Project Salud y Paz and its U.S. counterpart, International Hands in Service, seek a talented and capable Executive Director to lead the organization and its programs to help the indigenous Mayan people of Guatemala’s impoverished Western Highlands. Founded in 2001, Project Salud y Paz has served over 100,000 people in its two medical and dental clinics and preschool. It is a joint mission of International Hands in Service, The United Methodist Church and the Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Nacional Primitiva de Guatemala.
Nearly 75% of Guatemala’s Mayan people live in extreme poverty, subsisting on an average income of less than $1 each day. Guatemala’s governmental institutions are unable to meet the medical, dental, social and educational needs of its rural, indigenous populations. Salud y Paz is able to provide high-quality, low-cost services to bridge the gap in services and help build bright futures for the Mayan people of this region.
The Executive Director of Salud y Paz oversees the 30 local employees (including a Director of Operations) and 3-8 full-time U.S. volunteers who are headquartered in the Panajachel/Chichicastenango region of Guatemala’s Western Highlands. In addition to its resident staff and volunteers, the Executive Director ensures an impactful and productive experience for the 30+ volunteer medical, dental, surgical, and building teams who visit Salud y Paz each year. The Executive Director communicates the mission and vision of Salud y Paz with the outside community (both secular and religious), raises financial and volunteer support for its work, and develops and implements the strategies necessary to make Salud y Paz a strong and sustainable organization. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors of International Hands in Service, a 501(c)3 corporation whose purpose is to undergird and supervise this important work.
Applicants for the position of Executive Director of Salud y Paz should be experienced leaders in the business, health care or non-profit world who can make at least a three-year commitment to Salud y Paz. The next Executive Director of Salud y Paz will be an excellent communicator, a strong fundraiser, a good supervisor and coach, and a person of high ethical standards, spiritual depth, and deep compassion. He or she will be culturally sensitive, proficient at speaking or learning Spanish, and will be committed to upholding the basic principles of Salud y Paz. Click to view the complete Executive Director Job Description.
To apply, send a resumé that includes complete and chronological information about your educational background, employment experience, and religious affiliation, if any. Please include a cover letter that explains why you are interested in this position, how your gifts and experience make you a good fit, and what your financial support needs are for living full-time in Guatemala. On a separate sheet, include the names and contact information for three employment references.
The application deadline is August 1, 2014. Candidate screening, interviews and hiring will occur in late summer and early fall of 2014.
Please send completed electronic or paper application materials to:
Salud y Paz E.D. Search Committee
℅ Rev. Sanford Brown
First United Methodist Church of Seattle
180 Denny Way
Seattle WA 98109
sandy@firstchurchseattle.org