ABOUT THE ROLE
This is an integrated political and organisational leadership role. JASS has deliberately designed the Regional Director position to hold both dimensions in tension -- and in productive dialogue -- because the organization believes that political strategy without organisational coherence risks fragmentation, while organisational management without political grounding risks losing connection to the movements it exists to serve. The two dimensions reinforce one another: a leader who can translate between political vision and organisational logic is essential to building a region that is both strategically sharp and institutionally strong.
The Regional Director for Mesoamerica is a senior leadership position with responsibility for:
Providing strategic political leadership to JASS Mesoamerica -- shaping movement-building strategy, political analysis and regional positioning.
Providing organisational leadership and oversight -- coordinating people, programmes and specialist functions around that strategy, rather than serving as the technical specialist in each function.
Contributing to JASS' global strategic direction as a member of the senior leadership team, bringing regional political analysis and movement knowledge into executive decision-making.
At its core, this is a role that requires a high level of coordination and alignment building as part of a integrator role. The Regional Director connects political strategy, programme work, people and organisational functions; creates coherence across the regional team; ensures individual contributions to a shared regional strategy; and strengthens the vital bridge between JASS Mesoamerica and the wider organisation -- translating regional realities into global conversations and global strategy back into regional action.
Reporting to the JASS Executive Director, the Regional Director will guide, support and work alongside the Meso team based in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala, while participating in JASS' senior leadership team responsible for the operational management and strategic direction setting of the organisation.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Political and Strategic Leadership
- Lead ongoing political analysis of the regional context, identifying emerging opportunities, risks and strategic priorities to strengthen JASS' contribution to feminist movement building and inform organizational strategy.
- Facilitate participatory processes to design, implement and evaluate JASS Meso's movement-building strategies and programmes, ensuring alignment with JASS' mission and strategic priorities.
- Provide strategic leadership for the regional programme, setting priorities and overseeing movement-building initiatives in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
- Cultivate and sustain long-term relationships with movement partners, thinkers, academics and policy actors to strengthen feminist organizing, solidarity and movement infrastructure across the region.
- Contribute to regional learning and knowledge generation through political analysis, documentation and collective reflection that strengthens movement practice and informs organizational learning.
- Represent JASS in regional and global movement spaces, strengthening strategic relationships, advancing feminist analysis and supporting regional staff and partners to influence collective agendas.
- Promote collaboration, exchange and solidarity across JASS' regions and broader movement networks.
Regional Team and Programme Leadership
- Lead, mentor and support the Meso regional team, fostering a collaborative, high-performing and values-driven working environment.
- Foster a culture of distributed leadership, collective accountability and continuous learning, enabling shared ownership of regional priorities and effective decision-making.
- Strengthen regional leadership capacity through coaching, reflective performance processes and strategic workforce planning that aligns staffing, consultants and organizational priorities.
- Provide strategic oversight of regional planning, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and learning systems, ensuring effective implementation, organizational coherence and adaptive management.
- Ensure the overall effectiveness of the regional programme by balancing organizational commitments, programme priorities and available resources while responding to changing political contexts and movement opportunities.
- Convene and maintain a regional reference group of trusted advisors and movement partners to provide strategic counsel, deepen analysis and strengthen the ongoing development of JASS Meso's work.
Organisational Health and Effectiveness
- Provide strategic oversight of regional financial planning, budgeting and resource allocation, ensuring sound financial management and responsible use of organizational resources. Deep technical finance expertise is not required; the Regional Director must understand how financial functions fit together and ensure they enable the regional strategy.
- Provide strategic leadership and coordination of regional resource mobilization, positioning JASS Meso for strategic funding opportunities in collaboration with JASS leadership.
- Cultivate strong relationships with donors and funding partners through effective grant management, transparent financial oversight, timely reporting and ongoing communication that demonstrates learning and impact.
- Strengthen organizational systems, processes and ways of working that promote effectiveness, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Model and embed JASS' feminist values and principles, fostering a culture of care, collaboration, accountability and movement responsiveness.
- Serve as JASS' legal representative in Mexico, ensuring compliance with statutory, regulatory and organizational requirements.
Organizational Direction and Strategic Contribution
- Serve as a member of JASS' Joint Leadership Team (JLT), sharing collective responsibility for the organization's strategic direction, organizational health, culture and long-term sustainability.
- Bring regional political analysis, movement perspectives and organizational learning into executive decision-making, helping shape organization-wide priorities and strategic choices.
- Strengthen organizational coherence by contributing to cross-regional initiatives, aligning regional and global priorities and advancing shared organizational objectives.
- Work collaboratively with the Executive Director and senior leadership to identify emerging opportunities, address organizational challenges and strengthen JASS' impact across regions.
Role Requirements & Desirable Profile
1. Core Strategic Focus (Required)
- Mesoamerican Rootedness & Analysis: Must be from and located in Mesoamerica, with a history of political engagement and an informed analysis of regional social justice, feminist, and movement trends.
- Political Strategy & Movement-Building: Demonstrated capacity to shape political strategy, lead movement-building work, and operate with feminist principles and an intersectional approach.
- Bilingual Capability: Full professional fluency in both Spanish and English. Ability to represent regional realities within a global organization and participate fully in international strategic conversations.
2. People & Program Leadership (Required)
- Organizational Management: Ability to coordinate people, programs, and specialist functions around a shared strategy. Provides leadership and oversight across functions without requiring deep technical expertise in each.
- Team & Program Oversight: Experience leading, mentoring, and supporting teams, setting program priorities, and fostering collaborative, values-driven cultures.
- Feminist Leadership Approach: Demonstrated facilitative and collaborative approach--ability to inspire teams as a fellow "do-er" rather than a delegator.
3. Desirable Additions (A mix of the following is highly preferred)
- Senior Leadership: Minimum 7+ years of senior leadership experience in social justice organizations (preferably women's rights or feminist organizations).
- Feminist Popular Education: Familiarity with or interest in popular education as a methodology for movement building.
- Resource Mobilization: Grant/proposal writing experience and the ability to position an organization strategically with donors and funding partners.
- Global & Analytical Perspective: Experience operating across local, national, regional, and global contexts.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) experience.
- Operational Literacy: Sufficient understanding of financial planning, budgeting, operations, and HR to provide strategic oversight.
4. Adaptability & Working Expectations
- Multi-Level Engagement: Ability to work at multiple levels and engage with diverse audiences (e.g., indigenous and rural women and movements, NGOs, donors, and officials).
- Remote & Self-Managed: Ability to self-manage and work remotely across time zones, with flexibility in working hours.
- Travel: Availability to travel regionally and internationally as needed.
- Communication: Excellent analysis, writing, and communication skills.