Location: Guatemala city, Guatemala 

Position Status: Full-time, on-going

Salary: pending benchmark on local scale - range commensurate on professional experience 

Closing date: Please submit applications by end of Wednesday September 23

** Candidates must hold independent right to work in Guatemala at time of application. 

Risk Level:  X Level 3     ☐ Level 2     ☐ Level 1

Level 3: Frequent contact with participants, direct contact with children, access to sensitive data, and/or high level of accountability.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.  In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has worked in Guatemala for over 20 years, maintaining deep connections to rural communities and implementing rural development, food security, water security, health, land conflict mediation, land formalization and violence prevention programming with funding from a multitude of institutional and private donors. Given the high levels of development and humanitarian needs including mixed migration flows throughout the region, the need to develop more robust, multi-country focused programming has become apparent. Mercy Corps is currently seeking registration in Honduras - where Mercy Corps had a presence until 2004 – and Mexico, with ambitions to also expand beyond these geographies. Meeting lifesaving humanitarian needs, as well as longer term economic development, job creation, violence prevention, and other development interventions supporting origin communities are priorities for Mercy Corps across Guatemala and Central America.

The Position

The Mercy Corps Central America Director is a growth-driven leader responsible for overseeing Mercy Corps’ day-to-day programs and operations in Guatemala, and leading the establishment of new program operations in Honduras and Mexico. This person has held senior roles in managing operations and/or programming in fluid environments and formulating strategic direction across multiple contexts simultaneously. The Director has supervisory responsibility for the Guatemala country team leadership, and is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the country program in compliance with local laws, Mercy Corps policies and procedures, and donor rules and regulations. They will also ensure that existing Mercy Corps Guatemala programs - and new programs established in other geographies - are implemented in accordance to PM@MC standards, ensuring a high level of program quality, and that programs are implemented on time, on budget, and on scope. This person will contribute to proposal development for Guatemala-focused as well as multi-country, multi-sector programming, and ensure accountability to program participants and donors, placing a high value on innovative solutions to humanitarian and development issues and creative partnerships. Ideally, this person will have experience in emergency response and rapid expansion of activities and support functions.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategy & Planning

●        Plan and communicate a clear vision for the current and future state of Mercy Corps in Central America, including Guatemala’s current program strategy and developing and executing expansion strategies into new country programs.

●        Explore, evaluate and pursue new country initiatives and funding opportunities that leverage impact and ongoing activities in Guatemala; support and direct related fundraising activities with both institutional and private donors across all Central America geographies.

●        In partnership with regional leadership, set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions and resources to achieve program and agency objectives, and support team members and stakeholders to translate ideas into concrete programs and work plans.

●        Harness regional and global programmatic, operational, technical and other support needed to advance Mercy Corps’ expansion into Central America, through collaboration and development of strong relationships.

●        Lead strategy development processes in new countries in alignment with the global Pathway to Prosperity (P2P) framework.

●        Oversee the successful switchover and implementation of Mercy Corps global rebrand in Guatemala.

Team Management

●        Develop the capacity of the Guatemala team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.

●        Assist team members with information, tools, and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.

●        Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one-on-ones and performance reviews.

●        Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

●        Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary

Program Management

●        In partnership with Program Director, Program Managers, MEL Coordinator, Program Development Coordinator, and other senior program staff, oversee program quality and impact by ensuring programs are based on sound design principles and utilize Mercy Corps and donor required MEL systems.

●        Ensure effective, transparent use of resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies/procedures.

●        Oversee budget management of sub-grantees/sub-contractors, if applicable

●        Build and maintain operational systems that ensure proper administrative support for programs, as well as segregation of duties between finance and operations

●        Fulfill Mercy Corps’ Program Management Minimum Standards based on the organization-wide guide

●        Ensure all interventions adhere to Mercy Corps’ Gender Policy, Do No Harm principles, and community accountability standards.

Operations Management

●        Supervise the operations unit, including Human Resources, Finance, and Administration/Purchasing to deliver effective, client-centered services adapted to location-specific program needs.

●        Uphold the highest compliance standards under donor and Mercy Corps regulations, with a focus on precise, error-free budget and financial management.

●        Maintain close oversight of the overall budget, adjusting operations costs as needed to keep program implementation cost-effective without compromising quality.

Influence & Representation

●        Establish Mercy Corps’ presence in new geographies through actively participating in humanitarian and development networks, coordination mechanisms, donor fora, national and international media, and in community activities as appropriate.

●        Build and maintain productive relationships with internal and external constituents such as private partners, local governments, foundations, the private sector, and donors.

●        Anticipate needs, understand diverse donors and contribute to shaping donors’ views on Mercy Corps’ value add in Central America and development overall.

●        Demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure.

●        Maintain high ethical standards, exhibit awareness of team strengths and development needs, treat people with respect and dignity, and promote adherence to core Mercy Corps standards, Code of Conduct, and safeguarding policies by all staff and stakeholders.

NEW COUNTRY STARTUP

●        As appropriate (in discussion and agreement with Regional Vice President and in-house legal counsel), serve as a representative for Mercy Corps in spaces that advance MC’s goal of establishing a presence in Honduras/Mexico

●        Provide regular updates to Mercy Corps staff about registration status, in collaboration with local counsel, as appropriate

RISK MANAGEMENT

●        Collaborate with country leadership and global Emergency Response Team (ERT) to develop preparedness planning and response contingencies to major disruptive events such as natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies

●        Coordinate with Guatemala country team and global Internal Audit (IA) team to conduct internal audits as scheduled, address findings, and ensure country team compliance with IA findings and recommendations;

●        Engage with country level Ethics and Assurance focal points and global Ethics and Compliance department to track and manage individual cases of Fraud and Corruption, Safeguarding, and analyze trends, and ensure that adequate risk management systems are in place

Security

●        Liaise with the Regional Security Advisor, Senior Director of Global Security, and Regional Vice President on crucial events, high-risk periods, incident reporting and security policy changes

●        Work with Guatemala Operations and Global Security teams to revise policies to ensure that security standards are maintained at all current operations, and to develop new policies for operations in new geographies

Supervisory Responsibility: Peace & Development Program Director; Program Coordinators, MEL Coordinator, PAQ Coordinator, Program Liaison, Guatemala Operations, HR, Finance and Compliance Lead; Communications and Visibility Officer.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: LAC Regional Vice President

Works Directly With: Regional Programs Director, Regional Operations Director, Awards Management Team, Regional MEL Advisor, Regional Security Advisor, International Finance and Grants Compliance, People team, Ethics and Compliance, Global Media and Communications, Global Policy and Advocacy, Emergency Response Team.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

●        MA/S or equivalent in social science, management, international development, or a related field.

●        8-10 years of progressive field experience in international relief and development, with demonstrated success managing humanitarian, rural development, and complex/multi-sector programs.

●        8-10 years of senior leadership and field management experience, including team capacity building.

●        Proven donor management track record - representation, financial compliance, and award management - with at least one of the following: Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF), USDA, US Department of State (DOS, including former USAID programming), ECHO, or United Nations agencies.

●        Technical expertise in one or more of: agriculture, WASH, nutrition, or conflict management (preferred).

●        Demonstrated capacity to lead emergency and disaster response; familiarity with Sphere standards or equivalent training (preferred).

●        Track record of building effective, respectful working relationships with host government officials, private sector actors, and INGO/NGO/local partners.

●        Experience supporting legal registration and start-up of operations in new jurisdictions (preferred).

●        Internationally recognized project/program management certification, or willingness to obtain one within the first months of the role.

●        Strong supervisory and interpersonal skills, with genuine commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in building a welcoming team environment.

●        High attention to detail, sound judgment on procedure and deadlines, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

●        Strong negotiation, communication, and organizational skills.

●        Fluency in Spanish and English, oral and written, required.

Success Factors

The successful Central America Director will skillfully represent programmatic priorities and ideas to donors and regional partners while providing effective leadership to the Mercy Corps program team. There is a significant emphasis on new business development for both the Guatemala program and new programs across Central America, and hence a successful Director will be able to help stimulate new and winning program ideas based on their own experience or initiatives proposed by team members and/or local partners and allies. They will have high emotional intelligence, sound judgment, experience developing and maintaining deep partnerships with local partners, and proven experience with capacity building and will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in dynamic and quickly-evolving environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The position is based in Guatemala, and it requires up to 40% travel to support programs and expanding operations in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, which may include travel to insecure locations where freedom of movement is limited and areas where amenities are limited. 

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that everyone we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants, or others, is treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse set out by the UN Secretary General and IASC, and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We do not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. Team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times, and are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct e-learning upon hire and annually thereafter.

As an applicant, if you witness or experience any form of sexual misconduct during the recruitment process, please report it to the Mercy Corps Integrity Hotline ([email protected]).