HEKS/EPER has over 1900 permanent employees. The organisation is active at 23 locations in Switzerland and in 31 countries worldwide with 275 programs and projects worth around CHF 137 million. In 2025, HEKS/EPER reached around 24 million people with its work.
HEKS/EPER pursues the vision of a just world where the dignity of everyone is respected, peace reigns, and the natural environment is preserved. The aim is a systemic change at a social, economic and political level. HEKS/EPER is doing its part to improve the living conditions of people in Switzerland and around the world, to promote their rights, raise awareness and mobilise to this end.
Lived diversity - inclusion is important to us:
We welcome applications regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age or sexual orientation.
HEKS/EPER has been engaged in Brazil since the 1980s and focuses its interventions on the Cerrado region (Minas Gerais and Bahia). HEKS/EPER works currently with five local partner organizations which cooperate among each other, supporting key networks of family farming and Traditional Peoples and Communities regarding access to land, sustainable natural resources management, agroecology, bioeconomy and inclusion to markets. Special attention is given to the inclusion of young people and women. The programme is closely supported by global staff: the head of programmes Latin America and Caribbean, a thematic advisor specialized in biodiversity, land governance and sustainable food systems, an M&E-advisor, a finance controller, and others.
For our programme in Brazil, we are looking for an experienced, strategically minded and inspiring coordinator to take up this position on 1rst of December 2026 or by agreement:
Coordinator and legal institutional representant of the programme in Brazil
Your responsibilities:
- Assume the institutional legal representation of the HEKS/EPER Swiss branch in Brazil, via power of attorney.
- Lead the forward- thinking and creative strategic development of the programme in cooperation with the local and global teams and local actors within the financial framework.
- Ensure the effective and efficient implementation of the programme through participative monitoring, evaluation, learning and steering of the projects.
- Support the partners in drawing up annual and phase project-reports and write annual programme-reports, based on the reports of the partners.
- Support fundraising for the projects with Swiss donors by contributing to the drafting of projects and writing of reports and presenting them to the donors.
- Prospect for funding opportunities and lead the acquisition of national, regional and international funds through engagement with donors and the development of proposals.
- Represent HEKS/EPER towards the government, the public and international, regional and local organisations and networks including the Act Alliances structures.
- Establish and maintain close cooperation with other actors in Brazil, incl. international and local NGOs, public authorities and research institutions, businesses, for joint activities and resource mobilization in consortia.
- Supervise and assume final responsibility for financial and administrative matters, in accordance with HEKS/EPER standards.
- Supervise the finance officer and ensure compliance with local laws and obligations, the guidelines, and the institutional governance of HEKS/EPER.
- Contribute to reflection and learning with the other teams of HEKS/EPER in Latin America and the Caribbean and with Global Cooperation of HEKS/EPER.
To be successful you bring:
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in the development sector, including 5 years in a similar position, ideally for international NGOs in Brazil.
- Excellent conceptual, strategic development, monitoring and evaluation skills.
- Excellent communication and networking skills.
- Strong financial management skills.
- Successful track record in the acquisition and implementation of internationally funded projects.
- Cultural sensitivity, flexibility, initiative, commitment.
- University degree or equivalent in a relevant field (agricultural, environmental or social sciences).
- Excellent skills of oral and written English and Portugues are compulsory, good knowledge of Spanish an asset.
- We are looking exclusively for a Brazilian resident (this is not an international/expat position).
What you can expect from us:
- A varied and multidisciplinary position.
- Attractive employment conditions.
- The position may be contracted either under Brazil’s Consolidation of Labor Laws (Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho – CLT), the country’s statutory employment regime, or through a service agreement with an independent contractor registered as a legal entity (Pessoa Jurídica – PJ).
- Duty station: preferably Brasilia, with regular visits to the projects in Minas Gerais and Bahia and occasional international traveling.
- Contract of indefinite duration.