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● Based in Guatemala

● Salary: $100,000/year (paid in local currency) and competitive benefits package

Summary of the Position:

Semilla Nueva is recruiting a Finance and Administration (F&A) Director to oversee financial, legal, and administrative management of a non-profit based in Guatemala and the United States, with operations in El Salvador, Honduras, and soon, Rwanda. The ideal candidate is a proactive problem solver with a strong sense of integrity, honesty, and transparency; an effective communicator who brings a proven track record of driving efficiency, accuracy, and clarity in budget and financial management. He/She will have experience with multi-country reporting and be adept at using financial systems and software that support organizational growth and scalability. The position is a part of Semilla Nueva’s leadership team and reports to the Executive Director.

Summary of the Organization

Semilla Nueva works to reduce malnutrition in poor, rural populations by scaling the use of biofortified maize seeds. Semilla Nueva uses conventional breeding (non-GMO) techniques to develop maize with higher zinc, iron, and protein content. Semilla Nueva pilots and institutionalizes subsidies to local seed companies to make these seeds more accessible to poor farmers. In 2024, our seeds reached 30,000 farmers in Guatemala and El Salvador, who grew and sold enough maize to improve the nutrition of over 1 million people. The Guatemalan government is now paying for the majority of the subsidy cost. Our vision is to reach 3M farmers nourishing 100M people by 2036.

Qualifications

Required

● Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business or a related field

● 6+ years leading organizational finance teams, including Board‑level reporting and staff management

● Demonstrated capacity leading financial, administrative, and HR functions for a Guatemalan organization

● Ability to design KPIs and build automated financial dashboards in Excel, Power BI, or accounting‑system tools that drive decision‑making

● Proven record establishing strong internal‑control frameworks and steering successful external audits

● Fluent written and spoken business English and Spanish

● Integrity, discretion, proactive risk spotting, task follow‑through, and the coaching skills needed to motivate and evaluate a diverse team while living Semilla Nueva’s core values

Desired

● Master’s degree in business, finance, accounting or an active CPA license.

● Experience with financial compliance and legal management for US nonprofits, including applying US GAAP for nonprofits

● Experience managing grant/contract finances for foundations, and other institutional donors

● Background in fast‑scaling, entrepreneurial environments and familiarity with Lean/Six Sigma or similar process‑improvement methodologies

● Proven team management, task delegation and financial systems strengthening expertise.

Specific Responsibilities

● Finance

○ Lead the creation and management of the organizational budget;

○ Oversee financial reporting, including monthly departmental financial reports, donor specific reporting, weekly cashflow, and government financial reporting for US and Guatemalan entities;

○ Design, implement, and improve internal controls (procurement, approvals, cash handling, segregation of duties), with an eye to minimize risks and reports in the external annual audit;

○ Supervise a Finance Manager (1 direct report), who oversees a finance coordinator, accounting analyst and treasurer (3 indirect reports).

● Administration and Human Resources

○ Oversee timely presentation of payroll, benefits, returns, and statutory reports;

○ Ensure compliance with Organizational Health and Security Plan (OHS/SSO);

○ Maintain accountability for managing employee relations: investigate complaints, mediate conflicts, document actions, and escalate appropriately;

○ Oversee the efficient management of office infrastructure and related organization to ensure a welcoming, efficient, and well-maintained work environment across all organizational locations;

○ Lead the team to standardize and continuously improve administrative processes, document SOPs, internal policies or manuals and ensure proper cascading / training;

○ Supervise an admin and HR manager (1 direct report) who supervises an administration generalist, planning and procurement analyst, and a receptionist (3 indirect reports);

○ Ensure strong collaboration with the People and Culture team leadership and functions.

○ Note: This position will not be responsible for recruitment, performance management, or organizational culture, which is handled by the People and Culture team within the Operations Department.

● Compliance (in liaison with the Legal Senior Coordinator, direct report) ○ Proactively assess compliance with Guatemalan and U.S. tax, labor, and nonprofit regulations, including required filings, registrations, and reporting requirements or donor-specific compliance standards in all jurisdictions through the implementation of systems of dashboards;

○ Foster a culture of compliance awareness and continuous improvement within Semilla Nueva by working with other departments to ensure consistent application of compliance standards;

○ Investigate reported compliance issues, determining appropriate corrective actions, and implementing preventative measures.

● Leadership team and Board relationship responsibilities

○ Support planning through building and maintaining financial projections based on different cash-based scenarios or approaches;

○ Support major donor proposals and negotiations with accurate cost builds, indirect rate justifications, and compliance narratives.

○ Present multi-scenario financial models, surface cross-department risks, and co-create solutions with the Finance and Administration Committee (FAC) of the Board of Directors.

To apply please review our website and read the last two biannual reports on our website. Then send your CV to Trabajo@semillanueva.org with the subject, F&A Director and your last name. Please include 3 bullet points in the body of the email detailing how your experience matches the F&A Director role and why working at Semilla Nueva could be a good fit for your career.

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.