Country Director over Greece

Lifting Hands International (LHI) is a young, dynamic, and resourceful nonprofit focused on providing humanitarian aid to refugees around the globe, with permanent projects in the United States, Greece, and Jordan and active partnerships in a dozen other countries.

In Northern Greece, LHI operates a community center for refugees in Serres, a small city about an hour away from Thessaloniki. There, we work with a population of 1000+ refugees at the local camps, providing regular aid distributions and offering a range of educational and psychosocial support services (e.g. women-focused, children-focused, art-based, and recreational activities).

A new position for LHI, the Country Director over Greece will have primary responsibility for all LHI activities in Greece, working to ensure continuity of current programs and providing strategic guidance for the development of future initiatives. Based out of Northern Greece, the Country Director will supervise our operations in Serres; build relationships with stakeholders throughout the region; and consult with LHI senior management on strategic priorities and opportunities.

This position presents a golden opportunity for a humanitarian professional to make a large impact at a young but growing nonprofit. With a strong brand and healthy programs in the refugee services field in Greece, LHI is now seeking a Country Director over Greece who can help us advance as an organization.

Core Responsibilities

Leadership (1/3 time)

• Overseeing operations at the LHI Community Center in Serres, which is staffed by 3 directors, 6 managers, and 12-15 international volunteers. Helping empower leadership team members to innovate and improve our programs while staying within the bounds of our strategic plan.

• Primary responsibility for supervising, recruiting, training, and managing our 3-person Serres-based director team, who will report directly to the Country Director over Greece.

• Working to ensure the smooth operation of programs, maintaining continuity of services at times of turnover, and generally leading the team in responding to new challenges or opportunities as they arise.

Administration (1/3 time)

• Assisting LHI senior management in planning, implementing, and regularly reviewing a comprehensive strategic plan and monitoring and evaluation strategy for LHI in Greece.

• Ensuring the responsible allocation of LHI’s Greece budget according to organizational priorities.

• Working with the leadership team in Serres to compile regular reports on LHI activities in Greece, to include impact metrics, narrative updates, and budget numbers.

• Helping with the grant process, including applications, budgeting, tracking, and reporting.

• Organizing records relevant to LHI activities in Greece; implementing data hygiene measures to guarantee proper storage and organization of digital materials.

• Regularly meeting (virtually) with LHI senior management in the United States to work through operational challenges, to improve services, and to identify opportunities to increase impact.

External Affairs (1/3 time)

• Continuing and deepening relationships with external partners, such as peer organizations, contractors (e.g. our lawyer & accountant), and camp management officials. And developing new relationships with municipal officials, employment agencies, local universities, etc…

• Collaborating with LHI senior management to help frame periodic fundraising campaigns focused on the most pressing needs and priorities facing the LHI team in Greece.

• Exploring new opportunities for LHI in Greece, such as the potential to partner with peer organizations at neighboring camps, the formation of an LHI-run aid distribution hub in Northern Greece, or the expansion of LHI efforts to assist with refugee integration or vocational training.

Essential Qualifications:

• Minimum two year commitment, must be able to live in Greece for the full period without visa restrictions

• At least 3 years experience working in refugee services or similar context

• At least 2 years experience in a leadership or management role

• At least 1 year of experience working in Greece

• Relevant university degree(s) in a related field

• International drivers license

• Fluent English speaker

• Strong interpersonal and management skills; comfortable managing a diverse team and engaging a broad range of stakeholders

• Strong organizational skills; capable of staying on task and meeting deadlines

• Strong report writing skills (a writing sample may be requested)

• Proactive and able to work independently without close supervision

• Passionate about LHI’s mission to help refugees achieve stability and self-sufficiency

Desired Qualifications:

• Relevant graduate degree(s) in a related field

• Fluency in Greek

• Some knowledge of Kurmanji / Arabic / Farsi / French

• Experience in project development, psycho-social support, informal education programming, strategic planning, impact monitoring and evaluation, or budget tracking

• Preference may be given to applicants with prior experience working for LHI in Greece

Further Details:

The position will start at a mutually agreed upon date in late March or April of 2022, with a three-month probationary period. The starting stipend will be 1500 EUR per month, with the possibility of a raise after the first year. The Country Director will arrange their own housing in Northern Greece. And please note: we are unable to help with visa applications, so candidates with EU residency are preferred.