Operations Manager at CARE

Job Summary

• CARE is committed to meeting the urgent life-saving needs of women, men, girls and boys affected by disasters and conflict, consistent with CARE’s humanitarian mandate. Humanitarian and emergency response are core to CARE’s programming and global identity in fighting poverty and to strengthen CARE’s global capacity to deliver high quality programming in key technical sectors with a focus on women and girls.
• CARE experience has shown that capacity is often stretched beyond its limits by humanitarian disasters and conflict, and that additional senior staff resources are needed to provide program, operational and program support leadership to ensure a timely, quality and effective response and to reduce financial and operational risks.
• The Operations Manager will provide overall leadership for efficient and effective operation of the humanitarian program support and operations services including Finance, Human Resources, and Administration. S/he will ensure the effective coordination and integration of program, operations and program support teams to ensure CARE is able to deliver timely, effective and high quality humanitarian responses directly or through partners based on the Country Office operations.

Key Interactions

• Internal: Country Director / Assistant Country Director; Regional Emergency Coordinators; Finance and Compliance Controller, HR Manager, Humanitarian Team Leader.
• External: Peer-agencies Humanitarian Staff; government officials; Donor staff; UN staff; Cluster Coordinators.
• Overall ratio: internal 80%: external 20%

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

• The Operations Manager based in Borno, Maiduguri will be responsible for the providing leadership and expertise for efficient and effective implementation of humanitarian program support and operations services – operations of financial, budget, information & communication technology, supply & logistics, human resource and administrative management strengthened and maintained for Field Office.
• Appropriate and consistent interpretation and application of operations policy and procedures implemented to support operations at the Field Office level.
• S/he will have fiduciary responsibility for funds and assets effectively secured and timely executed for optimum utilization by taking appropriate decision on all operational and financial transactions, disbursement of funds, and administrative arrangements.
• S/he will ensure effective leadership is provided in strategic planning and policy recommendations in the area of operations, taking initiative in improving and implementing operations management systems.
• S/he will ensure basic office services are effectively provided to enhance staff safety and productivity, compliance with all operational systems and procedures effectively monitored to ensure integrity in all financial and other administrative operations of the office.
• S/he will make recommendations to the country office leadership regarding staffing and structure in support of an emergency response.
• S/he will ensure effective coordination between the country office program teams and program operations/program support teams to ensure CARE is able to deliver timely, effective and high quality humanitarian responses directly or through partners.

Program Support Leadership:

• Work closely with Humanitarian Team Leader and Program Managers to facilitate operations aspects of program planning and preparation for upcoming operations resources needs
• Provide leadership and support to the country office finance team to ensure policies, procedures and systems are established to enable a timely, rapid, and effective humanitarian response and scale-up.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Assume overall operational oversight of the emergency response in northeast Nigeria, in collaboration with the Humanitarian Team Leader, Finance & Compliance manager, Safety & Security Manager, the Country Director and other relevant CO SMT members.
• Ensuring strict compliance of programme activities with CARE International national and global policies and procedures and with relevant donor regulations and agreements, SPHERE guidelines and the NGO code of conduct.
• In coordination with the Humanitarian Team Leader, lead on the NE States level strategic planning for the humanitarian response to ensure an effective emergency response in all of its phases of delivery.
• Work closely with Program and Finance/Grants teams to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with donor regulations as well as CARE’s internal policies and procedures.
• In collaboration with the Humanitarian Team Leader, have oversight over the development of relevant master budgets, aligned with the Response Strategy objectives, for the duration of the response and for multiple sites and multiple sectors where appropriate.
• S/he will take overall leadership on the implementation of the Response relevant national level budgets, while keeping relevant stakeholders informed and ensuring any corrective actions are taken where required.
• In coordination with the Team Leader, Program Managers and other relevant ERT/SMT level members from both the Field and CO teams, s/he will ensure the preparation of a timely programme delivery and submitting the donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SCI requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Submit weekly field reports to the Humanitarian Team Leader.
• Ensuring that the relevant project monitoring plans and systems for identifying and tracking the indicators and develop processes/procedures and forms to support monitoring and inform learning are established and implemented.
• Ensure optimal safety and security management procedures and practices are in place for the emergency response programme and continually monitor the safety and security situation, adapting staff safety and security procedures accordingly in collaboration and cooperation with the Borno based Safety and Security Manager.
• Oversee effective functioning of logistics systems to procure, store and distribute stock, supplies and services for the timely delivery of project objectives at national level.
• Ensure strong accountability to beneficiaries.
• Plan, identify and resource appropriate and effective structure & staffing needs for entire response; In liaison with the Humanitarian Team Leader and the HR Manager ensuring that personnel policies are in accordance with national laws).
• Oversee the development & implementation of staff well-being (policy) and ensure appropriate staff well-being and R&R policy and processes in place.

Administration Management:

• Ensure that administrative support functions are established and maintained in accordance with CARE International administrative policies and procedures.
• Review administration policies, systems and procedures as required to meet the changing demands of the humanitarian response.
• Review of the field office specific policies (phone policy, IT policy, per diem) and with the administration team communicate new policies to staff.
• Provide support for expatriate visa and work permits, as needed.
• Ensure and support CO to ensure implementation and compliance the CARE Procurement Policy and Procedures, especially on the CARE Emergency Procurement Procedures.

Capacity Building:

• Ensure that capacity building plans and performance management systems are in place to develop the requisite competencies in staff to ensure ongoing sustainability and quality of response.
• Coach and mentor international staff and national level counterparts and link in to wider organisational talent development mechanisms.
• Work closely with the Team Leader - on identify staff and partner capacity building gaps, needs and draw plans to provide relevant capacity building.

General:

• Comply with CARE policies and practice with respect to gender equality, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Gender Equality: Support efforts to ensure that gender equality is integrated into all aspects of humanitarian program support. Help build field office, partner and staff capacity in considering and integrating gender equality throughout emergency policies, procedures and approaches.
• Team building: Support efforts to ensure that field office and partner agencies staff are fully integrated into the emergency response (giving particular attention to opportunities for job shifts), that the programme developed is building on CO experience and that there is ownership of the programme by the senior leadership of the country office. All efforts must be made to ensure that an emergency response is integrated to the fullest extent possible into the existing country office structure.

Qualifications
Required:

• Minimum of 2 - 3 years senior management experience in complex and natural disasters; both slow and rapid onset
• Experience establishing country office and field office program support / operations policies, procedures, and systems.
• Very strong finance skills and experience as part of a senior management team, preferably as part of a CARE emergency response
• Experience with HR and Administration
• Experience and capacity to work in harsh conditions and insecure environments
• Solid analytical skills, problem solving and experience with major donors (e.g USAID/OFDA, DFID, ECHO, GAC, etc.)
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, processes and procedures and adapt local practices to global standards
• Excellent analytical skills - the ability to analyse complex data and design and produce effective management information
• Excellent experience of budgeting and budget management
• Excellent understanding of financial systems and procedures
• Excellent capacity building, coaching and training skills for program support teams
• Experience and commitment in promoting gender equality within humanitarian work
• High level of demonstrable leadership and strategic management skills - including management and leadership of multi-sector teams in an emergency setting
• Ability and willingness to undertake frequent travel, including to work environments in insecurity environments;
• Track record of high resilience under pressure and ability to support and motivate teams in these situations
• Good political acumen and excellent team building and interpersonal skills
• A good understanding of the humanitarian system, principles and key relief sectors (e.g. strong knowledge of and demonstrated experience with IHL, the Red Cross Code of Conduct, SPHERE, IASC Gender, HAP and understanding and experience of the cluster approach to coordination and response)
• Well-developed written and oral communications skills with high level experience in representation, negotiation, training, coaching and mentoring
• Language skills essential (excellent written and spoken English is essential, a second key language (Hausa, Kanuri) is highly desirable)

Desired:

• Experience in CARE humanitarian operations
• Experience in financial audit
• Experience in field office set-up

Key Competencies:

• Because of the nature of the work, demands are fast-paced and unpredictable. This position requires someone who is able to provide expertise and leadership at a senior level to an experienced team working in complex and insecure locations. Experience in integrating gender equality considerations into humanitarian interventions is required.
• This position requires someone who has:
• Strong ability to prioritize work
• Leadership and management skills. Ability to lead through vision and values.
• Ability to provide innovative solutions and strategic foresight
• Strong organizational skills; ability to multi-task, and/or provide timely feedback on an as needed and/or urgent basis
• Strong ability to meet deadlines
• Strategic decision maker
• Ability to build strong partnerships and build commitment and collaboration towards shared goals
• Results-oriented focus; with an infectious enthusiasm and passion for delivering results
• Cultural empathy and sensitivity
• Ability to work in stressful and insecure situations required
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; convincing presentation skills
• Political acumen and the ability to negotiate effectively with wide ranging stakeholders
• Superior interpersonal skills, with a preference to working as part of a team for a diverse group of individuals with competing priorities

Education & Training
Required

• University degree (Bachelor or Masters) in Finance, Management, Business Administration, Economics or a related field, or equivalent experience.