kentucky River
Foothills Development Council, Inc. (n.d.). About Kentucky river foothills
development council, inc. Retrieved March 26, 2013, from http://www.foothillscap.org/AboutUs/AboutUs.html
The third
organization that I found to be worthwhile is the Administration for Children
& Families (ACF). This organization is a division of the Department of
Health & Human Services that promotes the economic and social well-being of
families, children, individuals and communities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). I chose this
program because they provide programs such as temporary assistance for needy
families, head start programs, child support programs, disability programs, and
native American and tribe programs. Each program is set out to foster the
well-being of children, families, and the early childhood field as a whole. I
tried pulling up the job opportunities, but it kept redirecting me to a blank
screen. Although, I like this job opportunity, I couldn’t get the website to
pull up their current availabilities.
Reference
The position at Mercy Corp. sounds quite interesting and could be quite the adventure. However, that would be a difficult job to have unless you were single or without children. i noticed that it requires grant writing skills. I have never written a grant before. Have you? It is a skill that I would like to acquire in the future.
ReplyDeleteDear MrsAble23,
DeleteMercy Corp is an interesting organization, but it works in areas that I do not seeing myself moving to at this time. Although, I am single with no children, I am a family person, and I don't see myself leaving my family. I haven't had a chance to write a grant, but I have heard that once you get the hang of it, it is a piece of cake.
As I learned in earlier classes, fluency in a second language is becoming a necessary skill. After my course work here is done, learning Spanish is going to become a priority. Having an exchange student from Spain for a short time let me realize that some of what I learned back in high school is still there!
ReplyDeleteDear Michele,
DeleteI too have been thinking about learning a second language. I said once I get some free time I would try to learn some Spanish because I took two years of Spanish in high school. Most teaching jobs are looking for teachers who are bilingual, so learning a second language can only better your chance in getting the job.
ACF is the agency that oversees Head Start. I bet that you can find an opening at a Head Start agency or grantee! Head Start programs have many interesting jobs. Besides the obvious teaching jobs, they have opportunities in family services and health and nutrition.
ReplyDeleteHead Start is at risk of losing some funds due to sequestration, but is generally better funded than many other early education programs.
Head Start needs new leadership. It needs people that have explored the diverse aspects of the early care and education delivery system. Your experiences at Walden would certainly make you a good fit for Head Start provided you can endure the paperwork.
In addition, Head Start values community collaboration (what they call their non-federal match)... and seeks community members for their Policy Councils. Even if you don't want to become a Head Start employee, they would certainly benefit from your interest in their Policy Council!
Dear Gregory,
DeleteThank you for that job opportunity. I am looking to move up the latter since I will be finishing my Master's degree. I want to stay in the Early Childhood field, so I will look into the ACF agency for job opportunities.