WORK FOR AN AWARD-WINNING NON-PROFIT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Job Title: Director of Housing Finance – US and the Caribbean
Industry: Non-profit/International Development
Job Location: US or Latin America and the Caribbean – Remote
Reports to: The Vice President of Programs
Start Date: Immediate
Term: At-will
Salary: $40,000 – $80,000
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 2004, Build Change is an innovative international nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to save lives in earthquakes and hurricanes. We do that by designing disaster-resistant houses and schools; training homeowners, builders, engineers and government officials to build them; working with governments to develop and implement building standards; partnering with the private sector to improve building materials quality and create jobs; and facilitating access to incentive-based capital for reconstruction and retrofitting by partnering with financing institutions and government subsidy programs.
Build Change is the recipient of multiple awards, including a 2017 Skoll Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship, 2016 OpenIDEO Urban Resilience Challenge Winner, and was a top three finalist in IBM’s inaugural Call for Code Developer Challenge in 2018.
To learn more about us and our programs in Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala, Philippines, Nepal and the Caribbean, visit www.buildchange.org.
YOUR NEW OPPORTUNITY
As the Director of Housing Finance for the US and the Caribbean, you will utilize a combination of your exceptional project management, advocacy, and program development skills to provide strategic direction for Build Change’s housing financing programs in the US and the Caribbean regions, including the Bahamas. In this role, you will manage a variety of responsibilities towards the ultimate goal of facilitating access to financing for low-income families to strengthen their homes. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the conception and execution of projects, manage staff, and advocate and collaborate with microfinance partners and government agencies. You will lead on developing toolkits for partners to implement resilient housing loan programs, engaging in product development, roll-out, marketing, scaling and monitoring and evaluation.
You are excited by the idea of representing Build Change with project partners and collaborating with them to achieve shared outcomes. You are a self-starter who thrives when involved in the nitty gritty of project implementation. You believe in participatory projects where solutions are driven by the people you are trying to serve. You also understand that innovation and risk are required to solve the problem of unsafe housing, and you are comfortable with uncertainty and can be flexible in your approach. You see failure as a learning opportunity.
As a member of the country management team, you will work in partnership with colleagues from the engineering, technology innovations and education (training) departments, as well as Build Change staff in other countries. You will report to the Vice President of Programs.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE:
You have:
- A University degree in a related field or equivalent real-world experience.
- Familiarity with the housing products available in the US and the Caribbean regions from government, microfinance and commercial (rural) banks.
- A collaborative mindset capable of understanding the technical and social requirements for financing to strengthen houses.
- Strong communications skills in English (written and spoken).
- A project management skill set that includes ownership over milestones, work plans, and reporting using tools such as Excel and PowerPoint.
Your experience includes:
- Minimum seven years working experience in the finance sector in the US and the Caribbean regions.
- Experience bringing new financial products to market successfully and scaling.
- Using human-centered design or other participatory or community-led approaches to design products or interventions.
- Working in communities with a low-income socioeconomic makeup.
- Managing a team with a demonstrated ability to create cohesion, motivation and accountability.
- Experience with non-income generating financial products is a plus.
You are able to:
- Lead strategic planning and scaling of Build Change’s resilient housing finance programs.
- Represent Build Change in the public and private sector financing communities, leading advocacy efforts in housing finance.
- Document learnings for dissemination within Build Change and externally, contributing to reporting.
- Work independently, set priorities and follow through on commitments and deadlines on time.
- Work successfully in a team environment across technology, engineering, training and administrative disciplines and deliver outcomes on time.
- Communicate financing concepts to non-financing people using simple, accessible language.
- Quickly iterate on project activities and work plans based on insights and feedback gathered.
- Support the development of new project ideas, including defining work plans and levels of effort.
- Proficiently use MS Office Applications such as Excel and Word, email and the internet.
You would describe yourself as:
- An excellent communicator who is comfortable and capable of speaking in front of varying audiences, including management, clients, partners, donors, government agencies.
- Creative, organized, drama-free, optimistic, flexible, patient, and having a good sense of humor.
How to apply
ARE YOU INTERESTED?
Then please visit www.buildchange.org/about/careers and select the link for this position. Applications will be accepted until filled and will be reviewed as received. Build Change is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified women and citizens of Build Change’s program countries are strongly encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No calls, please.
