Title: Program Director

Directly reports to: Executive Director

Supervises: Project Coordinators, project staff, interns, and volunteers

Term: One year (with possible extension) starting September 2025

Location: Work from home, preferably within the Caribbean or Florida, U.S.

Compensation: US $25 per hour, up to 20 hours per week with an increase to 40 hours per week possible.

Background

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) is seeking an innovative and skilled Program Director with a passion for conservation to develop and supervise projects throughout the Caribbean with a focus on EPIC flagship program locations in Sint Maarten/St. Martin, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Expansion to other locations is also desired. Identifying and writing grants, including identifying and recruiting partners, is essential to continued funding and is a primary duty of this position. In addition, the Program Director will develop and handle essential administrative tasks and liaison between EPIC Headquarters and program field offices and staff.

EPIC is an independent non-profit (501c3) founded in 2000 in Florida, U.S. with the mission of protecting the Caribbean through research and community-based actions. The mission is achieved through the conservation tools of Science, Education, Advocacy and Stewardship (SEAS). The organization conducts projects throughout the Antilles and is committed to engaging with local stakeholders as community support is essential to all EPIC projects. Visit epicislands.org to learn more.

This is a contracted position, requiring candidates to self-file and pay appropriate taxes and/or insurances. In addition, remote-working contractors must have a home office with associated equipment (computer, phone, office supplies) and a reliable internet connection. If travel or specific software or other equipment is required, EPIC will cover those costs which must be predetermined and agreed upon in advance of any purchases or bookings. The position is a remote position that will report to the Executive Director and requires travel to locations in the U.S. and Caribbean.

Scope of Work

Leadership & Management

• Serve as the leader of EPIC programs by actively engaging with, managing, and supporting staff and volunteers to achieve project objectives, which are typically associated with grant-funded projects.
• Guide, motivate and inspire individuals and teams and foster collaboration to achieve efficiency, effectiveness, and successful on-the-ground conservation outcomes.
• Ensure ongoing, short and long-term project excellence, including rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality and standards throughout all program elements including science, stewardship, education, finance, administration, fundraising, and communications.
• Establish timelines, budgets, staffing levels, and other parameters to manage the use of resources needed to achieve program goals.
• Lead the staffing and human resources management for Project Coordinators and field site positions including drafting job descriptions, advertising, hiring, training, developing talent, coaching, and handling disciplinary actions and dismissals, as necessary.
• Actively engage with and cultivate partnering organizations, grantors, and funders.
• Provide recommendations to the Executive Director of potential strategies to develop and improve the overall organization and identify, solve or mitigate potential risks, challenges, or issues.
• Serve as a liaison between EPIC headquarters and field sites.

Grants and Revenue Generating

• Secure funding for projects, particularly through project development and grant writing and submissions to ensure consistent and strategic funding and conservation impacts within programs.
• In partnership with the Executive Director and Development Manager, expand revenue generating and fundraising activities for existing program operations and projected program expansions in support of EPIC’s mission.
• Lead and coordinate with EPIC staff and partners on the preparation of funding proposals including getting quotes, drafting budgets, narratives, completing required forms, gathering letters of support, and submitting grants using proper formats and protocols.
• Appear and speak professionally on behalf of EPIC with funders, grantors, donors, the press and media, partners and others.

Administration & Finance

• Responsible for the fiscal integrity of programs through managing and monitoring several budgets, including monthly review of budgets and grant reports for accuracy and solvency, anticipating future expenditures and budget changes, ensuring maximum resource utilization, and maintenance of programs in a positive financial position.
• Prepare and submit to the Executive Director a proposed annual budget for all programs supervised including grant and fundraising targets and strategies.
• Ensure all supervised staff and teams have properly coded and submitted receipts for expenses and income every two weeks to ensure accurate bookkeeping records.
• Ensure all supervised staff and teams have submitted required forms and documentation and are complying with organizational rules, requirements and guidelines.
• Ensure all staff and program information is properly saved, backed up, and secured.
• Provide written monthly updates on project activities, meet weekly with the Executive Director, and provide occasional verbal and/or written reports of progress to the Leadership Team and Board of Directors.
• Assist and advise on the development of new or revised financial or administrative processes to improve efficiencies.

Communication

• Craft vision, content, and approaches for programs and projects to be promoted through diverse communication mediums including social media, newsletters, annual reports, peer-to-peer, press/media, and in professional settings such as conferences and symposiums. Audiences may include funders, partners, or community members.
• Ensure communications products/campaigns contain accurate and unbiased information, representing the tone and style of EPIC and the EPIC brand.
• Work with the EPIC Public Relations Manager and Executive Director to achieve communications goals.

Planning & Evaluation

• Identify and design new projects to be implemented, both long and short-term, which support EPIC’s mission.
• Evaluate effectiveness/impacts of projects.
• Create or review reports and meet all reporting requirements for funders/grantors. Meet with or generally communicate with and professionally represent EPIC among grantors/funders on a regular basis.
• Understand and support the EPIC strategic plan and planning process; identify and implement various strategies to achieve plan goals and outcomes.

Other

• Support all-team efforts such as team meetings and helping with large scale projects, where “all hands are on deck” such as annual fundraising events.
• Serve as a member of the EPIC Operations Team and collaborate with other team members as necessary to ensure a positive and professional working atmosphere.
• Other tasks and duties assigned by the Executive Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

The Program Director will be thoroughly committed to EPIC’s mission. All candidates should have proven leadership and management experience.

Core requirements include:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree, preferably natural resources management, environmental or conservation management, development studies, or in relevant fields, with demonstrated successful management experience.
• Track record of effectively leading and regionally and/or internationally scaling performance- and outcomes-based programs and staff; ability to point to specific examples of having developed and operationalized strategies that have taken programs to the next stage of growth.
• Strong grant writing skills and demonstrated success in securing funding for projects, along with grant management experience.
• Experience in data-driven program evaluation.
• Organizational management experience, highly organized and strategic thinker with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams and to set and achieve program objectives.
• Solid, hands-on, budget management skills, including budget preparation, analysis, decision-making and reporting for diverse funding sources.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to write and edit project reports and public communication pieces such as newsletters and social posts.
• Knowledge of Caribbean conservation issues and familiarity with diverse Caribbean cultures.
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people and engage a wide range of stakeholders and cultures.