The Finance and Projects Manager under the leadership of the FAHR Director, will lead all aspects of the financial management of the organization and projects, ensuring appropriate use of financial resources and that financial reporting at all levels is completed in accordance with the program terms. He/she/they will lead implementation of key financial activities, ensure efficient financial support to the program team and ensure compliance with USAID and other donor regulations, as well as Semilla Nueva´s policies and procedures.

The successful candidate will be a hands-on and participative manager and will lead and develop an internal team to support the following areas: finance, human resources and projects.

The finance and projects manager will play a critical role in partnering with the senior leadership team in strategic decision-making and operations as Semilla Nueva continues to enhance its quality programming and build capacity for larger upcoming projects. The position will require collaboration across teams (R&D, Ops, M&E, Dev) and will be based primarily in our main office in Guatemala City.

Summary of the Organization

Malnutrition is one of the greatest barriers to the world’s poorest people escaping poverty. The 900 million people in Africa and Central America who eat corn daily are some of the most affected, with nearly half of Guatemala’s children suffering from stunted growth. Semilla Nueva launched the world’s first social enterprise dedicated to the development, production, and sale of more nutritious, biofortified corn seed directly to small farming families. Farmers buying our seed increase their yields and incomes, while improving the diets of hundreds of thousands— and someday millions—of the world’s poorest consumers. In 2022, Semilla Nueva reached over 18,000 families, feeding over 400,000 people in Guatemala in collaboration with other seed companies and the Guatemalan government. We’re working to launch in Honduras and El Salvador over the next 18 months and developing seeds for Africa.

Semilla Nueva works with some of the world’s leading scientists at organizations such as CIMMYT, HarvestPlus, INCAP, and universities like Purdue, Cornell, Tufts, and Harvard. Our donors include some of the most prestigious in impact philanthropy, including Cartier Philanthropy, Mulago and the U.S. Government. Our seeds are based on conventional breeding (non-GMO), although we are not opposed to well-tested biotechnology.

Specific Tasks:

• Finance and project management
  • Clearly communicate monthly and annual financial statements including cash flow projections to the Leadership team and Board of Directors
  • Collate financial reporting materials for all donor segments
  • Oversee all financial, project/program and grants accounting
  • Monitor all financial activities, and keep management advised of situations which could have potential negative impact on financial performance
  • Continued improvement of processes, process automation and implementation of the necessary tools and systems to maximize efficiency across the organization

• Human Resources
  • Provide overall leadership and guidance to the direct implementation of best practices on talent acquisition, employee career development, succession planning, retention programs, training, and leadership development
  • Function as a strategic advisor to help hiring managers identify the right talent acquisition strategy (Right people in the right seat, definition of roles and responsibilities)
  • Develop initiatives, policies, and programs to complement existing practices and create consistency across the organization
  • Oversee compensation and benefits plans to ensure profitability and attractiveness to retain top talent

• Management and Leadership
  • People and resources management: ability to directly execute, coordinate, manage, and prioritize workload to meet objectives and timelines
  • Facilitate the development, improvement and adoption of improved policies, practices and procedures based on organizational risk assessment, donor and/or board requirements
  • Coordinate with senior leadership to lead the development and maintenance of Semilla Nueva’s business plan and five year plans and projections
  • Serve as a key communication conduit to and from Management and other staff, ensuring the timely and accurate dissemination of information
  • Ensure compliance with legal requirements at the local, regional, national and international level with third parties such as IRS, SIB, SAT, and other US regulatory state departments (Justice, Labor, Treasury).

• Organizational reporting
  • Lead monthly meetings with the Finance and administration Committee (FAC) of the Board of Directors and participate actively in the FAC objectives agenda
  • Ensure compliance and systems building for future bi-lateral contracts and agreements
  • Responsible for accurate and timely reporting and analysis of program performance, based on approved budgets
  • Participate in the development of bi-annual reports to all donors
  • Participate and support in any individual donor reporting requirements
  • Create and maintain financial report templates and reporting tools

 Qualifications

Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or related field
• At least 3-4 years of overall professional experience; ideally 3+ years of broad financial and operations management experience 
• The ideal candidate has experience of final responsibility for the quality and content of all financial data, reporting and audit coordination for either a division or significant program area, and has preferably overseen a human resources function previously 
• Ability to translate financial concepts to – and to effectively collaborate with – programmatic and fundraising colleagues who do not necessarily have finance backgrounds
• A passion for creation of organizational culture and team development 
• A successful track record in setting priorities; keen analytic, organization and problem-solving skills which support and enable sound decision-making 
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Written and verbal proficiency in Spanish and English 
• Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills 
• Experience in organizing and presenting information 
• Ability to track tasks until completion 
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to work independently as well as in a team environment, assess priorities and multi-task with strong attention to detail 
• Strong analytical skills 
• Takes initiative and is self-motivated, resourceful, detail-oriented, dependable, with strong attention to detail 
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook 

Desired:

• Experience working with bi-laterals and/or government-funded projects 
• Must be in Guatemala, non-bilingual candidates won’t be considered for this position 

Making the Decision to Apply

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Before applying, please review our website, blog, and Annual Report which are found at www.semillanueva.org

To apply please email us your CV to trabajo@semillanueva.org with the subject line “Finance Manager – your name” 

Semilla Nueva is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to sustaining a diverse community with a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to all. We foster a culture of inclusion that celebrates and cultivates diversity along multiple dimensions, including race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, out of home care, age, national origin, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, culture, and experience.