Job Description

Cova is a social enterprise building a healthier Central America through community-centered safe water solutions. Through Cova’s proven Circuit Rider model, our team provides post-construction support to rural communities to deliver long-term sustainable improvement to water systems across El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Cova’s work currently provides safe drinking water solutions to 1.6 million people across 2,500 rural communities.

Cova seeks an experienced and visionary Program Director to provide strategic leadership and oversight of our global programs and key initiatives. This senior leadership role will manage programs and projects across countries, lead the global program team, and foster cross-country collaboration to ensure programmatic excellence and innovation. The Program Director will work closely with the CEO, Country Directors, and other senior leaders to deliver measurable impact, strengthen partnerships, and advance Cova’s thought leadership in the region.

We are seeking a collaborative, bilingual (English/Spanish), motivated, and highly organized individual with a proven ability to lead complex, multi-country programs and drive strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate brings strong interpersonal and leadership skills, expertise in program design and monitoring, and a passion for advancing community-driven development in Central America.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership (30%)

• Lead implementation of Cova’s strategic plan across all country programs, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and donor commitments.
• Collaborate with the CEO and Country Directors to set regional goals, operational strategies, and performance targets.
• Identify and develop opportunities to expand Cova’s impact through strategic partnerships, innovative models, and regional initiatives.
• Guide regional and country-level planning processes, fostering cross-country learning and knowledge-sharing.
• Contribute to Cova’s thought leadership by representing the organization in regional networks, conferences, and publications

Program Oversight & Management (30%)

• Collaborate to support Country Directors in the effective implementation of programs, ensuring quality, timeliness, and accountability.
• Promote best practices in program design, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), and ensure data-driven decision-making.
• Facilitate cross-country collaboration and strengthen regional coherence in programmatic approaches.
• Monitor progress toward programmatic goals and support Country Directors in resolving challenges and seizing opportunities.
• Ensure programs comply with internal policies, donor requirements, and relevant laws/regulations.
• Adopt an agile, entrepreneurial approach to program design, adapting strategies as needed to maximize impact.

Partnership Development & Representation (20%)

• Build and maintain strong relationships with government agencies, institutional partners, donors, and peer organizations across the region.
• Serve as a key spokesperson and advocate for Cova’s mission and impact within regional and international forums.
• Collaborate with the Partnerships and Fundraising teams to support fundraising efforts, including program design, proposal development, and donor reporting

Operational & Financial Management (10%)

• Support Country Directors in effective financial management, including budget planning, monitoring, and reporting.
• Work with operations and finance teams to strengthen systems and ensure sound internal controls at all levels.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement among regional and country teams

Staff Development & Management (10%)

• Oversee global program team members to support program management and implementation.
• Build leadership capacity within the regional and country teams to strengthen local ownership and sustainability.
• Champion an inclusive, equitable, and positive organizational culture across all office

Desired Skills and Abilities

• Graduate degree in a relevant field such as Engineering, Environmental or Public Health (with water/sanitation focus), Environmental Science, or International Development.
• Technical background in drinking water quality — including water treatment processes, water safety planning, water quality testing, or rural water infrastructure.
• 7-10+ years of senior-level leadership experience managing or implementing programs related to safe water access in low-resource or rural contexts, preferably in Central America or similar settings.
• Demonstrated experience managing diverse, cross-cultural teams and supervising senior staff.
• Proven ability to develop and execute strategies that deliver measurable impact and strengthen organizational capacity.
• Strong understanding of program design, MEL systems, and donor-funded project management.
• Working knowledge of mWater is strongly preferred.
• Professional fluency in Spanish and English, spoken and written, required.
• Excellent presentation, communication, and facilitation skills.
• Strong financial management skills and budget oversight.
• Knowledge of the Central American context and ability to travel throughout the region as needed.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $80,000 – $100,000 (remote-Minnesota-based, cost of living adjusted for other locations).
• Flexible work environment.
• 4.5% matching 401k.
• Healthcare stipend.
• Unlimited vacation.

Location

The position is fully remote with regional Central American travel.

To Apply

Please email your resume and a cover letter explaining your relevant experience and why you would like to join the Cova team to Careers@CovaAgua.org with Program Director in the subject line by Wednesday, August 6, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Job Description

Cova is a nonprofit social enterprise building a healthier Central America through community-centered, safe water solutions. Through Cova’s innovative market-based Circuit Rider Model, rural communities in Central America have access to safe drinking water, creating economic opportunities for individuals, allowing children to stay in school, parents to continue working, and communities to thrive. Cova’s comprehensive model provides safe drinking water to over 1.7 million people across 2,600 rural Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador communities.

The accountant will assume a leadership role in the finance department. They will report to the CFO and collaborate with the in-country Honduran, Nicaraguan, and El Salvadorean accountants. The work objective is to manage the organization’s financial accounting operations.

Cova is a registered 501c3 nonprofit in the US with three nonprofit subsidiaries in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. The organization uses Quickbooks Online for all three entities and shows consolidated financials in USD. Each of Cova’s three legal structures has its own QBO ‘company’/license. This position will require the monthly bookkeeping of the globally consolidated books, financial statement creation every other month to coincide with board meetings, and in-country accounting support to ensure GAAP standards are followed. Cova follows accrual-based accounting.

Key Responsibilities

Consolidated Bookkeeping– 4-6 hours/month

• On a monthly basis, receive the trial balance reports from our Nicaraguan, Honduran, and El Salvadorean accountants of all activities in their local currency. All in-country operations will have completed financials ready to be inputted.
  • An Excel map has been created to convert the in-countries trial balance from the local currency to USD and from the Spanish local chart of accounts to the consolidated English chart of accounts.
• Preform a high-level review to ensure the financials in the consolidated reports reflect the in-country operations
• Approve/edit automatic US QBO financial entries to reflect US operations. ‘Rules’ in QBO have been established for most regular expense/income activities.
• Execute month-end and year-end closing processes, ensuring accurate and timely consolidation of the international financial statements and corresponding financial reporting.
• Conduct reconciliation of all accounts monthly/quarterly.
• Issue payments to contractors on a monthly basis

Financial Statement Creation – 1 hour/month

• Prepare monthly detailed financial reports, including balance sheets, income, and cash flow statements.
• Identify and add notes to statements of major changes in the last quarter, major differences v. plan, or PY.
• Prepare financial statements as needed for donors, investors, or partners.

In-Country Accounting Support – 1 hours/month

• Upon receiving the finalized in-country accounting reports, perform a high-level review to ensure that in-country accounting entries included in their QBO follow GAAP standards.
• Review YTD entries against the prior month/year to find discrepancies and/or address operational changes.
• Work with Spanish-speaking accountants to resolve accounting issues and, if necessary, inform the team to make appropriate adjustments.

Qualifications

• Strong accounting technical and practical skills. CPA preferred.
• QuickBooks Online proficiency is a requirement
• Bilingual proficiency in both written and spoken English and Spanish is required.
• 3-5 years’ relevant experience working in accounting and bookkeeping
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of GAAP.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Experience consolidating international financial statements
• Experience with accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and general ledger.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail

We offer flexible work hours and a fun, collaborative work environment. The hourly pay for this position is $40-50 per hour.

To Apply

To apply, please email your resume to Careers@CovaAgua.org with ‘Cova Accountant’ in the subject line. Note that applications will be reviewed as soon as they are received with the anticipated start date as soon as possible.