Regional Business Manager, Southern Cone

Job Description

**Position**: Regional Business Manager, Southern Cone (SC)

**Reports to**: Regional Director Southern Cone

**Location**: WCS Country Office in the Region (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay)

**Division**: Global Conservation Program, Southern Cone Region

**Position Type**: Full-time

**Internal liaison**: SC Regional team, country office Finance Managers and Country Directors, GCP Operations Director, Latin America OGC, Regional Controller, HR Director, and several departments at WCS NY headquarters.

**Expected travel**: Approximately 20% to project sites and field offices the Southern Cone (SC) and to WCS NY HQ.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international conservation NGO headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City working to save wildlife and wildlands and to meet global conservation challenges in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities.

WCS has recently reorganized into a set of regional programs, which includes the Southern Cone covering the Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay country programs, in addition to activities in Uruguay and region-wide engagement on a variety conservation matters.

WCS seeks a dynamic, well-organized, hard-working, and committed team player to work alongside the Regional Director overseeing the budget and finances of the region and providing direct support in managing the operations of the Regional Program. The RB, will lead the development of regional financial strategies and business plans, incorporate full cost accounting across the region and ensure complete coordination in the financial management of all countries within the region, seeking to enable budgetary efficiencies at different levels. She/he continually assess and document the financial health of the Regional Program and provide regular reports for management in the region and headquarters. The Regional Business Manager will have ultimate responsibility for the finance management of the region including all its countries. As such, the RBM will have full authority for implementation of financial mechanisms across the region, in consultation with the RD.

**Job Summary**:
The SC RBM oversees the budget and finances of the region and provides direct support to the Regional Director in managing grants and the operations of the Regional Program. This region is comprised of Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay country programs, in addition to activities in Uruguay and region‐wide engagement on a variety of conservation matters, comprising a portfolio of almost $6.3 M, with about 50 different funding sources.

**Major Responsibilities**:
**Financial Management and Planning**:

- Assess and document the financial health of the Regional Program.
- Assess overall regional financial performance.
- Provide monthly key performance indicators for each country and all multi-country grants for management in the region and headquarters in New York. s. (including all funding sources
- Work with the relevant teams to resolve any issues with finances in the Region.
- Develop scheme of finance guidelines for the region and country level at the region (including implementation of full cost accounting).

**Strategic Financial Planning**:

- Co-lead with the Regional Director, Regional Program Manager, Country Directors and Finance Managers, the development and implementation of multi-year business plan for the region and its countries.
- In consultation with the Regional Director, Regional Program Manager and Country Directors, develop and lead the financial planning component of the Business plan.for the region and its countries.
- Complete annual presentation of short
- and long-term financial plans for the region and each country with detailed variance analysis on prior plans

**Budget Leadership**:

- Develop, manage, and maintain a comprehensive regional budget and perform periodic budget analyses.
- Lead the annual WCS budgeting process for all countries in the region.
- Lead the budget process for all regional grants.
- Work with country finance teams to understand and report on full program costs.
- Manage the region’s designated allocations in consultation with the Regional Director and the Regional Program Manager.
- Review country budget adjustments and budget to actual reports and ensure regular and timely budget updates.

**Proposal Review**:

- Working in coordination with WCS GCP in NY, approval of all proposal budgets from the region, from each of its country programs and regional initiatives.
- Ensure budgets are covering the full costs of the program and are in line with business plans.
- Ensure budgets are developed in compliance with WCS policies and undergo appropriate reviews.

**Grant Management**:

- Oversee budgeting, reporting, planning, and auditing, ensu