Would you like to get involved with the social projects of Luz Verde Nicaragua? We are currently looking for applicants for the following positions (please click the link for a full description of the position). The skills required as well as expected length of commitment depend on the position.
NEW OPPORTUNITY!
HOSTEL HOST NEEDED. Are you outgoing, extrovert, speak English and want to practice your Spanish more? Come to stay with us at Luna and TreeHuggers for free with extra meals too. This July and August 2017.
Preference to those who can work on social networks in English (with new dashboard systems) and if you have German and French it’s a bonus! (FB, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In etc)
Also available longer term positions!
Volunteer Coordinator
Library Bus General Volunteer
Community Workshop Developer
EcoTourism Sales & Development Officer
Con-META (Conservation Projects) Facilitator
Grant-Writing or Fundraising Volunteer
Apply via our non-profit partner Omprakash form, who can also receive donations on our part.
You will also receive information on FAQ’s etc once you apply for a position. If you have multiple interests and skills, then please tell us and we can be flexible (our middle name!) about your definite position.
https://www.omprakash.org/global/luz-verde-nicaragua/apply
You can reach out to us at cafeluzyluna@gmail.com for further information (or stop by if you’re already in town!).
Volunteer Position: Social Enterprise Junior Management Opportunity
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Administrative Officer is responsible for the smooth operations of the social enterprise, helping with day-to-day tasks across the entire organization, including the hostel, café, tourism and social projects.
Tasks may include:
- Development, digitalization and/or maintenance of a stream-lined accounting system.
- Input and organization of day to day accounting/bookkeeping, including cost accounting to analyse enterprise performance
- Administrative support for securing funding via grants or donors
- May also be involved in tasks relating to social network outreach, development or editing of newsletters or mailings, email follow-up, and more.
Required Qualifications:
- Knowledge of social enterprise business models
- Knowledge of accounting, preferably via online or software platform.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite tools, Google Docs, and various social network platforms.
- Intermediate or higher level of both Spanish and English.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications: none
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Volunteer Coordinator
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for the recruitment and management of volunteers within the organization. This person will manage online recruitment, email follow up, and general well-being of the volunteers with the program.
Tasks may include:
- Create and/or update postings for volunteer openings.
- Manage volunteer requests as they come in
- Meet regularly with volunteers and act as liaison between volunteers and Program Director to ensure the needs of the program as well as the volunteers are being met.
- Maintain documentation of volunteer materials, handbooks etc
- Coordinate with local (national) university programs to recruit volunteers
- Volunteer may also participate in engaging the public and tourists, volunteers or donors who may already be familiar with us through social media.
Skills required:
- Prior experience with volunteer management or recruitment
- Proficiency with Google Docs, Microsoft Office, etc.
- Intermediate or higher level of Spanish and English
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge of social network and blogging platforms
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Educational Projects Coordinator
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Educational Projects Coordinator will be responsible for developing and growing the curriculum and implementation of the educational programs sponsored by Luz Verde. This person will oversee all educational programs, including but not limited to the environmental education program, the library bus, community workshops and others. The Coordinator will work directly with Luz Verde’s Program Coordinator as well as individual project facilitators to create a cohesive educational program.
Tasks include:
- Curriculum development
- Coordination of educational goals across multiple projects
- Analysis of success of educational programs to determine areas for improvement, including monitoring and evaluation
- Maintain records of all plans and activities for potential reproduction
- Research of community educational programs to explore new ideas and methods
- Coordination with community leaders to gain understanding of educational needs and desires of community
- Coordination across multiple project facilitators within Luz Verde
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including posting updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks
Skills required:
- Experience in educational techniques, specifically in developing community educational programs, curriculum and didactic programs.
- Ability to work across multiple teams to accomplish a unified goal
- Intermediate or better Spanish; knowledge of English a plus but not required
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
- Knowledge of social network and blogging platforms
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Library Bus General Volunteer
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: Volunteers will travel with the Library Bus out to schools to engage students in activities determined by the Library Bus Facilitator, Animator and team
Tasks include:
- Implementation of daily activities with students in schools in local communities.
- Work with Library Bus staff to develop and record bus activities for the children
- Social media updates such as Facebook or blog posts
- Opportunities for teaching English may be available for those with experience.
Skills required:
- Experience working with children (preschool to primary 3yrs to 12 yrs age range)
- Aptitude for creating a vibrant and interactive learning environment.
- Comfortable in public speaking/presentation roles.
- Intermediate or higher Spanish; English proficiency a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications: none
Commitment:
- Minimum one month commitment, 3 months+ preferred.
- Weekly flexible hourly commitment of 10-15+ hours
Volunteer Position: Library Bus Animator
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: Design and run creative educational programming for children with our mobile library bus.
Tasks include:
- Choose and develop a weekly theme that resonates with our social mission and incorporates at least one book in our library for story-time as well as a creative activity component
- Design creative activities for children including arts & crafts projects
- Source materials for creative activities – ideally incorporating an element of sustainability (ex. reuse bottles, pinecones…)
- Maintain records of all plans and activities for potential reproduction
- Coordinate with community teachers to best meet the needs of students
- Write updates about the bus for our newsletter and webpages; volunteer may also update various other social media platforms to engage and inform the public.
- Collaborate with bus project coordinators and the education program coordinator to ensure smooth integration of educational, creative, and lending activities
- Delegate daily tasks to general Library Bus volunteers for implementing activities.
Skills required:
- Experience working with children (preschool to primary 3yrs to 12 yrs age range)
- Aptitude for creating a vibrant and interactive learning environment.
- Comfortable in public speaking/presentation roles.
- Spanish fluency; English proficiency a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Drama/theater/arts experience
- Experience teaching youth
- Experience working with community leaders and educators, and/or parents of youth.
Commitment:
- Minimum three month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Library Bus Facilitator
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Library Bus Facilitator is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and growth of the Library Bus project.
Tasks include:
- Delegate daily tasks to general Library Bus volunteers for implementing activities.
- Work with Library Bus team to develop, implement and record bus activities for the children.
- Create and maintain schedule of Library Bus programming
- Maintenance of book collection classification, organization and inventory
- Find opportunities to actively grow the book collection, including donor outreach and shipping logistics
- Drive Library Bus to local schools for programs.
- Work with existing protocols for lending books to students when collection targets are met
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including posting updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks
Skills required:
- Organizational skills
- Interest in developing a cohesive library collection for young students in Nicaragua.
- Intermediate or higher Spanish and English fluency.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications: none
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Community Workshop Developer
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: Luz Verde is looking to expand its Library Bus project to include workshops in rural villages that empower local youth and their communities to promote understanding and knowledge of important concepts such as peer abuse, domestic or sexual abuse, gender rights, nutrition, public health and more.
The Developer is a crucial part of making this program reality, as they will be responsible for developing the content and structure of these workshops while working alongside community leaders, local teachers and youth leaders.
This position requires in-depth coordination with the Educational Program Coordinator who will be ultimately responsible for specific curriculum development.
Tasks include:
- Identifying topics by meeting with community stakeholders to assess needs and desires of communities.
- Develop the structure, specific content and intended implementation of the workshops.
- Coordinate with other organizations to further develop materials, share resources and create collaborative workshops.
- Create and manage the collection of documentation and didactic material to be used in workshops and in future implementations.
- Train workshop promoters (i.e., local leaders) to implement workshops and associated skills, with supporting mechanisms
- Analyze outcome of workshops through community meetings, in person observation, etc, to identify areas for improvement.
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including posting updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks
Skills required:
- Knowledge of social work, education, public health, and/or community partnerships.
- Cultural and thematic sensitivity
- Ability to create didactic materials for workshops – knowledge of curriculum development, interactive instruction, etc.
- Ability to create and/or promote an interactive learning environment through implementation of workshops or training of promoters.
- Advanced or fluent Spanish. English language skills a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with analytical reporting, monitoring & evaluation, and strategic planning
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment, ideally 1+ year.
- Position can be full- or part-time.
Volunteer Position: Eco-Tourism Sales & Development Officer
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Sales and Development Officers will be the go-to people for ensuring smooth operations and future growth and development of Treehuggers Community-Led Tourism.
Tasks include:
- Greet and assist customers looking for information; help tourists locate bus stops, etc.
- Maintain/Update/Add to existing tourist information in office
- Marketing of tourism options to local, national and international tourists.
- Development of new tourism packages through collaboration with communities across various locations.
- Logistical planning with partnered international and national tour operators.
- Integrate customer requests/desires with the resources and needs of partner communities and families.
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including posting updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks.
Skills required:
- Good customer service skills.
- Ability to coordinate between guides, community members, program coordinators and Luz Verde director to develop new tourism ideas or manage unique client requests.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite/Mac or other software
- Knowledge of Illustrator or Photoshop, i.e. software used to make flyers/posters/marketing materials, a plus
- Advanced or higher level Spanish and English language skills required; French and German skills a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience in tourism.
Commitment:
- Minimum three month commitment, six months+ preferred.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 40 hours; afternoon to evening schedule.
Volunteer Position: Organic Gardens Project Developer
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Organic Gardens Project Developer is responsible for managing and expanding the organic gardens project, a program with a focus on food security and seed harvest to promote sustainability. The Developer will be working directly with the local families who own the gardens, and the project director.
Tasks include:
- Visiting families to coordinate planting schedules and identify successes and challenges across gardens.
- Working alongside local gardeners to implement various organic techniques
- Expand customer base and sales for produce grown in gardens; identify new or existing markets for produce
- Organizing regular skills exchange workshops between gardeners and/or other regional growers.
- Further development of the program including donor or investor engagement
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including posting updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks
Skills required:
- Knowledge of organic growing techniques
- Knowledge of sustainable agriculture, small-scale community or family gardens, or related experience
- Cultural sensitivity and ability to incorporate new skills with existing skill sets.
- Advanced or fluent Spanish. English language skills a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications: none
Commitment:
- Minimum three month commitment.
- Weekly hourly commitment of 30+ hours
Volunteer Position: Con-META Project Facilitators
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua
Position Role: The Con-META Project Facilitator is responsible for the development and continued implementation of Luz Verde’s many local conservation efforts.
Tasks include:
- Develop and implement strategies to conserve local natural reserves in conjunction with local communities.
- Monitoring and evaluation of current projects to identify successes and challenges
- Coordinate with community leaders as well as allies throughout the Americas to encourage partnership in conservation
- Coordinate with Educational Program Coordinator to put forward a curriculum for disseminating knowledge to community members
- Organize proactive campaigns in Estelí and local communities to promote conservation ideas
- Develop new conservation project initiatives
- Opportunity to work alongside other project facilitators including Family Organic Gardens and Eco-Tourism facilitators.
- Volunteer may also participate in social media outreach, including updates to Facebook, website, blog, or other networks.
Skills required:
- Prior experience with conservation projects or concepts; tropical forestry and ornithological experience a major advantage
- Experience with community participation projects
- Ability to coordinate among multiple stakeholders to promote a cohesive and community-led program.
- Advanced or fluent Spanish. English language skills a plus.
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience/Contacts with institutions that support bird conservation or related ecological issues.
Commitment:
- Minimum six month commitment.
- Weekly commitment of 20+ hours/week.
Volunteer Position: Grant Writer or Fundraising Volunteer
Location: Estelí, Nicaragua or remotely
Position Role: Luz Verde is currently seeking volunteers to grow investment as a social enterprise and secure capital funding for multiple social projects. Luz Verde operates as a non-profit social enterprise, and is partnered with three charitable organizations globally that help facilitate this as well. This is a flexible opportunity that may be done remotely, either short term or as an ongoing support for the organization.
Tasks include:
- Seeking out grant and other appropriate donation/funding opportunities
- Write and submit applications for grants or other funding opportunities
- Follow-up as needed.
- Support administration in strategic planning and monitoring to provide information required for grant or funds applications.
Skills required:
- Prior experience with grant applications and/or promoting fundraising initiatives.
- Knowledge of social enterprise business models and financing requirements.
- Knowledge of strategic planning
- English fluency
- Dynamic self-starter with ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects independently
- Flexible, organized “team player” with ability to quickly adapt to changes within a fluid environment
- Excellent communication skills.
- A passion for enabling and creating social change.
- An understanding of the challenges and rewards of working in the developing world, specifically Latin America and Nicaragua
Preferred Qualifications: none
Commitment:
- No minimum requirement; volunteer will work on an ad-hoc basis.
Luna International Hostel 