Bridge Program Coordinator

Location: Remote | Start Date: Flexible | Benefits: Based on qualifications

Build infrastructure. Build leaders.

Engineers in Action is hiring a Bridge Program Coordinator. EIA seeks to alleviate rural poverty by leveraging the resources of our global partners to engage under-served communities and their governments to implement life-changing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects and the bridges needed to access them, simultaneously providing solutions to rural poverty and building local capacity to maintain those solutions for generations to come. The volunteers who help build those bridges become the leaders our world needs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. 


The Bridge Program Coordinator will specialize in leading the Bridge Program university chapters, Ambassador Program, and Bridge and WASH Corps Program. The ideal candidate is a professional with growth-oriented mindset and a passion for international development, organizational systems, experiential learning pedagogy, volunteer engagement, and student empowerment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

COORDINATE UNIVERSITY TEAMS

  1. Lead the Bridge Program project application process and select the university chapters the Bridge Program will assign to projects that suit their strengths and needs.

  2. Collaborate with Bridge Program university chapters to sign a Project Agreement for each project which communicates the responsibilities of all parties involved related to that specific project.

  3. Ensure project schedules are developed, communicated, and followed.

  4. Issue invoices for university chapter financial contributions, and ensure contributions are made on time, in full.

  5. Ensure Bridge Program university chapters successfully complete the entire Review Call process and all accompanying deliverables.

  6. Provide support for Bridge Program university chapters when Ambassadors and Bridge Corps members are unable, and be on-call for university chapters while they are in-country.

LEAD AMBASSADOR PROGRAM - Composed largely of current members and alumni of the Bridge Program, the Ambassador team is a volunteer group that plays a vital role in the development and execution of the Bridge Program. 

    1. Assist with the selection, training, and execution of the Bridge Program Ambassador Team, which provides mentoring to Bridge Program university chapters and assists in the operation and development of the Bridge Program.

    2. Lead the planning and execution of the annual Bridge Program Conference where all Bridge Program university chapters attend training and brainstorming sessions to disseminate information, improve collaboration, learn from mistakes, and plan for future operations.

    3. Lead the development, review, and update of the Bridge Program Binder which comprehensively communicates the Bridge Program policies and protocol.

    4. Lead the annual Bridge Program crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the Bridge Program’s operational costs, and support Bridge Program university chapters to participate in the campaign.

LEAD BRIDGE AND WASH CORPS PROGRAM - Bridge and WASH Corps members are qualified professionals with relevant experience who mentor university teams by providing technical assistance, checking calculations, reviewing final bridge layout and design, assisting in report writing, participating in review calls, supervising bridge construction, etc. 

    1. Lead the recruitment, training, and development of the Bridge and WASH Corps Program (i.e. professional mentors).

    2. Ensure all EIA Program university chapters are matched with Bridge and WASH Corps members who are trained and prepared to advise, mentor and travel with the chapters.

FUNDRAISE

    1. Aid the Bridge Program Director in the writing, editing, and development of various grants.

    2. Aid the Bridge Program in the development and management of the Matchmaker Program.

    3. Develop new avenues for fundraising (e.g., grants, marketing opportunities, etc.).

    4. Participate in the end of year fundraising campaign. 

WORK IN THE FIELD

    1. Spend (at minimum) one month of the year supporting field programs in either Eswatini or Bolivia as a “Field Engineer in Charge”. Longer stays are encouraged.

    2. Help field staff with project coordination.

CONFERENCE

    1. Support the Education Manager in organizing conference, creating the conference timetable, managing external stakeholders, etc.

    2. Assist with the organization and coordination of conferences (e.g., catering, meals, printing, lodging, etc.).

QUALIFICATIONS

  1. Passion for EIA’s mission.

  2. Experience in international or community development preferred.

  3. Exceptional, professional, and detail-oriented organizational skills with excellent time management and communication skills.

  4. A positive, optimistic, and can-do attitude with the ability to work with or without direction and or direct supervision.

  5. Creative, energetic, and self-motivated, with a proven track record of taking initiative and problem-solving.

  6. Comfortable with our perpetual drive for improvement (we are the best in the world at what we do because we love learning from failure).

  7. Candidates with a bachelors in Civil Engineering or International Development preferred.

  8. Ability to represent the organization in a professional manner to external partners.

  9. Passion for integrating experiential learning pedagogy into traditional engineering curricula.

  10. Professional experience in volunteer management, student empowerment, engineering design, construction management, and/or program management, with a strong preference for international development experience.

  11. Preference for applicants who have gone through the EIA Program.

LOCATION

Current Bridge Program staff work from various cities in the USA; Cochabamba, Bolivia; and Mbabane, Eswatini. The Bridge Program Coordinator would ideally be located in one of these cities, but the position can also be done remotely from the location of the applicant’s choice.

BENEFITS

  1. A $300/month stipend is added to the paycheck to cover healthcare.

  2. A 401k plan is available with the option for employees to invest 401k savings in Schwab’s full investment portfolio (rather than having a few pre-selected options like most companies), but there is no company match (yet).

  3. 4 weeks paid time off per calendar year.