Mano a Mano is looking for its next Executive Director! After nearly a decade as Executive Director and 2 decades working with the organization, Nate Knatterud-Hubinger is transitioning out of his Executive Director position in March 2025. We are seeking a candidate who can overlap and learn about the organization during this time, as Mano a Mano celebrates 30 years in operation and looks forward to the future.

Responsibilities

1. Guide leadership and strategy of Mano a Mano’s US organization, in support of 4 counterpart organizations in Bolivia (each of which has its own Board and staff)
   • US Board Partnership – working closely with Mano a Mano’s Board President, collaborate with the US Board to develop the financial and strategic oversight of the organization in support of 5 counterpart organizations; lead processes to develop and execute this oversight; and provide regular communications.  
   • Work with staff, teams, boards across Mano a Mano’s US office and 4 Bolivian counterparts to review and consider modifications to programs and projects – current and potential – in response to the expressed needs of Bolivian communities as defined by our mission.
   • Support Mano a Mano’s organizations, programs, and projects – balancing the defined priorities vs. the resources needed and available to implement.
   • Support Bolivian counterpart organization’s management and oversight: legal and administrative processes, local challenges, resources needed, resources available, communication with Bolivia boards, staffing needs, volunteers.
   • Support travel to and from Bolivia for staff, board members, donors, and volunteers.
2. Secure resources in support of Mano a Mano’s 5 counterpart organizations
   • Individual giving: major donors, planned giving, campaigns, consistent supporters
   • In-kind: volunteers, in-kind donations (Recovered Resources Program), technical support, partnerships, in-kind donations (cars, items, property, stocks)
   • Foundations
   • Churches, civic organizations, corporate, government
   • Earned revenue: Mano a Mano books, Bolivian crafts, selling in-kind items
3. Lead operations for the MN-based nonprofit “Mano a Mano International Partners”
   • Lead finances, annual audit process, banking, budget management
   • Lead people management for Minnesota office: full and part-time employees, contract staff, volunteers, Board
   • Lead and improve processes, policies, tools, systems in support of organization
   • Manage St. Paul office and warehouse building, vehicles, and equipment in collaboration with staff
4. Support communications and research for 5 counterpart organizations
   • In collaboration with staff across 5 organizations, collect information for all projects and programs.
   • Manage, review, and analyze collected information to inform decision-making, create reports, and communicate for internal and external audiences.
   • Manage Mano a Mano website, social media, and outreach.
5. Manage Recovered Resources program
   • In St. Paul, Mano a Mano collects supplies and equipment destined for Minnesota landfills and ships them to Bolivia, where they are distributed by Mano a Mano’s counterpart organizations to people and organizations in need throughout the country. Annually, 200,000+ pounds are shipped on average.
   • Lead overall program management in collaboration with staff, Board, volunteers.
6. Other duties as assigned – we are a small nonprofit and we all need to wear many hats, often outside of our direct job responsibilities.

About Mano a Mano

Mano a Mano’s mission is: “Partnering together – Hand in Hand – to transform the health and well-being of Bolivian communities in need.” Established in Minnesota in 1994, Mano a Mano has been guided by the simple, yet powerful premise that groups of committed individuals can reach across national boundaries to make a dramatic difference in the lives of others. The power of this premise has been demonstrated by the extent to which the organization has grown from a small, all-volunteer organization that distributed 500 pounds of medical supplies to Bolivia in 1994 to one that involves hundreds of Minnesotans and impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of rural Bolivians.

---

We are a bi-lingual/bi-cultural organization, working within a collaborative, partnership model with four Mano a Mano counterpart organizations in Bolivia which we helped create (we have about 60 people on staff in Bolivia). Mano a Mano International Partners is a grassroots organization that responds to needs identified by rural Bolivian communities. We do not simply make decisions and develop plans in the United States for implementation in Bolivia.

Working with our Bolivian counterparts, our US office establishes the total organization’s vision, mission, and general goals for the entire Mano a Mano organization, raises financial and in-kind resources, contributes additional expertise in program development and management, and provides subject-area professional knowledge and skills. The US office in St. Paul, Minnesota operates with a full-time staff of two, ~10 part-time/contract staff, and an effective volunteer network. We have an annual budget of $2 million-$3 million across our 5 counterpart organizations that is fundraised primarily in the US. Every project we do in Bolivia is supported with financial and in-kind support managed by our counterparts in Bolivia.

Read our 2023 Annual Report to learn more.

Ideal Qualifications

• Passion and compassion for the work of partnering with Bolivian communities to improve their lives
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of relevant experience working in the nonprofit sector or similar field, ideally with a demonstrated track record with nonprofit management, fundraising, and international work
• Spanish proficiency is strongly preferred, to be able to communicate with our Bolivia counterparts and understand reports received from our counterparts in Spanish
• Working knowledge of Microsoft suite, Google suite, Quickbooks; capability to learn other software necessary to perform the job
• Experience/expertise with nonprofit administrative management
• Experience/expertise with international development, ideally in Bolivia/Andes Region/South America/Latin America
• Ability and commitment to work collaboratively and positively with many different people with many different backgrounds
• Ability and commitment to continually learn, change, and adapt
• Ability and commitment to understand working cross-culturally in a country with many challenges, often under less-than-ideal circumstances and often outside of our control

We understand that you may not have all of the qualifications listed; we encourage you to still consider applying if you feel that you may be a good fit.

Compensation & Benefits

• $90,000-$120,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications
• Strong benefits package including health and dental insurance, retirement match, PTO, flexible work environment
• This position is located in St. Paul, Minnesota and would need to be available for at least some of the time working in-person in the office and for meetings in the Twin Cities area. A hybrid setup is possible. Some domestic and international travel is part of the job.

Learn More & Apply

Please email Mano a Mano Board Chair Segundo Velasquez ([email protected]) and Mano a Mano Executive Director ([email protected]), including your resume attached in PDF format and a brief summary of your interest (in the email is fine), with “Executive Director” in the subject line. (All applications and communications will be kept confidential.) We will be accepting applications through the month of October 2024 and will begin interviews in early November 2024; we are looking to have the new hire starting by the end of the year.

Note from Nate Knatterud-Hubinger

After nearly a decade as Executive Director of Mano a Mano International Partners, I have made the decision to transition out of my position in March 2025. We are currently seeking our next Executive Director for our Minnesota-based office who can overlap and learn about the organization during this time.

I will be taking a break after this transition period, but there is a real possibility of me continuing with Mano a Mano in a different role moving forward (in collaboration with our newly hired ED and our Board; the Board has made clear that a newly created position that would be a good fit for me and for the organization makes sense, and there is plenty of work to do).

Mano a Mano is in a good place as an organization, with many good people in Minnesota and Bolivia doing good work. I am extremely grateful to our staff, Board, volunteers, interns, donors, the Bolivian communities we partner with, and everyone that has been a part of Mano a Mano over the almost 2 decades that I have been involved with the organization. I am simply ready for a new chapter, and I look forward to Mano a Mano’s continued success and growth!