Field Operations Director

The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) seeks a field operations director. The director will provide strategic vision and leadership for OTI’s field work in coordination with OTI’s other teams and New America’s programs. Candidates must have a successful track record of fundraising, considerable management experience, and a participatory ethos.

The field operations director will supervise a diverse team including engineers, urban planners, researchers, and community organizers who implement and manage OTI’s field operations, which include:

• Collaborations with local partners, both domestic and abroad, to implement technology projects and conduct participatory research;
• Piloting and evaluation of technologies for civic innovation, community development, privacy and security, and self-governance;
• Research and publishing on the real-world social and political impact of communications technologies;
• Testing and deployment of OTI’s wireless technologies, especially Commotion, an open-source communication tool that uses mobile phones, computers, and other wireless devices to create decentralized mesh wireless networks.

The field operations director will also

• Provide strategic vision and communicate about the team’s efforts both within and outside of the organization;
• Expand new partnership opportunities in the US and internationally;
• Create and implement a fundraising strategy that maximizes the team’s impact in support of OTI’s mission.

OTI promotes affordable, universal, and ubiquitous communications through partnerships with communities, researchers, industry, and public interest groups, and is committed to maximizing the potentials of innovative open technologies for poor, rural, and other underserved constituencies.

OTI’s field team works directly with communities by using the tools of project-based learning and participatory research to build and support community controlled tech infrastructure as means of self-governance.

The Field Operations Director serves as a member of OTI’s senior management team, which includes the Policy Director, Technology Director, and Operations Director. The senior management team oversees day-to-day operations, fundraising and budgeting for the Open Technology Institute. The position is based in Washington, D.C.

Responsibilities

• Oversee management, hiring, and the professional development of field team staff, including training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems;
• Coordinate the field team’s domestic and international work with OTI's other teams, partner projects and fellows, as well as other New America Foundation programs, allies, and fellows;
• Fundraise for OTI’s field work, including designing and writing grant proposals, meeting with funders and managing grant compliance and other related activities;
• Develop partnerships and collaborations with a diverse set of stakeholders and other civil society organizations;
• Work with NAF’s senior leadership team on coordinating among the organization’s programs and its administrative departments;
• Work with OTI’s senior management team on organizational priorities including budget/finance considerations and general management.

Qualifications

• Managerial experience (5+ years), including managing and mentoring staff with different experience levels, job functions, and expertise;
• Experience implementing diverse community technology projects (10+ years), in particular working with a diverse set of partners and on project planning and budgeting;
• Demonstrated track record of fundraising, including proposal development experience and relationships with likely funders;
• Comfort working domestically and internationally with diverse stakeholders;
• Experience working for or with -- or being part of -- communities with limited access to technology;
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including diplomacy, tact, and the ability to negotiate and to work collaboratively;
• Demonstrated analytical and problem solving skills and leadership ability;
• Willingness to travel occasionally.

Additional Desired Qualifications

• Fluency in a language or languages other than English.
• Experience working within a highly collaborative organization undergoing change;
• Established working relationships outside the United States;
• Familiarity with the use of information and communications technology for freedom of expression, economic development, and privacy and security;
• Experience with collaborative or user-centered design and participatory research methodologies;
• Strong candidates will have experience in several of the following areas: the social impact of information and communications technologies; urban planning; media education and digital literacy; community organizing; wireless engineering; ICTs for development, freedom of expression, privacy and security, and economic development; and program evaluation.

Application Process

Submit a cover letter specifically addressing the position, resume, and three (3) professional references. This position will remain open until filled. No phone calls or emails. Salary commensurate with experience; excellent benefits. The New America Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.