ROLE: Director of Language & Literacy
STATUS: Full-time Onsite, Exempt
LOCATION: Clarkston, GA and immediate area(s) (80% onsite, 20% virtual)
WORKPLACE CONDITIONS: 50% standing, 50% sitting
DIRECT SUPERVISOR: Executive Director
LAST UPDATED: February 2025
Position Summary:
Imagine the profound impact of empowering officially resettled refugees with the gift of literacy, equipping them with the tools to navigate their new home, advocate for their families, and build a future filled with possibility.
As the Director of Language & Literacy at Friends of Refugees, you won’t just lead our literacy programs; you’ll be part of a movement to empower New American families in Atlanta to build a brighter future. You’ll lead a multicultural, high-performing team, shape innovative program strategies, and be part of a talented organization that, for thirty years, has extended the hand of welcome to refugees in Georgia in hopes of creating a better tomorrow for us all.
Essential Job Functions:
Lead and Inspire a Talented Team–70%
- Inspire and guide the team responsible for all Refugee Family Literacy programs, fostering a shared vision and purpose that is in conjunction with the organization’s vision statement
- Supervise and coach a team of 5-7 direct reports, providing regular feedback and support for their professional development
- Foster a thriving culture that enables the multicultural team to feel inspired and motivated to thrive and grow in their professional skills
- Celebrate cultural and language diversity, ensuring every participant feels welcomed and empowered
- Collaborate with literacy and ESOL experts to set achievable program goals that align with the current needs of the refugee families
- Steward resources wisely, working with executive leadership to manage and oversee the literacy program budget
Engage and Build Partnerships–20%
- Act as an ambassador of Friends of Refugees and the language and literacy programs, engaging with external donors, volunteers, and community partners
- Warmly welcome and connect with visiting supporters, faith groups, donors, and volunteers
- Lead with purpose, facilitating occasional prayer times that uplift the needs of families in our programs
- Uphold Friends of Refugees’ fundraising values as outlined in A Spirituality of Fundraising
- Support fundraising efforts, providing meaningful stories and impact metrics for grant reports, donor events, and marketing campaigns, as requested by the Partner Engagement Team
Ensure Excellence in Program Operations –10%
- Keep programs running smoothly by ensuring staff have the right resources and systems in place
- Ensure systems are in place for each program to collect evaluation data and stories of impact
- Strategically allocate staff time to maximize program effectiveness
- Prioritize safety by upholding child safety and compliance standards at all times
Competencies
The Director of Language & Literacy should demonstrate competence in the following:
- Excellent interpersonal skills; able to quickly establish and maintain positive relationships with people from a range of diverse backgrounds, religions, cultures and languages
- Able to inspire and motivate a diverse group of people to accomplish goals
- Exhibits cross-cultural humility and the curiosity of a lifelong learner
- Superior organization skills and attention to detail
- Able to thrive in a collaborative environment, including working effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions
- Knowledgeable about human resources and general management principles
- Strong written and verbal communicator
- Experience leading change management
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment
- Able to confidently lead and explain the work using the foundation of FOR’s mission, vision, values and philosophy of ministry
Experience and Qualifications
- Full commitment and alignment with FOR’s vision, mission, values, and philosophy of ministry; required
- Active participation in a Metro Atlanta church; required
- 2-4 years of experience managing direct reports and leading teams; required
- 1-2 years’ experience volunteering or working in a multicultural setting; required
- Proficient in Google Suite; required
- Bachelor's degree, required; graduate degree; preferred
- Training or coursework in any of the following is highly preferred: education, nonprofit administration, human development, human resources, project management, ESOL, healthcare, or public health
- Nonprofit work experience; preferred
- Teaching experience (volunteer or paid); preferred
- Past experience working with displaced people (or personal lived experience); preferred
Company Description
friendsofrefugees.com
