Managing Director

About Awana Digital

Awana Digital is a nonprofit organization registered in the United States under 501(c)(3) status. The organization works alongside frontline communities, using technology to advance environmental justice and defend rights. Its name comes from the Kichwa phrase meaning "to weave," reflecting its approach of integrating technology into Indigenous land defense work in a holistic way.

The team collaborates with environmental defenders to design and build practical tools they can use to safeguard critical ecosystems and Indigenous cultures. Its main product, CoMapeo, supports communities around the world in mapping, monitoring, and protecting their territories, and has contributed to legal wins that protect land rights. The organization operates fully remotely, with team members across seven countries and three continents.

Role Overview

Awana Digital is hiring a Managing Director for a newly created leadership role. This person will work closely with the Executive Director, the Programs team, and the Leadership team to strengthen the organization’s people, systems, and operations so the mission can have greater impact in support of Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities.

What You Will Do

• Support staff growth and help maintain a work culture built on trust, accountability, learning, and teamwork.
• Bring clarity to organizational priorities, goals, responsibilities, and expectations.
• Improve communication, coordination, and working relationships across teams.
• Build and refine systems, workflows, and processes that make the organization run more smoothly.
• Contribute to organizational planning, decision-making, and execution of strategic goals.
• Keep budgets, staffing, projects, and funder commitments aligned with organizational objectives.
• Create structures that help the team manage growth, change, and new opportunities.
• Spot challenges early, help solve problems, and keep key work moving forward.
• Support the long-term stability and effectiveness of the organization.

What the Organization Is Looking For

The ideal candidate is a steady, thoughtful leader who enjoys helping people, projects, and organizations succeed. You should be comfortable balancing high-level strategy with day-to-day execution, and be equally prepared to support staff, improve systems, and drive important work ahead.

You should be able to build trust quickly and lead with a mix of empathy and accountability. Clear communication, approachability, and reliability are important, as is the ability to handle difficult conversations, make decisions when needed, and foster an environment where people can learn and grow.

This role also calls for strong organizational habits and a talent for bringing order to complexity. You should be able to improve workflows, align budgets with priorities, and help teams clarify goals by seeing the connections between different parts of the work and turning ideas into action.

Collaboration is essential. The role requires someone who values diverse perspectives, communicates openly, and can bring people together around shared goals.

Because the work is rooted in social justice, the organization is looking for someone who believes that how work is done matters as much as the outcomes. Humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn are important, along with a genuine interest in supporting Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities protecting critical ecosystems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using Notion or a similar project management platform.
• Experience working across countries and cultures, including familiarity with work styles outside the United States.
• Ability to communicate in Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Bahasa Indonesia.
• Experience aligning budgets, staffing, and organizational priorities with grant obligations, deliverables, and reporting requirements.

Benefits and Work Arrangements

Awana Digital uses a transparent salary structure. The expected annual pay for this role is between USD 106,000 and 115,000, depending on experience. Benefits vary by country of residence.

The organization is committed to social justice and work-life balance. It follows a 4-day work week and is also undertaking internal work to make decision-making more democratic.

• The role offers flexibility in schedule, location, and hours, while still requiring availability for daytime meetings with colleagues in the Americas and Western Europe.
• This is an opportunity to make a significant contribution within a small, high-impact organization.
• Full-time is defined as 32 hours per week. Some team members work four 8-hour days, while others distribute hours more flexibly across the week.
• Some travel is expected for team gatherings, retreats, conferences, and visits to partner organizations.

Location and Team Context

This position is primarily remote, and candidates should be based in the Americas. The organization’s team is currently located in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Peru, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Equal Opportunity and Inclusion

Awana Digital encourages applications from Indigenous people, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, and others from marginalized communities. The organization is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Application Expectations

The organization values authentic, human-written applications and does not use large language models to screen or decide on candidates. Applicants are asked to explain, in their own words, why they are interested in the role.