Regional Director- Latin America

Millar Cameron is supporting with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to recruit a Regional Director, Latin America, a pivotal leadership role at the forefront of global forest stewardship, climate action, and sustainable market transformation.

FSC is a global movement uniting forests, people, and markets in the fight against deforestation and climate change. Since 1993, FSC has driven transformative change across more than 160 million hectares of certified forests worldwide, positioning forests at the centre of climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development agendas.

About the role

This is a senior strategic leadership role that combines entrepreneurial vision, operational oversight, diplomatic engagement, and systems influence. The Regional Director will:

• Serve as FSC’s primary representative across Latin America
• Sit on FSC International’s Global Leadership Team
• Shape global strategy while translating it into meaningful regional impact

Operating within a decentralized structure, the role requires leading through influence rather than authority. Implementation authority rests with independent Network Partners across 8 network partners. Success depends on trust-building, coalition leadership, and alignment — not hierarchical control.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Global Influence

Influence FSC’s worldwide strategy while adapting priorities for Latin America. Represent the region in high-level global forums and contribute to cross-functional collaboration across Ecosystem Services, Policy, and Market Development teams.

Network & Partner Leadership

Strengthen and empower eight autonomous Network Partner organizations, fostering coherence under a “One FSC” approach while respecting independence.

Operational Excellence

Oversee regional business planning and financial management (c. USD 1M budget), performance frameworks, talent development, compliance, and scalable operational systems across distributed teams.

Market Development & Certification Uptake

Strengthen FSC’s value proposition to commercial stakeholders, increase certification adoption, address market barriers, and enhance relevance across supply chains and emerging markets.

Financial Sustainability & Partnerships

Mobilise strategic investment over a 2–3 year horizon, identify funding opportunities, and position FSC products and services for growth and impact.

Government & Multilateral Engagement

Engage governmental institutions and international organisations to promote adoption of FSC standards in procurement, trade, forest management and climate policy.

Candidate Profile

FSC is seeking an exceptional senior leader with:

• 15–20+ years’ leadership experience across complex, multi-country or multi-stakeholder environments
• Demonstrated success leading through influence in federated or networked structures
• Strong regional credibility and deep cultural fluency in Latin America
• Experience engaging governments, donors, civil society, and private sector actors
• Operational oversight of budgets and distributed teams
• Fluency in Spanish and English (Portuguese advantageous)

Experience in certification systems, sustainability organisations, development programmes, fundraising, market systems, or supply chain sustainability strengthens candidacy, though deep technical forestry expertise is not essential.

Role Details

• Location: Latin America (Colombia, Mexico, or Panama preferred; other locations considered)
• Reporting Line: Global Network Director (dotted line to Chief Program Officer)
• Travel: Regular international travel required

To apply for this position please provide an up-to-date CV.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Millar Cameron, we are dedicated to supporting our clients in building and supporting diverse and inclusive workplace and culture, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.