San Salvador, El Salvador
Background:
Asociados creativos internacionales (Creativo) is a professional services company with more than 48 years of experience delivering turnkey services in sensitive, austere, and conflict-affected environments. With a legacy of trusted performance across 115+ countries around the world and deep subject matter expertise in security sector assistance, Creative is a proven leader in delivering solutions across the spectrum of counterterrorism, estabilización, and peacekeeping. We leverage existing operational platforms, including registrations/business licenses in over 60 países, infraestructura, and in-country relationships to deliver services quickly across the Western Hemisphere, el Medio Oriente & África del Norte, África subsahariana, and Asia.
Project Summary:
The Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Legal and Financial Disruption Program is a two-year project funded by the Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism. It aims to strengthen the capacity of governments across Latin America and the Caribbean to investigate, enjuiciar, and disrupt Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and their financial networks. The program will provide practical, multi-agency training and technical assistance for investigators, fiscales, jueces, financial intelligence units, and regulators to improve counterterrorism legal frameworks, enhance regional cooperation, and strengthen information sharing with U.S. counterparts. Through targeted support on terrorist financing, sanctions regimes, and institutional coordination, the program seeks to advance U.S. national security objectives by countering transnational criminal and terrorist threats, including networks linked to Iranian proxies operating in the region.
Position Summary:
The Team Lead/Regional Office Director will provide overall strategic, técnico, operacional, and managerial leadership for the Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Legal and Financial Disruption Program. The Director will oversee program implementation across regional offices in El Salvador and Paraguay, ensuring activities are effectively coordinated, compliant with award requirements, and responsive to evolving regional security dynamics, A NOSOTROS. Government priorities, and host-country needs.
Serving as the principal representative of the program, the Team Lead/Regional Office Director will maintain strong working relationships with the U.S. Ministerio de asuntos exteriores, host government counterparts, law enforcement and judicial institutions, financial intelligence units, private sector stakeholders, and regional partners. The Director will guide the development and delivery of technical assistance, capacitación, and mentoring activities focused on counterterrorism investigations, terrorist financing disruption, sanctions implementation, interagency coordination, and regional information sharing.
The Team Lead/Regional Office Director will also lead the regional hub office in El Salvador, providing supervision and support to program staff, managing operational planning and risk mitigation, and ensuring high-quality programmatic and financial performance. The position requires demonstrated expertise in counterterrorism, anti-money laundering, transnational organized crime, illicit finance, estado de derecho, or related security sector programming in the Western Hemisphere.
Informes & Supervision:
The Team Lead/Regional Office Director reports to the HQ Project Director. They will have direct reports, including subject matter experts and the Regional Director for the Paraguay office.
Primary Responsibilities
- Provide overall strategic, técnico, operacional, and managerial leadership for the program in El Salvador and Paraguay.
- Oversee implementation of program activities and ensure alignment with Department of State priorities, award requirements, and regional counterterrorism objectives.
- Manage and supervise program operations across regional offices in El Salvador and Paraguay, including staff oversight, coordinación, and performance management.
- Serve as the primary liaison with the U.S. Ministerio de asuntos exteriores, host government counterparts, law enforcement agencies, fiscales, financial intelligence units, judicial actors, and other stakeholders.
- Lead engagement with regional and national partners to strengthen interagency coordination, information sharing, and collaborative approaches to counterterrorism and terrorist financing disruption.
- Oversee the design, delivery, and quality assurance of training, mentoring, and technical assistance activities related to counterterrorism investigations, prosecutions, sanctions, terrorist financing, and legal frameworks.
- Ensure effective coordination and deconfliction with other donor-funded and U.S. Government-supported initiatives, including regional training programs and institutions.
- Provide strategic guidance on emerging regional threats, operational risks, and political or security developments affecting program implementation.
- Oversee work planning, seguimiento y evaluación, reporting, presupuestar, compliance, and risk management to ensure timely and high-quality program delivery.
- Ensure compliance with U.S. Government regulations, cooperative agreement requirements, security protocols, and organizational policies and procedures.
- Support the development of sustainable institutional partnerships and capacity-building approaches, including train-the-trainer models and long-term coordination mechanisms.
- Represent the program at high-level meetings, talleres, conferences, and stakeholder engagements throughout the region.
Minimum Skills and Qualifications
- Advanced degree in law, international relations, criminology, política pública, security studies, contraterrorismo, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing complex international development, estado de derecho, contraterrorismo, security sector, anti-money laundering, counter threat finance, or transnational crime programs.
- Demonstrated experience managing U.S. Government-funded programs, preferably with the Department of State, DOJ, USAID, or other relevant international assistance agencies.
- Strong knowledge of counterterrorism legal frameworks, terrorist financing, sanctions regimes, anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), and regional security dynamics in Western Hemisphere.
- Experience working with law enforcement, fiscales, judicial institutions, financial intelligence units, and host government counterparts.
- Proven leadership and team management experience overseeing multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams in complex operating environments.
- Demonstrated ability to manage program operations, budgets, compliance requirements, monitoring and evaluation systems, and donor reporting.
- Strong diplomatic, comunicación, and stakeholder engagement skills, including experience interacting with senior government officials and international partners.
- Professional fluency in English required; professional proficiency in Spanish strongly preferred.
- Ability and willingness to live in El Salvador and travel to Paraguay, as needed.
- Experience living and working in Western Hemisphere preferred.
EEOC Statement: Creative is an equal opportunity employer.