Finance and Administration Director

Title:            Finance and Administration Director 

Program:   Agricultural Trade Facilitation and Sanitary Phytosanitary Modernization Initiative (Agrofacilita)

Location:    Quito,Ecuador

Start Date: On/around October 2026

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Background and Justification

Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC) is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that catalyzes private sector growth and creates economic opportunity for people and communities across the economically developing world. Since our founding in 1964, we have delivered lasting solutions across 139 countries.

IESC is a valued partner to people and communities throughout the economically developing world. We share proven business skills and experience with entrepreneurs, jobseekers, businesses, farmers, cooperatives, and governments. We also offer resources—human, technological, financial—that sustainably build capacity and empower communities. Our long legacy of strengthening developing economies is matched by our vision for the next generation: a world with economic opportunity for all, where people and communities thrive.

IESC is recruiting for a Finance and Administration Director to provide project financial and administrative oversight for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress-funded Agricultural Trade Facilitation and Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) Modernization Initiative (Agrofacilita). The Agrofacilita project will focus on expanding trade in agricultural products by strengthening the Ecuadorian agricultural trade facilitation systems and modernizing SPS systems. Specifically, the project will 1) improve coordination and transparency in agricultural trade; 2) support rules-based market access for food and agricultural products; and 3) improve clearance times and port operational efficiency.

General Objectives

TheFinance and Administration (F&A) Director, under the supervision of the Chief of Party (CoP) and guidance from the IESC home-office staff, is accountable for maintaining efficient financial management and administrative processes to ensure that the project can achieve its overall goals.This is a full-time position based in Quito, Ecuador, with expected travel within Ecuador.The person in this position reports to the CoP.

Responsibilities

Finance management tasks include the following:

·      Working closely with the CoP and the home-office Director, Trade and Enterprise, to align financial and operational functions with project goals;

·      Ensuring compliance with USDA and IESC policies regarding financial and procurement documentation and procedures;

·      Maintaining proper financial systems and internal controls to safeguard assets and ensure proper accounting of transactions;

·      Overseeing and ensuring project compliance with Ecuadorian laws and regulations as applicable;

·      Overseeing and ensuring quality management of project payroll and bookkeeping;

·      Directing and monitoring the management of cash and other assets to ensure integrity and efficiency of financial resources for the project’s operational needs;

·      Ensuring delivery of accurate and timely financial reports required by IESC;

·      Overseeing financial and accounting systems controls and standards, ensuring that financial internal controls are sufficient and follow best practices such that cash management processes are secure, all the data is valid, and that financial reporting is reliable, timely and accurate;

·      Assisting the CoP in preparing, maintaining, and analyzing budgets and preparing periodic reports to monitor actual expenditures against budget estimates;

·      Maintaining audit trails for all transactions and working with the accounting team to carry out periodic reconciliations of cash and banking records;

·      Conducting regular internal reviews of financial transactions, making written recommendations to the home Office Project Director and implementing follow-up actions;

·      Advising the home-office Director, Trade and Enterprise, on any budget irregularities or potential fiscal problems and acting to promptly resolve these issues;

·      Assuming full responsibility for accounting functions during the accountant’s absence, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant completion of all financial tasks in alignment with organizational and donor requirements; and

·      Completing other financial management tasks, as assigned by the CoP or IESC home office.

Administration and operations management/oversight tasks include the following:

·      Overseeing, tracking, monitoring, and ensuring quality of procurements (consulting and vendor contracts, and purchases) in accordance with IESC policies and U.S. government rules and regulations;

·      Overseeing grants and procurement processes in accordance with IESC and USDA regulations;

·      Overseeing office management and logistics, including supervision of inventory, and supplies;

·      Maintaining administrative hard files and electronic filing system that accurately documents the project’s adherence to IESC policies and Ecuadorean regulations and practices; and

·      Serving as Agrofacilita’s point of contact for safety and security as well as is responsible for project adherence to IESC standard policies and practices related to safety and security.

Human Resources (HR) and Staff management tasks include the following:

·      Ensuring operations and human resources management in adherence to policies and practices in accordance with IESC program manuals and Ecuadorean labor law;

·      Overseeing recruitment, onboarding, and HR management of project staff in compliance with local labor laws, IESC’s policies and practices, and donor requirements;

·      Ensuring the implementation of HR policies, performance evaluations and staff development; and

·      Providing training to project staff on financial compliance, HR, timesheet reporting, expenditure reports and internal controls, best practices according to IESC’s home-office requirements and local laws and regulations.

Supervisory responsibilities include the following:

·      Providing direct supervision and guidance to assigned staff members in accordance with the project’s organizational chart, which includes a grants and procurement officer and an accountant; and

·      Overseeing consultant contracts of the information technology consultant and the office maintenance contractor that provide support to the staff and the office.

Qualifications

·      Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Sciences (B.S.) in business administration, management, accounting or finance; Masters in Sciences (M.S.) in related field and/or certified public accountant (CPA) or equivalent certification is preferred;

·      Work experience in a similar role or operations managerial level role for at least eight years, including at least three years managing direct reports;

·       Experience managing donor funds required; U.S. government fund management and knowledge of USG rules and regulations; specifically, the U.S. critical regulatory framework (CFR) 200, is highly preferred; Strong budgeting skills, including proficiency in QuickBooks (or similar financial system) and Microsoft Excel required;

·      Ability to prioritize among multiple competing requests;

·      Self-starter, detail-oriented, thorough, and well organized;

·      Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills, including training development and delivery;

·      Good management of Microsoft tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint); experience with Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) a plus;

·      Fluency in English and Spanish is required; and

·      Applicants must have Ecuadorean citizenship or authorization to legally work in Ecuador.