Senior Regional SME Advisor - Central America & Caribbean

About the role

Creative Associates International, a global development firm based in Washington, D.C., is hiring a Senior Regional SME Advisor for its Americas Partnership for Security and Financial Integrity (APSFI) program, based in San Salvador, El Salvador. APSFI supports foreign governments in Central and South America in identifying, investigating and prosecuting terrorist financing and related illicit financial activity, and in strengthening FATF-aligned legal and regulatory frameworks. The advisor provides senior technical leadership in AML, law enforcement, CFT, organized crime or financial intelligence, with a regional focus on Central America and the Caribbean, and reports directly to the Team Lead.

Key responsibilities

• Lead needs and readiness assessments of beneficiary governments to identify capacity gaps and inform program design.
• Design technical assistance, training, mentoring and capacity-building activities, including curricula and training materials.
• Deliver technical assistance and training, and give technical direction and quality assurance to short-term technical assistance SME consultants.
• Monitor implementation and results of activities and recommend improvements.
• Prepare technical inputs for work plans, quarterly and annual progress reports and activity reports.
• Represent APSFI with FIUs, law enforcement, prosecutors, regulators, government officials, international organizations, private-sector entities and U.S. Government counterparts, and manage stakeholder relationships.
• Identify technical, political and operational risks and opportunities and communicate them with recommended actions to the Team Lead.
• Support the development of SOPs, interagency coordination mechanisms and public-private partnerships.
• Travel to program locations in the Caribbean, Central and South America and elsewhere as required.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (law, criminal justice, finance, economics, international relations, etc.); MA preferred.
• At least eight years of professional experience, including at least five years in AML, law enforcement, CFT, organized crime, financial intelligence or a related field; previous direct supervisory experience a plus.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering technical assistance and training to government institutions, preferably for donor-funded programs; U.S. Department of State experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience conducting institutional needs or capacity assessments.
• Existing work authorization for El Salvador.
• Fluency in English and professional written and spoken Spanish.

Required skills

• Demonstrated knowledge of FATF standards and recommendations, including GAFILAT and CFATF, and AML/CFT legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks; Western Hemisphere experience preferred.
• Ability to represent an organization and build relationships with senior government officials and high-level stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and leadership skills, able to work in a multidisciplinary, multicultural team.