Community Economic Development Specialist

The Reserva de la Biosfera Los Petenes (RBLP) in Mexico has requested the support of a Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV) to serve as a Community Economic Development Specialist. Knowledge of the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve among the inhabitants of communities in the area of influence is still very limited, and there are major challenges such as illegal hunting and the selective extraction of timber and non-timber resources from the Peten ecosystem, as well as an increase in forest fires. The reserve’s management has undertaken a new approach to focus on community development work through the recovery and use of agrobiodiversity, generating added value to the community’s products and creating more efficient and effective value chains.

The PCRV will be considered a member of the RBLP team and will collaborate with their counterpart to conduct an asset and needs assessment to identify resources, areas of opportunity, and priorities. The PCRV will also design and facilitate technical workshops for RBLP staff members and for community members based on the needs assessment.

Candidates selected for this position will be arriving in Mexico together as a group, so while the departure dates for the whole group could change, dates cannot be changed for individual candidates.

Volunteer safety is of paramount importance, and the protections of U.S. citizenship promote volunteer safety. Under Mexican law, anyone born in Mexico who became a U.S. citizen after 1998 or anyone holding dual U.S. and Mexican citizenship is considered a citizen of Mexico, and not of the United States. If such an individual faced a legal, safety or other emergency situation in Mexico, the Peace Corps’ ability to intervene could be limited. Therefore, the PC will not place in Mexico individuals who are either dual citizens of Mexico and the U.S. or who were born in Mexico and became U.S. citizens after 1998. If you fit either of these categories, we encourage you to look at other opportunities with PC Response.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, business, entrepreneurship, community development, economic development, or related field
• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience
• Experience in community and/or economic development
• Experience creating small businesses
• Experience providing training and/or facilitating workshops
• Advanced Spanish
• Accountability
• Adaptability and flexible thinking
• Initiative
• Problem solving
• Collaboration
• Intercultural engagement

Living conditions

Learn more about the Volunteer experience in Mexico: Get detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics in order to make a well-informed decision about serving.

Medical considerations

Before you apply, please review medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.