Program Director, Gold Threat-Finance Disruption, Western Hemisphere

Program Director Gold Threat-Finance Disruption Western Hemisphere

Position Description

About PADF

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity for all. We work across Latin America and the Caribbean to make our region strongermore healthy peaceful just inclusive resilient and sustainable for current and future generations. For over 60 years we have served the most vulnerable communities investing resources throughout the hemisphere. We partner with and enable civil society governments and the private sector for the greater good of the region.

Position Overview

PADF through its Peace Justice and Security thematic area is pursuing an opportunity to implement a 24-month regional counterterrorism program funded by the U.S. Department of States Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT). The program is designed to disrupt and sever the revenue that Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and allied transnational criminal organizations derive from illicit gold mining in Colombia Peru and Ecuador. The program maps the illicit gold value chain from mine to market identifies the highest-value chokepoints and equips partner-nation institutions to investigate prosecute and dismantle the financial and logistical networks that convert illicit gold into FTO revenue while protecting legitimate miners and lawful trade.

As part of this preparatory process PADF is identifying experienced professionals who may be suitable for leadership and technical roles on the program. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their profiles for consideration.

The Program Director is the in-region leader and technical integrator for the program providing overall leadership strategic direction and management across Colombia Peru and Ecuador and serving as a primary liaison with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism INL posts and U.S. Embassy country teams. The Program Director owns the programs Assessment-to-Action method which turns assessment findings into prioritized chokepoints country intervention roadmaps and coordinated network-disruption activity.

This is a full-time key-personnel position preferably based in Bogotá Colombia with frequent travel throughout Colombia Peru and Ecuador.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Program Vision:

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for program implementation across Colombia Peru and Ecuador.
• Ensure the program is aligned with U.S. Department of State CT Bureau priorities including disrupting FTO and transnational-criminal financing derived from illicit gold.
• Guide program strategy to remain responsive to evolving regional threats partner-country needs and U.S. Government policy priorities.

Program Management and Operations:

• Lead development and execution of work plans implementation strategies and performance-monitoring processes.
• Direct the Assessment-to-Action loop translating mine-to-market analysis into sequenced CT-approved disruption roadmaps.
• Ensure timely efficient and compliant delivery of all activities deliverables and reporting requirements.

Technical Oversight and Quality Assurance:

• Provide high-level technical oversight to ensure quality strategic relevance and alignment with CT outcomes.
• Guide technical assistance and coordination mechanisms related to financial investigations counter threat finance and supply-chain disruption.
• Ensure implementation reflects rule-of-law principles institutional accountability and Do-No-Harm to legitimate miners and lawful trade.

Donor Government and Regional Engagement:

• Serve as PADFs primary liaison with the CT Bureau INL posts and U.S. Embassy country teams throughout the period of performance.
• Coordinate with partner governments including law enforcement prosecutors FIUs customs and mining authorities to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication.
• Build and maintain partnerships with national and regional counterparts and implementing partners.

Team Leadership and Surge Management:

• Supervise senior technical operational and country implementation personnel.
• Oversee recruitment deployment and quality assurance of mentors investigators and subject-matter experts including the programs surge roster.
• Use performance data and lessons learned to drive adaptive management and strengthen results.

Competencies

• Nurture knowledge Models continuous learning builds systems that institutionalize knowledge and uses insights to drive strategic decisions.
• Be creative and promote creativity Drives a culture of innovation and aligns creative initiatives with organizational strategy.
• Lead & inspire Inspires at organizational scale through values-driven leadership.
• Adapt Leads strategic adaptation anticipating change and ensuring organizational agility.
• Optimize resources Drives organizational excellence through strategic resource allocation and systems that support continuous improvement.
• Communicate effectively Communicates vision strategy and priorities with clarity and inspiration to diverse internal and external audiences.

Qualifications

Required

• Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in law criminology international relations public policy security studies finance or a related field.
• Minimum of twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience managing complex international security counterterrorism rule-of-law or counter-threat-finance programs preferably multi-country in scope.
• Strong technical expertise in one or more of the following areas:
  • Counter threat finance and terrorist-financing disruption
  • Criminal investigations and prosecutions
  • Illicit commodities extractive-sector crime or supply-chain disruption
• Demonstrated experience translating strategic analysis into operational interventions and partner-nation action plans.
• Experience engaging U.S. Government agencies U.S. Embassies and host-nation institutions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish.

Preferred

• Prior experience as Chief of Party Program Director Deputy Chief of Party or equivalent senior leadership role on a U.S. Government-funded program.
• Experience with U.S. Department of State CT Bureau or INL programs or cooperative agreements.
• Familiarity with the FTO terrorist-financing and illicit-gold threat landscape in the Andean region.
• Experience living or working in Latin America.

Salary Range: $130000 - $160000

A candidates salary is determined by multiple factors including but not limited to relevant work experience job-related knowledge skills abilities and internal organizational equity.

More About PADF

PADF is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962.â

PADFs core values.âH-E-A-R-Tâ Honesty Excellence Authenticity Respect and Trust.ââ

EEO Statement.We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. PADF does not discriminate based on ability age national origin race and ethnicity religious beliefs sexual orientation or criminal record.

PADF is committed to safeguarding employees and those we serve addressing inappropriate behavior discrimination and harassment. We take an intersectional approach promote gender equality and follow our Global Code of Conduct emphasizing our H.E.A.R.T. values. The code covers various aspects including anti-trafficking PSEAH (Protection against Sexual Exploitation Abuse and Harassment) whistleblowing and online safety.

PADF is an Equal Opportunity Employerâ

Required Experience:

Director