Orphan Care and Vulnerable Children Program Director

About Us: Love Justice International (LJI) is a Christian nonprofit organization and our mission is sharing the love of Jesus Christ by fighting the world’s greatest injustices. We do this in two primary ways: through our expanding anti-human trafficking work and by caring for orphaned and abandoned children. We are seeking faithful, compassionate, thoughtful problem-solvers who are able to think deeply and carefully about how we can share Christ's love by fighting injustice. You can make more money elsewhere, and probably find better ways to live an easier, more comfortable life. We see this work as more than just a job, but as a calling to that mission. If you are called to our mission and want to find out how you can fit into our work, apply today!

Love Justice International is a certified Best Christian Workplace in 2021 - 2024. Click here for more information about us.

Position Type: Full Time; Support-Raised*; Overseas (South Asia)

*If hired, the candidate will be required to raise financial support to cover his/her own salary, benefits, and expenses. Raising support is a key example of the body of Christ supporting its members and joining in the fight against injustice. LJI will provide administrative and prayer support throughout the process, as well as guidance and resources to build up a support base. Please prayerfully consider whether you may be called to step out in faith and raise support for this position.

Position Overview: More than 15 million children worldwide are orphaned, and many more have been abandoned by their parents. These children are among the most salient examples of "the least of these" whom Jesus speaks about in Matthew 25:40. In the last century, however, orphanages and children's homes have not had a good track record of providing a developmentally nourishing environment for these children. The problem with traditional children’s homes is the failure to provide the crucial parenting practices and environmental factors that developmental science has clearly linked to positive outcomes in children.

At LJI, we believe the crisis of orphan care can be solved only by relentless, rigorous, and robust emphasis on the science of child development, which has shown the parenting practices and environmental factors that lead to thriving childhoods. To this end, we have created a Family Homes program to help orphaned and abandoned children become difference-makers in their nation. We operate 17 Family Homes and one hostel that care for over 200 children in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. Each home is overseen by house parents and at least one helper, and the entire program is supported by 12 national and international staff.  

Many of the elements recommended by developmental science are counter-cultural in the contexts we work, but we are determined to ensure that our homes provide the developmentally rich, loving environment that children deserve. Our model surpasses traditional orphan-care models in the following ways:

• Our Family Homes Standard contains nearly 100 key elements of a developmentally nourishing environment, which our staff and house parents are trained on regularly and tracked monthly to ensure that our homes are providing the best environment possible for our children. 
• We started our own school in Nepal to prepare the hearts and minds of our children to be difference-makers in their nation. This school is different from other local schools in that it strives to replace the traditional rote (memorization-based) learning with independent thinking and problem solving. Our students are already outperforming their peers in key objective measures, and our aim is to make it a truly Kingdom-class place of learning.
• We run several supplemental programs including counseling, computer education, a yearly camp, a vocational assessment, guidance counseling, and life preparation program to help our kids graduate from the homes (after we have facilitated their college education). 

Early data comparing our children to a randomized sample has shown that our children have an average IQ nearly 20 points better than their peers, and that they scored better on prosocial behavior, motivation to learn, hopelessness, and relatedness--despite the fact that their lives were significantly disrupted by losing their parents. However, there are still weaknesses in our model, and we intend to improve upon it until we have overwhelming data demonstrating its efficacy.  

Our goal is to develop a scalable model for orphan care and robust data demonstrating its effectiveness in helping children thrive. The Director of Family Home Operations will lead both the data assessment and the implementation plan for scaling this model internationally. This will be a dream job for anyone who thinks big, loves children, and believes that love and developmental science can lead the way for a world-scale solution to the crisis of orphan care. 

The Director of Family Home Operations position will be based in Nepal, with significant international travel, and will report to the President.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Overseeing, managing, and providing strategic direction to all aspects of LJI's Family Homes and schools, including:
• Ensuring the atmosphere of each home is such that every child grows up in a loving, safe, Christian family home
• Ensuring house parents and teachers are hired, trained, and performing according to LJI standards
• Ensuring that all LJI Family Homes and schools are complying with applicable LJI Standards and core processes
• Overseeing budgets and all financial matters 
• Managing 2-3 direct reports who oversee crucial divisions of the structure, including the Nepal Family Homes Director and LJI School Director
• Assessing and improving upon all aspects of LJI’s Family Homes model, including:

• Using data and metrics to test the efficacy of its programs by designing and implementing studies 
• Developing and implementing strategies to increase effectiveness of its programs based on data findings
• Once tested, developing and implementing a plan for scaling LJI’s Family Homes model internationally, including developing and improving upon the core processes needed to adapt the model to new countries 

The duties listed above are conducted within a work culture that is striving to emulate Christ and make him first and central. Staff should agree with the following ideas included in what it means to us to Abide in Christ (our first Global Value):

• Our Primary Identity is in Christ
• We Believe God Is Sovereign Over Injustice
• We Are Made, Called, and Led By Christ
• We Commit to Connect with Jesus
• Prayer Should Be Central To Our Work
• Our Conduct Is Our Testimony

• Mature Christian faith and agreement with our Global Value to “Abide in Christ”
• Knowledge, understanding, and agreement with how the Christian Gospel ministers to “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40) and guides us in our mission
• Agreement with our Core Value “Be the Kingdom”(both in the execution of our mission and in our personal lives)
• Acknowledgement of our Statement of Faith
• A robust understanding of developmental science and education, including a minimum of a master's degree in Child Development or a relevant field (PhD preferred)
• Significant leadership experience managing complex businesses or organizations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Logical reasoning, basic quantitative reasoning, and problem-solving skills
• Strong work ethic, self-motivation, and willingness to adapt to changing and challenging circumstances
• A strong passion for children's development, children's rights, and justice
• Experience working in cross-cultural contexts; sensitivity to cultural differences

Application Process: We will continue to invite applications for this position until a new Director of Family Home Operations has been hired. We welcome applications continuously, as we actively seek exceptional candidates for this position. Candidates will submit a letter of interest and CV when they submit their application here. Nominations, inquiries, and questions concerning this search may be directed to careers@lovejustice.ngo.

Please allow us 1-2 weeks to process your application. Thank you for your interest!