AVP, Latin America

Overview

Since 1972, Covenant House has served and advocated for youth and young families experiencing homelessness, human trafficking, and exploitation. Our overarching goal is to end homelessness among youth and young families by helping them achieve housing stability, heal from trauma, tap into their innate resilience, and hone their interests and skills to forge new pathways to independence. This work is carried out across Covenant House sites in 34 cities in the US, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Location: Honduras, Mexico, or Guatemala . Applicant must have legal work status in the country they will be working from. Salary will be commensurate with experience and contingent upon location.

Covenant House International's offices are located in the United States, however, this position will be remote in Honduras, Mexico, or Guatemalafor the foreseeable future. Candidates based in these countrieswill be hired through one of our local affiliates or through a third-party agency to ensure compliance with local laws.

About the Role

The AVP, Latin America (Operational Excellence) will serve as a key member of the Covenant House International (CHI) Latin America team and will be responsible for strengthening operational excellence at our sites in Latin America (known collectively as the "Casas"). In this role, you will report directly to the SVP, Latin America, and will serve as a bridge between CHI and the Casas. Your primary objective will be supporting the Casas in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of operational areas, including budget development and monitoring, financial management, human resources, audit, IT, procurement, property management, legal compliance, and other functions as needed. You will also focus on aligning, adapting, and supporting the implementation of Covenant House's unified policies and key donor policies (such as USG). Your success will be measured by rigorous fiscal stewardship and significant financial growth resulting from the implementation of operational management tools and fostering of a strong operational culture. Your will be undertaken with a spirit of collaboration and commitment to partnership with Covenant House Latin America site leaders and designed from a strengths-based, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed lens.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as key point of contact for the development and roll-out of CHI's new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform to the Casas, including providing training and support
• Participate in review, updating, and training on Covenant House unified policies for the Casas
• Manage virtual library of Casas policies and procedures, ensuring they are updated and aligned with Covenant House policies and procedures as well as key donor regulations
• In coordination with CHI legal department, support compliance with local and US laws as relevant through regular verification process
• Coordinate with the Casas to create and update safety and security plans, including adverse scenario planning; ensure adequate cybersecurity measures and IT services are in compliance with unified policies and in accordance with site technology needs
• In coordination with CHI legal department, support property management oversight, ensuring that all documentation, adequate insurance, and safety measures are in place
• Incorporate operational needs into annual planning processes

• Lead operational components of annual capacity assessment at the Casas, based on the federation-wide organizational wellness framework
• Use the results of the operational capacity assessment to provide concrete guidance on next steps and follow-up over the year
• Design and implement training programs on key operational needs identified in the capacity assessment
• Coordinate closely with relevant CHI staff to help the Casas identify and resolve operational issues
• Support Casas operations and finance functions through regular coordination calls and training

• Serve as operational lead on regional or complex proposals, including overseeing budget development
• Assess and advocate for operational capacity investments in grants and annual budgets.
• Coordinate operational actions needed for the start-up of regional and complex grants
• Lead the review of donor agreements from an operational perspective, including the development of sub-award agreements with the Casas
• Oversee operational oversight of grant implementation, including compliance with all donor rules and regulations
• Establish guidance and provide training in key areas of operational implementation under grants in accordance with donor rules and regulations
• Conduct operational monitoring visits to ensure compliance with relevant donor standards and provide support for any corrective action needed
• Support development and finance teams as needed on grant reporting

• Coordinate closely with CHI Finance department and Casa finance teams to implement the ERP and processes that increase capacity and efficiency
• Support annual budgeting development and monitoring, developing tools that allow for easier analysis and management
• Ensure the strategic management of Casa financial resources, including revenue and expense financial forecasts
• Guide the Casas in the development and management of complex budgets.
• Develop and train on a tool for internal proposal budgets
• Support or lead the development of regional and complex country-level proposal budgets
• Review relevant Grants activities in CHI and Casa budgets to ensure that they reflect overall program priorities and expectations, mitigate risks, and reflect maximum obtainable efficiency.
• Review Casa financial reports to ensure budget conformity and good cash management, proactively identifying cash flow challenges
• Work with CHI to improve financial policies in compliance with USG and other donors

• Oversee the updating of Casas procurement policies in alignment with local laws and donor requirements
• Provide tools and training to increase strategic, cost-saving procurement of goods and services
• Ensure efficiency and compliance in local and international procurement.
• Ensure high quality reporting that allows for proper tracing and tracking of inventory and assets, and that in-kind transactions are reflected appropriately according to policy.
• Develop a digital based system that speeds up approval process and serves as back-up.

• Collaborate with CHI People and Culture team and Casas HR directors to strengthen human resource management, including recruitment and onboarding strategies, succession planning, and career development
• Work with Casa HR directors to right-size site staffing, including structural re-organization, and ensuring adequate compensation
• Help ensure the integrity (accuracy, security) of information from HR information systems
• Manage regional consultancy recruitment processes

• Partner with the SVP, Latin America, to plan international and regional conferences as well travel to Latin American sites
• All other duties as assigned by supervisor

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Fully bilingual in English and Spanish
• Proficient in Microsoft Office 365, including Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint
• Proficient in Excel
• Experience using and training others on ERP platforms
• Strong financial management background in nonprofit organizations that interact with the US based entities
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and critical thinking skills
• Ability to work well with all levels of management and employees, with the ability to manage cross-unit and cross-cultural teams
• Organized, detail-oriented and possess excellent follow-up skills
• Team player who can work with all levels of management in a fast-paced environment
• Exceptional communicator with the ability to build consensus across multi-cultural contexts
• Possess thorough understanding of the mission of Covenant House and dedication the Mission
• Alignment with Covenant House values of Inclusivity, Joy, Courage, Ambition, and Accountability

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, management, or other related field
• 5+ years of operations experience with nonprofit organizations in Latin America, including direct management of budgets, procurement, donor compliance, HR support, IT etc.
• Minimum 5 years working in Latin America.
• Minimum 3 years of management/leadership experience, preferably in an international nonprofit setting
• Experience training staff in operational areas

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Qualifications

• Master's degree Finance, Management, or other related field

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 25% of time both domestically and internationally

Our Community

Our critical mission demands that we have all voices at the table. A team of diverse people, perspectives, and experiences is smarter, stronger, and more effective for our young people. At Covenant House, every team member is valued, respected, heard, and supported, and we welcome honest and courageous self-reflection on any aspects of our work that are based on biased or outdated viewpoints. We deliberately create opportunities for our staff to grow and thrive.

Covenant House International is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind: CHI is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CHI are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, family or parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CHI will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics and encourages all qualified applicants to apply.