Project Coordinator - Horshna Forest School

Project Description

We are a community of educators and families who initiated a forest school in October 2019 in the parks and forests of Beirut and its surroundings.

We believe contact with nature provides our children (ages 2.9 - 6 years) a free and nurturing place for their developmental, physical, emotional, and social needs. An everyday exploration and connection to place, creates an empathetic connection to the land we live in. This bond is essential to continue to pass down from one generation to another to live together in a more humane and sustainable way.

We also believe in a participatory community approach and an inclusive socio-economic model. Horshna started with 4 families and 1 educator and we pulled our resources together as a community to get it started. This participatory spirit continues to grow with us and is manifested in Horshna’s structure and decision-making process.

We are a play-based program and implement the constructivist approach to learning inspired by Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Forest School practices. We meet daily rain or shine, engage in free play, exploration of our environment, storytelling and song, arts and crafts, and projects inspired by the children’s curiosities.

We operate daily, from Monday - Friday, September to June, with 18 children, a team of 4 educators, 1 administrator, and the support of a Board and 4 parent working groups.

Job Summary

The Horshna Forest School Coordinator is responsible for community management, financial management, communication plan, HR management, developing Horshna policies and procedures, and contributing to the growth of Horshna Forest School. The Coordinator will work closely with the Administrator and the parent working groups and report to the school Director.

We seek someone who believes in alternative education and environmental justice and wants to be part of a conscious community of children, parents, and educators. Someone passionate about collective work and is an initiative taker. The job requires the ability to interact with diverse parents, colleagues, and educators' communities, build consensus and work in a cooperative environment.

Possibility of growing into a managerial role and partner in the project.

The overall objective of the position:

• Participate in setting a vision to act inclusively and positively impact the Horshna community
• Identify partnerships for development and fundraising
• Ensure Horshna’s financial sustainability
• Ensure and maintain a good governance structure and system
• Support the establishment of Horshna’s legal status

Roles and Specific Tasks

Community Management

• Review the meetings calendar, and participate in setting meetings’ objectives and structure.
• Participate actively in the Parent Committees - Board meetings, General Assembly Meetings, and other general meetings between parents and educators.
• Follow up with the Administrator on the meeting minutes and the next steps.

Financial Management

• Develop and finalize the annual budget development (in collaboration with the Finance Working Group).
• Suggest annual care fees scale according to the annual budget and participate in the decision-making with the Director and the Finance Working Group. Review the existing financial forms and templates and create any additional needed forms such as the annual budget, the expenditure plan, the budget control, and expense claims.
• Suggest financial strategies and solutions when needed.
• Review the financial procedures related to procurement and set procedures to be followed by all school departments.

• Systemize and follow up on Horshna expenditures, conduct a trimestrial budget control, and report to the Director.

• Review and approve Horshna's final annual financial report.

Communication

• Set the external communication strategy and action plan and follow up on the implementation with the Horshna Administrator (website, social media...)

Fundraising:

• Identify fundraising needs and support the Fundraising Working Group in developing a yearly fundraising strategy.
• Support in proposal writing, oversee ongoing grants and report to donors as needed.

Human Resources:

• Develop TOR for new positions in collaboration with Horshna and the Director.
• Conduct the second round of CV reviews.
• Review the final shortlisted CVs and conduct interviews for programmatic and operational positions.
• Review the Horshna contracts template with the Horshna lawyer.
• Ensure the proper documentation of the staff files (Contract - TOR - ID - Attendance Sheet - Annual Leaves…)

Policies and Procedures

• Support and develop the school's policies and procedures with the relevant working group.

Administration:

Children Enrollment:

• Develop Guidelines for new children enrollment by the Administrator and the Welcoming Working Group.
• Develop a decision-making process for new children's application review and enrollment decision-making.
• Ensure the proper guidelines and processes for implementation

Filing:

• Review the Horshna filing system and backup every 3 months, and suggest changes where needed.
• Follow up on all legal matters related to the organization

Logistics:

• Establish a long-term strategic plan for school locations’ accessibility in partnership with the Location and Logistics Working Group.
• Ensure, with the support of the LL Working Group and the Administrator, the accessibility to the school's outdoor and indoor locations.

Candidates are expected to be:

• Fluent in Arabic and English
• Have experience in:

• Program/project coordination
• Team Leadership
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Have skills in:
• Communication skills and collective thinking - Interpersonal communication with team members and parents.
• Financial Management - Annual Budgeting and budget control and setting financial strategies.
• Policy development
• Setting communication strategy/ Social media platforms management/ Website content development.
• Negotiation and ability to follow up on legal matters related to the school.
• Fundraising/ Proposal Writing/ Reporting
• Early childhood education/management is a plus.

Salary & Days

This is a part-time position 3 days / 24 hours a week.

Work can be done remotely with field and meeting visits, scheduling is flexible.

The salary range is $800-$1000.