Project Director, USDOL

Project Director, USDOL, Paraguay

Position Description

About PADF

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. We work across Latin America and the Caribbean to make our region stronger—more healthy, peaceful, just, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable for current and future generations. For over 60 years, we have served the most vulnerable communities, investing resources throughout the hemisphere. We partner with and enable civil society, governments, and the private sector for the greater good of the region. 

Position Overview

PADF seeks a full-time Project Director for an upcoming U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Project in Paraguay. This project will protect children, strengthen global labor standards, and support fair competition by reducing exploitative child labor, thereby helping to level the playing field for American workers and businesses.

The Project Director should have a background in labor law, labor rights, child labor, human rights, or related areas. They should have experience on the issues of educational technology (EdTech), digital skills, and digital safety. The selected individual will lead a diverse team of technical specialists and partners in Paraguay that will collaborate to enhance child protection, connect youth employment pathways, develop child-centered online safety protocols, strengthen local and national government capacity, and partner with the private sector to promote solutions to child labor and online exploitation risks. The Project Director will be based in Paraguay. This position is contingent on funding. Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead project activities according to the approved work plan and in consultation with USDOL and key stakeholders.
• Liaise with USDOL; national, state, and local governments; and target populations, bringing in and leveraging stakeholders to support project activities as required.
• Maintain working relationships with all project stakeholders (including government, civil society, academia, and employers) and engage in coalition-building and public-private partnership promotion.
• Manage a team of project staff, technical experts, consultants, and local partners, while coordinating with headquarters and in-country project staff.
• Provide strategic guidance to the team for the completion of project activities in prioritized sectoral and geographic areas.
• Perform strategic, financial, and operational planning, including work planning, and ensure project compliance with all USDOL financial, contractual, and reporting requirements.
• Ensure that milestones, performance goals, and indicators are monitored and achieved.
• Lead high-quality report preparation in English, capturing project activities, documenting impacts related to all activities, and ensuring timely submission.
• Foster partnerships and alliances to leverage additional funds and support for project activities.
• Travel to areas of intervention within Paraguay and to PADF headquarters in Washington DC as needed.
• Other duties as required.

Competencies

• Nurture knowledge – Models continuous learning, builds systems that institutionalize knowledge, and uses insights to drive strategic decisions.
• Be creative and promote creativity – Drives a culture of innovation and aligns creative initiatives with organizational strategy.
• Lead & inspire – Inspires at organizational scale through values-driven leadership.
• Adapt – Leads strategic adaptation, anticipating change and ensuring organizational agility.
• Optimize resources – Drives organizational excellence through strategic resource allocation and systems that support continuous improvement.
• Communicate effectively – Communicates vision, strategy, and priorities with clarity and inspiration to diverse internal and external audiences.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in project management, supervision, administration, and implementation of a cooperative agreement and/or contract requirements (including meeting deadlines, achieving targets, establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations, working with multiple subrecipient(s) and/or contractor(s), and overseeing the preparation and submission of required reports to donor agencies), preferably in one of the countries of implementation.
• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, or law or Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree reflecting expertise in areas relevant to this project, such as labor law, public policy, child protection, child labor, EdTech, and project management.
• Proven experience in a leadership role for a project addressing child labor-related issues.
• Deep understanding of labor and education dynamics and challenges facing the children and youth in Paraguay.
• Experience working with organizations promoting the rights of children and youth in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Experience establishing and maintaining systems for managing project operations across several countries preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain working relationships with all project stakeholders and to engage in coalition building and multi-stakeholder partnerships, specifically with the public and private sectors.
• Demonstrated experience as an effective public speaker.
• Fluency in English and Spanish is required. Fluency includes speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
• Knowledge of USG donor rules, regulations, systems and procedures, specifically pertaining to USDOL preferred.

More About PADF

PADF is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962.  www.padf.org

PADF’s core values. “H-E-A-R-T” = Honesty, Excellence, Authenticity, Respect, and Trust.

EEO Statement. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. PADF does not discriminate based on ability, age, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record.

PADF is committed to safeguarding employees and those we serve, addressing inappropriate behavior, discrimination, and harassment. We take an intersectional approach, promote gender equality, and follow our Global Code of Conduct emphasizing our H.E.A.R.T. values. The code covers various aspects, including anti-trafficking, PSEAH (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment), whistleblowing, and online safety.

PADF is an Equal Opportunity Employer