Country Director

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our global team of over 1,200 professionals are at work in 33 offices. Together, we are catalyzing a global revolution that will rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

Motivated by God’s call to seek justice for the oppressed, we believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We are a global community that cares for one another. We value joy and celebration, and we strive to provide professional excellence to all those we serve.

The Need

After almost 25 years of continued growth and operational success in pioneering the work of protecting those who are experiencing poverty from violence, IJM has become a $100+ million organization. As IJM continues this trajectory of growth and scaling of its impact, with the Vision to protect 500 million people by the year 2030, IJM’s is seeking a Country Director for our Country Office in Guatemala.

The Country Director, Guatemala (CD) will lead a highly functional multi-disciplinary team of leaders and will collaborate with government, civil society and other partners to implement IJM’s Justice and Citizen Security Systems Strengthening model in providing relief and protecting victims of violence against women and children and other forms of crime affecting people living in poverty, building aftercare capacity and a network of care to ensure their restoration, securing perpetrator accountability under the law, and building capacity in the criminal justice and citizen security systems to sustainably and effectively enforce the law and protect those living in poverty from violence. IJM and its partners will empower local leaders and influential stakeholders to drive a movement to transform the local public justice and citizen security systems.

This position is responsible for the overall execution of operations for the Guatemala Country Office and the strategy of the Northern Triangle Program Hub for Guatemala. The CD will ensure employee engagement, safety, security, as well as integral development of all staff, interns and fellows. This position also monitors and controls the budget, expenditure, and program activities to ensure program goals are achieved. The CD will support regional strategies, advancement and activation activities. The CD builds and leads a culture of world-class professional excellence

The position is based in Guatemala and reports to the Regional Vice President, Northern Triangle.

Responsibilities

• Lead comprehensive Justice and Citizen Security Strengthening (JSS) programs to end the impunity of violence against women and children, and other forms of violence affecting people living in poverty in Guatemala, by generating political will by building the capacity of the Guatemalan government and its justice and citizen security agencies, and by mobilizing and empowering communities and civil society to drive the strengthening of their criminal justice and citizen security systems through sustainable and measurable results;
• Develop Justice and Citizen Security Strengthening (JSS) program models to combat violence against women and children (VAW/C) and other forms of violence that affect people living in poverty in Guatemala, that are measurably sustainable, effective, scalable at national and regional levels by partners in the region and globally, including community-based holistic program interventions aimed at creating local capacities to protect entire communities;
• Lead and support the development of wide legislative, policy, and systemic solutions that achieve a high level of impact over the performance and functioning of key PJS agencies;
• Support the region and global activation, advocacy and advancement strategies and participate in related activities to increase IJM’s influence and financial resources across the region;
• Lead, convene and support influential national and regional coalitions that create social demand, conduct constructive advocacy, generate political will and drive the strengthening of the local public criminal justice and citizen security systems and make addressing impunity a matter of national priority;
• Strengthen current leaders and recruit new leaders to the team who lead their specific programs or projects to success, but also develop their staff to ensure succession plans and leadership pipeline throughout the program; and
• Effective Support to other Regions and Global HQ for execution of global strategy.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Organization Management, Business Management, Human Rights or equivalent, Law Degree, preferred;
• Bachelor’s degree in Organization Management, Business Management, Public Policy, Human Rights or equivalent, Law Degree;
• In-depth understanding and experience working on programs to address violence against women and children and other forms of violence that affect people living in poverty;
• At least eight years’ experience designing, monitoring and evaluating international development programs; or at least five years’ experience designing strategies and processes to achieve aggressive goals;
• Minimum of five years’ experience in successfully leading and managing teams of professionals; experience managing international teams and/or cross-cultural teams; and, a proven ability to supervise the work of lawyers, social workers, and other professionals and managers strongly preferred;
• Prior experience with budget planning and management;
• Prior experience with programs in Latin America addressing violence and justice systems development, preferred;
• Previous experience working with international organizations, preferred; and
• Fully fluent in Spanish and proficient in English.

Critical Qualities

• Passion for IJM’s mission;
• Judgment and strong decision-making;
• Results Orientation;
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence;
• Strong Cultural Intelligence (cross cultural skills);
• Effective communicator verbally and in writing;
• Strategic thinking;
• Resilient under stress; and
• Unfailing integrity and honesty.

Additional information

This role does not provide an international expatriate benefits package therefore it is open for nationals or residents who have the legal capacity to live and work in Guatemala city, Guatemala.

This position requires occasional travel to Latin America, United States, or other regions; candidates must demonstrate their ability to fulfill legal and health requirements to travel to those countries. Travel may last up to approximately 2 weeks at a time.

Application

Send your Cover Letter and Resume in a single document by email: guatemalarecruiting@ijm.org

Only those candidates who meet the requirements for the position will be contacted.