Program Officer : Mountaintop

Mountaintop is an international nonprofit that works toward a future where every community can solve its own problems in order to build a just, loving, and peaceful world for all. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose “Mountaintop” speech called for a locally led movement to stir our global consciousness, Mountaintop cultivates transformational local leadership and strengthens communities in places worldwide where success too often means leaving and not coming back.

Mountaintop’s flagship program is a paid, one-year, full-time fellowship for the most promising local leaders to stay in or return to their home communities and contribute to systems change in lower-income places around the world. Mountaintop’s Fellows receive a full-time stipend, two week leadership institute hosted at Harvard University’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, 1:1 mentorship, grants, and a lifelong community of inspiring peers to accelerate their local leadership journeys and prepare them for large-scale impact to transform their communities and countries.

Position Title: Program Officer
Reports To: CEO
Classification: 12-Month Full-Time Contractor (Remote, 40 Hours/Week)

Position Summary

Mountaintop plans to grow its pilot fellowship program into a world class institution supporting the most promising leaders to create systems change in their lower income communities. Mountaintop is searching for an experienced, talented, and hardworking generalist to be its first hire. The Program Officer will have the chance to join a fast-paced startup environment with opportunities for growth, travel to the United States, and work with international leaders in the Mountaintop network such as Harvard professors and Nobel Peace Prize laureates. The role is ideal for an outstanding operations-minded manager living in a lower income country.

The Program Officer will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Mountaintop’s flagship fellowship program, which includes 13 Fellows in its first cohort (July 2024 – July 2025) and will include approximately 15-20 Fellows in its second cohort (July 2025 – July 2026). More specifically, the role includes recruitment and selection, leadership training event planning, mentor management, host management, Fellow management, grant and stipend disbursement, data collection, intake management, and fellowship-related social media. This role ideally includes travel to the United States July 13-26, 2024 for the leadership institute (Mountaintop will provide a letter of support for the visa process).

The role will be supervised by the CEO, who manages strategy, fundraising, partnerships, public relations, Board management, program design, finance and legal, and administration. The Program Officer is a 12 month contractor position that may convert to a permanent full-time employee at Mountaintop’s discretion. Mountaintop plans for the position to begin in June and continue for 12 months from the start date. The position is fully remote and full-time (40 hours/week).

Essential Functions

Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following tasks, knowledge, skills and other characteristics. This list of tasks is illustrative ONLY and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by individuals in this role.  It does not imply that all positions within the class perform all the duties listed, nor does it necessarily list all possible duties that may be assigned.

Recruitment and Selection.

• Share fellowship blurb with partner organizations, universities, social media, and past candidates.
  Utilize LinkedIn Sales Navigator to contact high-quality candidates.
• Evaluate applications and conduct interviews in partnership with the Mountaintop CEO.
  Leadership Training Event Planning.
• Confirm and manage relationships with event speakers in partnership with the Mountaintop CEO.
• Book Fellow flights, lodging, catering, transportation, and other logistical needs for in-person training events.
• Manage Zoom, video recording, and other IT needs for training events.
• Support Fellows with the visa application process in partnership with the Mountaintop CEO.
• Facilitate and moderate training events in partnership with the Mountaintop CEO.
• Pending visa approval, travel to the United States or other parts of the world to support on-the-ground events management.

Mentor Management.

• Contact potential mentors from Fellow mentor wish lists, facilitate introductory conversations, and set expectations between both parties.
• Contact additional potential mentors outside of the Fellow mentor wish lists in partnership with the Mountaintop CEO.
• Send quarterly check-ins to Fellows and mentors to monitor progress.

Host Management

• Share the fellowship host application with Mountaintop’s prospect lists and on social media.
• Evaluate host applications and interview host finalists.
• Manage host relations through monthly check-in emails and quarterly virtual meetings.

Fellow Management

• Host monthly Fellow check-in meetings to support Fellows and troubleshoot challenges.
• Share resources with Fellows when relevant, and work with the Mountaintop CEO to address any significant challenges.

Grant and Stipend Disbursement

• Use Western Union and potentially other payment platforms to send funds to Fellows for visa application fees, training event costs, living stipends, and grants such as the Catalyst Fund.
• Properly document all payments with Mountaintop’s bookkeepers.

Data Collection
At the direction of the Mountaintop CEO, deliver surveys, collect data and feedback, and analyze data.

Intake Management
Manage intake from the Mountaintop general email address, office phone number, website messages, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other communication channels.

Fellowship-Related Social Media

• In partnership with the Mountaintop CEO, publish weekly posts to LinkedIn, Facebook, and potentially other communication channels.
• In partnership with the Mountaintop CEO, publish regular press releases on the website.
• In partnership with the Mountaintop CEO, publish regular newsletters.

Other
Other duties as needed in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

Education Master’s degree preferred.

Experience

• 5+ years of experience working in business operations, management, project management, event planning, and/or talent management required.
• 2+ years experience working full-time with international organizations in the for-profit, non-profit, or government sector strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of experience living or working in lower income countries strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes

Mission-Driven: You are motivated by Mountaintop’s mission, vision, and values, and are enthusiastic about activating transformational local leadership in lower income communities. Your colleagues can count on you to do your best work for Mountaintop.

Clear Verbal and Written Communication: You can clearly communicate in English with stakeholders from various backgrounds, ranging from Fellows to hosts to event speakers. Fluency in French, Spanish, or Arabic is a plus.

Detail-Orientedness: You pride yourself in your project management skills and ability to pay close attention to detail while not losing sight of the broader project.

Efficient: You are able to balance many competing priorities at once, meet deadlines, and complete tasks at a high quality in a timely manner.

Benefits

$1,000 USD / month paid via Western Union (Mountaintop covers fees). Due to Mountaintop’s current budget, this compensation is non-negotiable.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

This position requires:

• Normal periods of sitting, standing and walking, typically in a home office environment.
• Typing/data entry on keyboard.
• Normal vision and hearing (with or without correction).
• Speaking one-on-one and in a group setting.
• Travel to conferences, trainings, and events via airplane or car (approximately annually).
• Majority of work will be performed remotely from a home office. Home office must have a stable, fast
• Internet connection and be a moderately quiet space. Must be able to participate in events in various geographic locations and weather conditions.

Selection Process

Apply here. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Those who submit an application will be contacted within a few weeks about next steps. Candidates who advance will be asked to complete an interview. The top interviewed candidates will be asked to complete a paid trial task ($50 USD for two hours of work). After the paid trial task, Mountaintop will make an offer to the top candidate.

Acknowledgements:

All the above duties and responsibilities are essential position functions for which reasonable accommodation will be made. All position requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills, and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the position proficiently. This position description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties and responsibilities or requirements and the staff member may be required to perform other position-related duties as requested by their supervisor.  This document does not create a contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.