Location: Ciudad de Guatemala o Flores, Petén (Guatemala)
What We Can Achieve Together:
The Maya Forest Lead – Guatemala is responsible for guiding and implementing conservation initiatives within the Guatemalan portion of the Maya Forest. The position ensures strategic alignment with national and organizational conservation priorities and supports the effective execution of the Theory of Change (ToC) for the Maya Forest in Guatemala.
The person in this role will work in close coordination with the Conservation Director to plan, implement, and monitor conservation strategies within the country. The position provides strategic leadership, technical guidance, and operational support to advance The Conservancy’s work in Guatemala.
The incumbent will lead a team of conservation professionals in Guatemala’s Selva Maya, fostering collaboration, accountability, and high performance to achieve the desired conservation outcomes.
This position will operate within a matrix organizational structure and requires strong experience in conservation, as well as the ability to influence and collaborate effectively without direct authority across teams and programs and with trusted partners in the region.
Although the role focuses exclusively on Guatemala, the position will remain connected—when relevant—to an informal network of peers working in other Iconic Places across Latin America. This provides opportunities for learning, innovation, and the exchange of best practices. “Iconic Places” refers to priority landscapes and seascapes across the Latin America Region.
The selected candidate will work from a home-office and report directly to the Conservation Director.
Strategic Implementation
Ensure that all national initiatives remain consistent, coherent, and strategically aligned with organizational priorities.
Provide information, analysis, and decision‑making frameworks to guide the definition of high‑level conservation priorities in Guatemala’s Selva Maya.
Lead, together with key personnel from the Guatemala Business Unit, trusted partners in the region and external consultants when necessary, the implementation of projects within the Selva Maya region of Guatemala, ensuring high-quality execution, collaboration, and strategic alignment.
Coordinate the design, implementation, and evaluation of national initiatives in the Maya Forest of Guatemala, in close collaboration with the Conservation Director and other internal teams.
Identify or develop opportunities for strategic interventions aligned with the theory of change (ToC), including community-led conservation, protection, regenerative ranching and agriculture, forestry, sustainable tourism, freshwater initiatives, and climate-related actions.
Lead internal processes to periodically update the ToC and the interventions derived from it, ensuring the participation of the Guatemalan conservation team.
Finances and Operations
Prepare and submit annual budgets for review by the Conservation Director, finance teams, and other relevant stakeholders together with the supervised personnel.
Ensure optimal management of financial resources under this position’s responsibility, including planning, budgeting, fundraising support, and execution, in coordination with finance and operations staff.
Oversee effective tracking of budgets and shared funding for national initiatives.
Internal Coordination
In collaboration with the Conservation Director, engage key staff and capacities across Guatemala, as well as regional and global teams when relevant, to advance the goals of the Maya Forest Iconic Place.
Connect national conservation priorities with regional and global opportunities, ensuring Guatemala benefits from available initiatives and resources.
Build and supervise an effective conservation team with a holistic understanding of challenges and opportunities in the region Selva Maya; develop necessary competencies through supervision, capacity building, partnerships, or external contracting.
Mobilize internal resources to advance relevant regional/global strategies, such as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, Durable Biodiversity Protection, Regenerative Ranching and Agriculture, Natural Climate Solutions, Coastal Resilience, Oceans, Sustainable Watersheds, and teams in Science, Policy, Marketing, Finance, and Development.
Lead the preparation of quarterly reviews and other internal reports, ensuring Guatemala’s progress is clearly communicated.
Ensure internal platforms—such as the hub and other tools—reflect accurate, updated, and relevant information about the Maya Forest work in Guatemala.
Partnerships and Collaboration
Manage relationships with Selva Maya partners, in coordination with the Conservation Director and Country Director.
Provide guidance for building relationships and supporting negotiations with donors, private sector partners, governmental institutions, civil society organizations, and multilateral or bilateral agencies active in Guatemala.
Develop partnership strategies that contribute to achieving conservation goals within the Guatemalan portion of the Maya Forest, subject to review and approval according to the governance structure.
Resource Mobilization
Support the development of a resource mobilization plan to secure funding for operations and conservation initiatives in Guatemala.
Play an active role in donor identification, cultivation, and stewardship in coordination with the Conservation Director, Country Director, and Development Team.
Prepare proposals and reports for private and public donors supporting conservation work in Guatemala.
Monitoring, Learning, and Evaluation
Ensure the program has clear descriptions, indicators, and reporting systems to track progress and promote adaptive learning.
Manage and maintain updated information within internal monitoring platforms, ensuring the Guatemala program is accurately represented and aligned with organizational learning processes.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor’s degree in biology, environmental sciences, natural resource management, sustainable development, or a related field. A master’s degree is desirable.
At least 6 years of experience in conservation or sustainable development in the Selva Maya region or Petén, including field-level project implementation.
Experience coordinating multiple projects or workstreams and adapting to changing conditions.
Ability to apply systems thinking principles, including engaging key stakeholders, taking a holistic view of challenges, and adapting actions based on learning.
Experience delivering results under pressure and making informed decisions with limited information.
Experience working with multi‑stakeholder groups, including community organizations, government agencies, NGOs, and private partners.
Ability to manage several priorities simultaneously and work with limited supervision.
Capacity to synthesize and communicate complex information clearly.
Experience supervising staff or consultants, setting objectives, and supporting performance.
Knowledge of the Maya Forest context, especially Guatemala’s Selva Maya region (with it’s epicenter in the Department of Petén), including conservation challenges and opportunities.
Strong communication skills in Spanish and English (required), including writing and public speaking
Ability to communicate with diverse audiences such as partners, donors, and institutional counterparts.
Commitment to working effectively across differences and fostering an inclusive work environment.
Experience supporting fundraising efforts or contributing to project proposal development is desirable.
Basic experience in financial planning and budget tracking for conservation projects.
Job Family: Conservation
Job Code
Who We Are:
The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.
One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”
What We Bring:
Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!
TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.
We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.
Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.
Employees must submit their application by logging into Workday and applying via the Jobs Hub.
The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our commitment to equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.
The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.
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