About us
For over 90 years, Save the Children has been making a difference in children’s lives in more than 120 countries. We are the world’s largest independent child rights organization.
From emergency relief to long-term development, Save the
Children secures a child’s right to health, education and protection.
We are looking to recruit for this position to be based in
Somalia/Somaliland Country Office (Nairobi) with up to 50% travel to the
field.
Director of Programme Operations, Somali / Somaliland Country Office
Director of Programme Operations, Somali / Somaliland Country Office
Vacancy Announcement No. SCI/SOM/12/13
Team / Programme: Somalia / Somaliland Country Office Senior Management
Team
Location: Nairobi
Grade: TBC (Competitive Package)
Post Type: National or International
Child Safeguarding: Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the
post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
Role Purpose: As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director of
Program Operations shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and
coordination of the Country Office.
The Director of Program Operations, through the management of
Areas Representative of 3 area offices within Somalia/Somaliland, is primarily
responsible for implementation of all programming in country, for emergency
preparedness and response and for logistics for the Country Office in
Somalia/Somaliland.
As overall manager of the Area Representatives, the Director of
Program Operations is also responsible for the development of area plans and
thus, together with the Programme Development and Quality team, for the
development of area programmes.
Scope of Role:
Reports to: Country Director
Staff directly reporting to this post: At least 5 but to be confirmed
Staff directly reporting to this post: At least 5 but to be confirmed
Key Areas of Accountability:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
- Leadership of
the Somalia/Somaliland Country Office
- Support the
development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate
values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team
culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to
deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service
for our Members and donors
- Help to ensure a
coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices
and appropriate to program needs is in place and reviewed as necessary
- Help establish,
maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: host
government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional
donors, and local and international NGOs
- Ensure that
required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with rules and
principles during emergencies, working closely with the Director Program
Development and Quality and the humanitarian team at the SCI Centre.
Oversight and Management of Program Operations
- Responsible for
overall coordination of program operations and delegated responsibility
for field delivery of high quality programming in line with objectives of
the country strategy
- In close
coordination with the Director of Program Development and Quality
and Director of Finance, participate in program proposal development
process and ensure that all programs progress in accordance with grant
agreements, are completed within time and on budget
- Working with
Director of Program Development and Quality, participate in
conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high quality
programs, including an overall country strategy, to serve difficult to
reach children
- Serve as overall
budget holder for most programmes; appoint, support and manage budget
holders for projects and grants through support from an “awards
team” that reports directly to the Country Director
- Ensure programs
are implemented in responsive ways to communities and children in line
with Save the Children principles, values, compliance procedures and
strategic plans. This includes working with government and national
NGO-partners to strengthen national capacity
- Ensure initial
preparation from area offices of timely progress reports, program reports,
and donor reports and to engage with the Programme Development and Quality
team in ensuring these are of high quality
- Participate in
the overall funding process from both grants and SC members. This
includes developing funding strategies, creating grant proposals, and
identifying strategic leads and concepts
- Recruit, appoint
and provide leadership to managers of area offices within
Somalia/Somaliland.
Logistics, Inventory and Procurement
- Ensure that the
country office logistics capacity and systems meet SCI’s Minimum Operating
Standards and are able to satisfy programming requirements
- Ensure
appropriate and adequate emergency logistics procedures are detailed in
the Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
- Provide
leadership to the Logistics department ensuring that all logistics
activities (fleet, assets, transport, supply chain, base setup etc) are
properly coordinated
- Ensure goods and
services procured are cost effective value for money and of standard
quality
- Ensure
procurement processes are effectively implemented
- Work closely
with the procurement team in negotiating the best deals with suppliers
- Ensure proper
record keeping, insurance, maintenance and control of inventory, vehicles,
fixed asset register
Emergency Response Management
- Strengthen the
country office’s readiness to respond to emergencies in line with SCI’s
emergency goals and benchmarks
- Ensure that the
CO designs, reviews and implements a full set of emergency preparedness
actions, drawing on SC members input and resources
- Mount
appropriate and timely responses at scale to all emergencies consistent
with established benchmarks, plans and organizational policies, and in
close cooperation with incoming surge teams
- Ensure that
staff across departments and sub offices are familiar with, adhere to and
implement procedures and processes detailed in the Rules and Principles
for emergency response
- In coordination
with the Country Director and Director of Program Development and Quality
maintain consistent and coherent engagement in key inter-agency emergency
preparedness and response coordination mechanisms including the Cluster
system
Staff Safety and Security
- Work with the
Director of Safety and Security to ensure that staff and assets are safe and
secure
- Ensure that all
safety and security minimum operating standards and in country guidelines
and procedures are met by area offices
- Work closely
with the Director of Safety and Security to promote a culture of security
awareness and duty of care amongst staff in area teams.
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Program
Operations
- Ensure
appropriate staffing within Program Operations, including area office
staff
- Ensure that all
staff understand and are able to perform their roles in an emergency
- Lead the Program
Operations team; define expectations, and provide technical support as
needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
- Work closely
with the Director of HR in recruitment, training, and promotion of staff
as appropriate and ensure availability of relevant development
opportunities for staff
- Work with the
Director of HR to incorporate staff development strategies and Performance
Management Systems into team building process. Establish result
based system and follow up
- Manage
performance of all staff in Program Operations through:
- Effective use of
the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear,
measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and
unbiased evaluations;
- Coaching,
mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
- Recognition and
rewards for outstanding performance;
- Documentation of
performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance
improvements/ work plans
Skills and Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
- Holds self
accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently,
achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
- Holds the team
and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving
them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the
necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate
consequences when results are not achieved
Ambition:
- Sets ambitious
and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes
responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to
do the same
- Widely shares
their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
- Future
orientated, thinks strategically
Collaboration:
- Builds and
maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members
and external partners and supporters
- Values
diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
- Approachable,
good listener, easy to talk to
Creativity:
- Develops and
encourages new and innovative solutions
- Willing to take
disciplined risks
Integrity:
- Honest,
encourages openness and transparency
Qualifications and Experience
- Recommended a
minimum of 12 years senior management experience in corporate or INGO
environment, within a range of cultures including significant field
operations experience running both emergency and development programs
- Recommended
Master Degree in administration, development, strategic management
or social sciences
- Robust
experience in both NGO emergency and development programmes and commitment
to the dual mandate of Save the Children.
- Experience
working within a complex matrix organisation structure
- Good knowledge
of logistics, including procurement, supply chain, fleet management &
inventory
- Significant
knowledge of international humanitarian systems and procedures,
institutions and donors, accountability frameworks and best practices in
emergency management
- Proven
substantial experience and knowledge in effective financial and budgetary
control, securing and managing grants from major institutional donors
- Solid project
management skills related to organisational development projects and
international cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering
results
- Ability to
analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
- An
in-depth understanding of national and
international development issues in particular in
relation to children
- Previous
experience of managing and developing a
team and the ability to lead, motivate and
develop others
- Excellent
interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
- Fluency in
written and spoken English
- Ability and
willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming
teams in the event of major emergencies
- Commitment
to and understanding of Save the
Children’s aims, values and principles including
rights-based approaches
Interested candidates meeting the above qualifications are
required to submit a mandatory cover letter quoting the Job Title and Vacancy
Announcement No. SCI/SOM/12/13 on the subject line.
The file name of the attachments must be the applicants name and
sent to Somalia.vacancies@savethechildren.org.
Closing Date: 30th April 2013
We work with children, communities and governments all over the world and we believe in the right person for the job regardless of where you come from and how you identify yourself.
We work with children, communities and governments all over the world and we believe in the right person for the job regardless of where you come from and how you identify yourself.
We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects
our commitment to ensuring that only those who are suitable to work with
children are considered for these posts.
All successful applicants will therefore be required to complete
a Police Check and must sign onto our Child Protection Policy and
organizational Code of Conduct.
