PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

Director, Perkins International Program

 

 THE ORGANIZATION

 

Perkins School for the Blind (Perkins) is an innovative leader in serving people with visual impairments. Currently in its 181st year of service, Perkins is the first school for the blind in the US. It currently provides a range of service to 115,000 people in the US and in 64 countries around the world. Strong leadership from both staff and the Board of Trustees has created a legacy of education and discovery.  With over 725 employees and an operating budget of approximately 65 million dollars, the Perkins mission is to provide education and services that build productive, meaningful lives for children and adults around the world who are blind, deafblind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities.

 

Located near Boston, MA, Perkins recently completed its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, a blueprint that will guide decisions regarding classroom programming, budgeting, development and more for the next five years, while maintaining focus on the mission and four overarching goals: preparing students, reaching new populations, expanding internationally and building partnerships. More information about the worldwide scope of the Perkins School for the Blind can be found on www.perkins.org .  

 

THE POSITION

 

Reporting to the President of Perkins, the Director of Perkins International Program (Director) will serve as a member of the Perkins senior management team and provide leadership, collegial supervision and oversight of international programs and services for children who are deafblind or blind with multiple disabilities and their families.  The Director will link Perkins International operations with Perkins on- campus support services and develop mutually beneficial working procedures. For more information, go to http://www.perkins.org/international-programs.

  

The requirements of this position include extensive international travel; visiting programs and providing onsite technical support. S/he will recruit, direct and supervise the work of all international program staff and work with international government networks and international nonprofit agencies to build viable alliances and advocate for sustainable improvement in the quality and quantity of programs and services, including developing new initiatives. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The Director will carry out all duties and responsibilities personally or through subordinate staff in compliance with applicable regulations and laws.

 

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

 

• Promote the values and mission of Perkins on a daily basis throughout the world 

• Support the regional coordinators’ efforts to work with local and  regional representatives; initiate training classes, workshops or seminars conducted by Perkins staff and/or by contracted consultants; ensuring appropriate content planning, logistics, consultation and technical support activities.

• Prepare  and  manage  an  annual  program  budget;  oversee  financial  resources  allocated  to  the program; identify program priorities and additional funding needs; and prepare regular written reports on activities and accomplishments for dissemination to donors and other appropriate supporters.

• Develop systems for program planning and oversight across central and regional offices to support ongoing team development and communication.

• Conduct  resource  needs  assessment  across  regions  and  work  closely  within  Perkins  School departments and programs to identify and secure financial and material support with existing and new supporters and individual or group donors.

• Conduct comprehensive needs assessment within new countries not currently served by Perkins International, including developing a long range plan for training and program development.

• Collaborate with International Resource Development, Business Office and other groups, including oversight and development of systems for providing information for drafting donor funding project proposals and information for narrative donor reports on program activities.

• Support regional coordinators in the production of appropriate literature and documents for parents and professionals; for translation and dissemination in print and electronic formats. To communicate effectively with all staff, trainers and partners assigned to work by the Program.

• Collaborate  with  the  IT  department  and  consultants  to  evolve  information  dissemination  and communication systems across multiple regions.

• Coordinate with Perkins Trust and Communications to link Perkins International’s mission and projects and programs into Perkins online and print communication systems.

• Work with regional coordinators to develop working relationships with colleges, universities and other international entities to establish formal training programs and pre-service training for teachers specializing in Perkins target populations.

• Work with regional coordinators to support parents and agencies to establish improved services for family members; and wherever appropriate, establish formal parent support organizations.

• Work  with Regional Coordinators on drafting grant agreements to sub-grantees, and define and monitor a reporting system for each project.

• Link Perkins International operations with Perkins on-campus support services and develop mutually beneficial working procedures.

• Collaborate with Perkins staff to communicate and plan PI on-campus training needs for international visitors and Educational Leadership Program. 

• Be  communication  liaison  between  the  Program  and  other  international  nonprofit  organizations, multilateral organizations and key governmental agencies and organizations.

• Collaborate  with  Perkins  Products  to  connect  common  goals  and  purposes  and  share  regional information and development.

• Oversee  the  implementation  of  Perkins  International  core  mission  and  objectives;  communicate effectively with all staff, partners, and others involved in the Perkins International mission.

 

 SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Administer and manage subordinate staff with assigned responsibilities in the following regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. Be responsible for overall administration, direction, coordination, and evaluation of these units and directly supervise non-supervisory employees.

• Be responsible for interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees; and resolving problems.

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Master's degree in Special Education with at least seven years related experience in a position of increasing management responsibility strongly encouraged; or equivalent combination of education and experience; Preference for work in blindness, deafblindess or multiple disabilities with international experience.

• Demonstrated knowledge of EEO policy and commitment to building a diverse workforce.

• A seasoned, energetic and flexible individual with professional experience, aptitude and outgoing personality to effectively deal with varying cultures, treating everyone with respect.

• Ability to meet deadlines, make decisions and manage own workload.

• Mature, interpersonal manner with ability to interact calmly with a diverse group of people.

• Entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to roll up his/her sleeves together with rest of team.

• A team player that can motivate peers and reports and enhance overall team spirit.

• A confident and strategic person able to “think out loud and brainstorm” without concern for image.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and presentation style

• An innovative, driven and effective person with a “can do” attitude and participative work style

• A goal-oriented person who can plan for the long-term and execute stated objectives 

• Exhibits confidence in self and others, inspires all to perform in a collaborative and collegial manner.

• Able to identify and resolve problems in a timely manner even when dealing with emotional topics.

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION MAY BE MADE TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS TO PERFORM THE DUTIES WITHIN THE FOLLOWING PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS.

• Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations  may  be  made to enable  individuals with  disabilities  to  perform  the  essential functions.  Extensive International Travel is required. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to sit. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

• Work Environment The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations  may  be  made  to  enable individuals  with disabilities  to  perform  the  essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

 Perkins School for the Blind is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position. MSALKIN ASSOCIATES is based in Waltham, MA, and serves diverse constituencies with a commitment to building high-performing teams that mirror the communities served.  Please send a cover letter and resume to maureen@msalkinassociates.com  and indicate in the cover letter you learned of this opportunity from DevNetJobs.org

 

 

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