Operations Coordinator at Terre des hommes (TDH)

Position type: National-Senior management team

Reporting to: Country Representative

Starting date: 1st January 2019

Contract duration: 1 year (3 months’ probation). Contract is renewable subject to the availability of funding

Role of Purpose: The Operations coordinator oversees the implementation of all projects in the country office.

General description of the position:The operations coordinator Is responsible for supervising and coordinating the delivery of quality projects in child protection, child rights and health and nutrition in all contexts (humanitarian, development).

He/she has direct management responsibility over the project managers who themselves manage several project components and several awards. To this respect he/she is accountable for the proper management of the project cycle.

S/he is accountable to the country representative and collaborates closely with the Quality and Development Coordinator.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Project delivery

• Ensures that project teams are on time, on budget and on target and steers the appropriate processes to this end, as per the organization’s standards and procedures.
• Identifies problems and issues on the ground and proposes solutions that he/she implements and follows through.
• Ultimate budget holder for projects; as such he/she is responsible for monitoring project budgets reporting on any issues to the SMT and introducing corrective action where necessary.
• Accountable for project targets as set in the proposals, and, with the inputs from project managers, for producing narrative donor reports.
• Steers organizational readiness to respond to emergencies in line with Tdh approaches and systems

2. Project performance and quality

• Ensures that projects deliver programming to beneficiaries that is according to Tdh’s mandate and that brings sustainable and positive change to the lives of children.
• Avails of the monitoring tools and resources to this end. Collaborates with technical experts in and out of the country office to analyze the quality of approaches, to learn from practice and to implement lessons from these learnings.
• Ensures that project performance is reflected in Tdh in Kenya being the go-to organization in health and nutrition for children in the ASALs, and child protection for refugees and slums dwellers and child rights.

3. Coordination

• Ensures coherence and collaboration across his/her team to foster integrated programming.
• Liaises with government stakeholders to build ownership and sustainability of Tdh’s interventions.
• Represents the organization in project-related events.
• Responsible for liaising with donors and members on issues of implementation,
• Takes responsibility for organizing donor and HQ visits to the concerned projects
• Nurtures functioning interrelations whilst making optimal use of resources

4. Grant management

• Support the smooth management of the grant management cycle
• Takes ultimate responsibility for donor and HQ dialogue with respect to grants
• Ensures full compliance with grant rules and procedures and coordinates with support services for input.

5. Strategic management

• The operations coordinator is a member of the senior management team; as such he/she participates in collective decision making regarding strategy, structure and management of resources, business development (including proposal development), quality, accountability. He/she brings a project perspective to the decision making forum.
• The operations coordinator will foster a culture of growth and change for bigger and quality impact on the lives of the most deprived children of Kenya.
• The operations coordinator is accountable for the delivering of operational strategies that he develops with inputs from Program Quality and Development Coordinator Support Service Coordinator.

6. Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Operations

• Ensure appropriate staffing within Operations
• Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
• Manage project managers ; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 7 years management experience in NGO environment, including significant field operations experience running both emergency and development programs
• Master’s degree in Social Sciences or other relevant fields
• Robust experience of program cycle management including in emergencies
• A very good understanding and a working knowledge of the program priorities of the Country Office
• Proven knowledge of international humanitarian and development systems and practices
• Substantial experience and knowledge of effective financial and budgetary control and securing and managing grants from major institutional donors
• Proven history of delivering results and solving problems
• Ability to analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
• Self-awareness and critical thinking
• Professional attitude to the workplace and to work relationships
• 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
• Clean record with regards to personal misconduct (fraud, child safeguarding, sexual harassment) and track record in addressing misconduct in the workplace
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with international teams in the event of major emergencies
• Commitment to and understanding of Tdhs aims, values and principles

Abuse Prevention Policy – Operational Risk Management

• Commit to respect Tdh Risk Management Policies including: Child Safeguarding Policy, Safety and Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policy, Code of Conduct, Whistle Blowing Policy.
• Commit to ensure the best implementation possible of the Tdh Risk Management Policies.
• Commit to inform supervisors and to deal with any cases, allegations, or possibility of transgression, even potential, of the Tdh Risk Management Policies.