Operations Manager at Society for Family Health (SFH)

Job Profile: 

The Operations Manager will provide operational support by coordinating key implementation, knowledge management and stakeholder engagement activities across different work streams. The Operation Manager will ensure and lead in the integration of rigorous project monitoring, procurement, finance, human resources. S/he will provide leadership to field level program staff to achieve project outcomes, demonstrate learnings. S/He will lead in the developing and implementing effective tracking and accountability mechanisms to facilitate timely completion of project deliverables.

Job Role: The successful candidate will perform the following responsibilities:

Operations Coordination:

• Assist Team Lead to provide leadership to operations team, develop implement, and operationalize standard operating procedures, ensuring quality service and efficiency of project operations
• Regularly visit all field sites to monitor and support compliance to set operational protocols and plans.
• Contribute to project reporting, accountabilities and improvements including the Project Implementation and facilitate the sharing of learnings to inform decision making.
• Ensure positive working relations and collaborative interactions within all operational teams, across workstreams, project field sites, other DISC support entities, and partners
• Oversee the integration of best practices and sustainability approaches into stream-led implementation.
• Work with State teams to develop and share operational work plans and budget for implementation

People Management:

• Line manages (directly or in partnership) the DISC operations field staff and SBC Coordinator with respective direct supervisors. These include the Finance, Strategic Information and Learning, Service Delivery, Demand Generation, and HR-Admin teams.
• Provide capacity-building technical support, and mentorship for DISC staff to ensure that they understand, follow, and comply with relevant systems, processes, and procedures.
• Lead and conduct high-quality, regular, and documented meetings with DISC, teams for technical guidance, joint planning, performance review, progress reporting, shared learning, and problem solving.
• Support, supervise and mentor field team to internalize project and DISC operational performance targets, expectations, processes, and policies.
• Conduct regular visits to field offices and project sites to monitor operational activities, and share Trip Report with findings, challenges and recommendations.

Evidence, Measurement and Evaluation:

• Closely work with and support workstream leads in the different technical streams to analyse project data, synthesize key insights, and ensure the integration of identified adaptations into project implementation.
• Ensure timely submission of field monthly and quarterly reports.
• Support States to achieve 55% SI proportion and consistent SI reporting by all sites
• Conduct regular field supervision visits to support at least one state quarterly and leverage on MERL SSV, share reports of these visits with key findings on standard checklists/ SSV reporting template with the HQ team
• Ensure field, State and LGA teams conduct regular SSV and provision of feedback
• Contribute to the development of donor reports, proposals, and presentations.

Stakeholders and Donor Relations

• Represent DISC internally and externally with key stakeholders generally, and particularly in areas pertaining to operations.
• Actively participate and contribute to Project Management & Donor meetings
• Work closely with key internal and external stakeholders to build mutually beneficial relationships that will advance the key objectives of the DISC project, and SFH

Supplies, Procurement Finance and Administration

• Ensure provision of day-to-day advice to teams around interpretation and implementation of relevant administrative policies and procedures.
• Support the development of program year, quarterly, monthly budgets, forecast, and reports as requested by the Donor
• Support the field teams in the development, disbursement and implementation of quarterly, and monthly budget.
• Develop Yearly and Bi-annual procurement plan for DISC and execute this in a timely and cost-effective manner
• Provide support to the HR-Administration officer with regards to timely processing of all fund’s requests and contracts, ensuring their compliance with procedures.
• Work with Team Lead and Finance Manager to ensure burn rate of 99%
• Attend to any other assigned duties.

Qualifications/Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in, Science, social sciences, clinical services, or any related field.
• Master’s degree in health administration, Project management, Social Work or any related field.
• 9+ years of experience in project implementation in the health sector with interest in Family planning and sexual and reproductive health
• Demonstrated ability through previous experience to establish and maintain productive working relationships with a wide network of partners and stakeholders
• Experience working in a fast-paced work environment with self-drive, initiative, and minimal supervision.
• Experience in formative research and community engagement strategy
• Previous experience working with NGOs
• Highly organized, ability to multi-task, meet tight deadlines, and keep teams on track.
• Clear and consistent communicator
• Ability to write clear and well-argued assessment and project reports

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent analytical and quick problem-solving skills.
• Advanced oral, writing and presentation skills. with the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrable successes in using data to make strategic decisions, deploy budgets and resources to deliver results in a cost-effective way.
• Advanced Computer Skills with high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office Software -Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
• Creative, dynamic, and out of the box thinker.
• Demonstrable skills in working across multiple teams with multiple stakeholders within and outside of the organization.
• Very strong organizational skills with the ability to deliver across competing time-bound priorities.