Director of Operations

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, providing relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of oppression and violent conflict.

IRC has worked for over seven decades and today is involved in over 25 conflict zones in the world.

We address both the immediate, life saving needs of conflict affected people in an emergency and the reconstruction needs in post conflict societies.

Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo - Kinshasa

The Director of Operations supports the Country Director in ensuring quality program delivery by improving the integration, management and planning of country operations.

The DO will provide remote support through review of documentation and monthly report packages and regular in country support to all provincial and field offices.

Strong operational support is critical to the delivery of quality programs.

IRC defines operations as those systems and support functions necessary to implement programs effectively, inclusive of logistics, administration, human resource management, as well as security and IT functions.

The Director of Operations, in close collaboration with the Country Director, Director of Programs and Director of Finance will focus on establishing and supporting a minimum standard of operational excellence in their respective region to maximize program support, efficiency, and results.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The Director of Operations manages a team of two expatriates, the Logistics Coordinator and the Senior Human Resources Coordinator and has oversight over both of Logistics/Procurement and HR technical units.

Human Resources

- Verify that country office administration and staff policies are documented, disseminated and required monitoring processes are effective.
- Ensure that support units are appropriately structured and staffed at the optimum levels and capacity; conduct HR reviews of staff and structure in comparison to demands.
- Work with the country, provincial and field offices to implement effective national staff training programs and nationalization strategies to maximize use of national capacity and resources. - Assess staff orientation and evaluation processes and, if required, assist field offices to develop more effective materials and processes.
- Provide guidance to the country, provincial and field offices on staff retention and development - Within operations, identify staff knowledge areas that require strengthening and work with the requisite supervisors and staff to provide the appropriate training or guidance.
- Tracking of country level action plans for the Mandatory Reporting Policies , HIV/AIDs, Avian Flu and Security Management Plans. Logistics/Procurement- Verify that country logistics policies are appropriate, documented, disseminated and required monitoring processes are effective.
- Assist logistics staff in working effectively with other units to improve planning and resource utilization
- Undertake periodic system reviews of country and field office procurement, vehicle & fuel, asset, warehouse/inventory and communication systems to identify areas for improvement and compliance with IRC policy.
- Review key/routine reports, (PR/PO tracking, fuel consumption, procurement plans) and provide feedback and recommendations.

Finance
– in coordination with the Director of Finance
- Provide input to the Country Director on potential areas of concern related to: operations spending; effectiveness of in-country reporting and planning systems; and Field/Program Coordinators oversight of expenditures and adherence to financial requirements.
- Review operating budget and planning strategy as part of the annual fiscal year process prior to HQ submission and periodically throughout the fiscal year;
- As requested by the Country Director, provide input to audit issues and corrective action plans. Program Provide support and training to program staff to understand operations requirements and needs to ensure effective working relationships and timely delivery of services Work with program staff to ensure procurement planning, identification of operational support needs and transition planning.

Participate in the development and/or review of new proposals, operating plans and strategic plans.

Assist in oversight of country grants and country resource usage and expenditures

REQUIREMENTS:
- 5-7 years in an operational management role, with several of these being in an international NGO; - Experience working with a complex donor portfolio;
- Strong interpersonal and training skills, ability to work in multi-cultural environments;
- Diverse background in operations, with strong understanding of finance, administration and logistics;
- MBA or comparable degree preferred;
- Interest and ability in ‘big picture’ thinking and planning;
Fluency in written and spoken English and French essential; and
Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Database skills required.

Specific Security Situation/Housing: Kinshasa is the provincial capital the DR Congo and has a population of just over 1 million people.

While the province itself is poor and infrastructure is lacking, it is considered relatively stable. The DO will be provided with individual housing and this post is accompanied.

IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. IRC is an equal opportunity employer.

How to apply

We request that all applications be completed on line at http://www.IRCjobs.org.

Please indicate in your cover letter how you initially became aware of this vacancy. IRC does not set closing dates/deadline dates for applications, recruitment is ongoing until the position is filled. The IRC reviews all applications and you will be contacted directly if you are selected as a candidate.

Closing date: 17 Apr 2009