Director of Business and Program Operations - MENA at Internews Network

DAY-TO-DAY TASKS will include:  

Programmatic (75%)

• Provide analytical/financial support to the Regional Director, including detailed financial analysis for project budgets (burn rate analysis) and labor forecasting. 
• Directly manage the PMU’s Business Management Unit and support operations of country program office teams. 
• Oversee operations of all country program offices, including leading, together with appropriate counterparts on the business operations team, local registration, office opening and closeout, bank account opening/closing, local human resources, inventory tracking and disposition, alternate banking and cash management options, and local financial management. 
• Oversee operational project start-up/office opening, including recruitment and training of core operational and finance staff, development of workplan budgets, identifying local legal firm to navigate registration, securing work permits, establishing local employment handbook, supporting subgrant start-up, and facilitating office set-up. 
•  Support Regional Director with PMU strategy, including development, labor allocation and forecast, liaising with key HQ-based departments to advance requests, and addressing business training needs across the region. 
• Responsible for setting, implementing, and overseeing the operational, financial, and compliance priorities for the PMU portfolio. 
• Oversee development and monitoring of Alliance Accounting budgets and Resource Sharing Agreements; advise country program teams on Alliance Accounting processes, identifying issues and finding solutions. 
• Oversee proposal budget development across the Alliance for new budgets and modifications/adjustments of current budgets, including cost and no-cost extensions. 
• Review Budgets vs. Actuals with program teams and Regional Director. 
• Ensure the PMU business team coordinates with the financial reporting team on expense reports and vouchers and process payment requests. 
• Maintain labor forecasting for PMU management and support teams. 
• Oversee bottoms-up financial forecast of all projects within the portfolio and keep the Regional Director up to date about the overall financial status of the PMU. 
• Review trends to assess accuracy of the financial forecast and work with project team to remediate issues. 
• Serve as budget authority and compliance control for the portfolio. 
• Oversee regional and country program subgrants teams, providing guidance on partnership building and management and business staff within portfolio and other departments as required.
• Significant communication with program staff and HQ Accounting, Human Resources, Enterprise Risk Management and Field Operations, and Grants and Contracts departments. 
• Travel to country offices to open, close, problem-solve, onboard new operational staff, and other duties as assigned, is required of this position. Travel may be up to 25% Level of Effort, sometimes at very short notice, as needed and requested by the Regional Director. 

Corporate (25%) 

• Monitor and resolve financial obligation issues with funders.
• Prepare advanced financial analysis and deliver presentations on the performance of the MENA portfolio as required.
• Oversee and monitor cost share obligations. 
• Responsible for monitoring, understanding, and escalating operational and financial risks to relevant HQ staff.
• Collaborate with Internews Europe business support teams on identifying and tracking co-financing requirements, staff allocations, and Alliance Accounting agreements. 
• Support implementation of policies, procedures, and audit finding responses. 
• Serve as PMU escalation contact for business operations departments to resolve transactional business process issues and region-specific support issues or provide clear delegation of specific processes to other team members. 
• Support Finance and Audit teams with annual corporate audit documentation.
• In all duties, upholding Internews' Core Values and demonstrating a commitment to fostering a culture of Belonging, Dignity, and Justice. 

 QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• Relevant university degree or equivalent professional experience required. 
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, including: 
• A minimum of five years of non-profit project and portfolio management experience, including developing operations management for USG and European-funded programs. 
• Experience with financial analysis, accounting, bookkeeping, and financial management.
• Grant proposal and budget development experience. 
• Native/bilingual proficiency in English (written and spoken). 
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including diplomacy, tact, and the ability to negotiate. 
• Proven ability to manage a diverse team. 
• Excellent communication skills: speaking, writing, and listening. 
• Proven analytical and problem-solving ability. 
• Proven ability to work both independently and as an effective team member.
• Proven ability to prioritize and handle multiple ongoing assignments. 
• Proficiency in MS Office. 

Preferred

• Experience with legal and regulatory issues and/or policy advocacy a significant asset. 
• Experience with the Program Unit region and relevant language proficiency a significant asset; other regional language skills helpful.