Shared Service Centre Lead at Plan International

ROLE PURPOSE

The Shared Services Centre (SSC) is a Centre of Excellence based in the MEESA regional office.  The Centre’s vision is that within 2 years its clients will have recorded added value within their support services.  The centre is committed to a reliable, efficient and effective service to the MEESA region at a competitive price.  Its ultimate goal is to be trusted, predictable, and dependable to its clients at all times and to ensure commitment to excellent turnaround times in all its service delivery.

This role is responsible for providing a coordinated support function to the MEESA Regional Hub, Plan Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia offices, for transactional processes in procurement, finance and grants management, HR, IT, logistics & administration functions. The SSC consolidates the transactional activities within these functions to deliver them in a cost-effective manner, promoting operational efficiencies and service improvements. The key results area therefore is the coordination of the operations and functioning of the SSC ensuring achievement of agreed service levels and compliance with established policies

ACCOUNTABILITY AND MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES

Strategy & Management 35%

• Through the Regional Finance Manager and oversight guidance of the SSC Governance Board, be responsible for developing the overall strategy and action plan for the SSC in line with the overall strategic direction of MEESA RH, to achieve Plan International’s Purpose and Global Strategy; 
• Oversee the delivery of multi-disciplinary functions, policies and services and preparation of a variety of plans, strategies, reports and proposals, including change management and monitoring of execution;
• Conception and execution of the SSC approach within the Key Business Units (KBUs);
• Development and review of the SSC costings and cost allocation structure for services provided;
• Responsible for the budget of the SSC which includes preparation and monitoring;
• Development and implementation of new work methods and procedures of the SSC; recommends procedural changes to improve SSC efficiency and ensures appropriate implementation of decisions made by supervisory body;
• Oversees and ensures the smooth functioning of technological processes required to deliver the services and the definition and implementation of changes required to maintain fit for purpose;
• Plans and develops SSC communication strategy and capacity development;

• Develops procedures and guidelines for use by the SSC clients in order to ensure clarity, accuracy, consistency and accountability and to sustain and increase general awareness of SSC core activities;
• Supports system deployment activities to ensure smooth adoption by clients of the Centre;
• Oversees service delivery and the day-to-day operations of the SSC, ensuring that all standards are met and procedures are followed, while establishing priorities and schedules of main activities;
• Defines and ensures the implementation of Service Level Agreements; sets standards for quality and ensures that operational activities are implemented in accordance with recognized procedures and guidelines and meet the established standards;
• Ensures continuous improvement through research, system enhancement and process reviews;
• Approves requests and transactional activities as per the approved DOA.

     Compliance and Oversight (20%)

• Coordinate with relevant SSC Co-ordinators Heads of Departments to ensure systems and processes are in place and comply with Plan global policies, standards and procedures and legal requirements in the areas of responsibility
• Ensure appropriate controls, processes, procedures and systems are in place;
• Ensure audit actions are implemented and alternative actions taken as appropriate
• Oversee the review of agreements and contracts and ensure compliance with Plan policies, laws and regulations

People Management & Relationship 20%

• Plans and monitors SSC staffing, overseeing recruitment and any other administrative functions related to the smooth functioning of the SSC.
• Develop and lead a highly motivated and functioning team with a focus on operational discipline and enhancement of client experience.
• Initiates continuous review of Centre’s workload to address any headcount and skills gaps for efficiency;
• Establishes and maintains close working relationships with KBU leads, liaising on issues in the implementation of established policies and escalating to the SSC Governance Board through the Regional Finance Manager, any issue requiring policy related decisions;
• Establishes and cultivates strong relationships with clients and key stakeholders including external vendors.
• Support SSC staff to understand and comply with the organizational vision, mission, strategic direction and organization policies.
• Socialize and nurture Plan Values and Behaviours.
• Create an enabling working environment to foster excellent teamwork and high performing staff.
• Oversee the delivery of effective capacity building support
• Establish, communicate and monitor standards of performance and behaviours of the team through development of Individual Accountability Plans (IAP), and key performance indicators (KPI’s) that are agreed annually, and monitored and updated regularly. This also includes staff development, training and careers within SSC
• Support team members to gain the necessary skills through learning and development.

Risk Management 15%

• Reviews and monitors SSC related services to identify trends and problem areas, reporting on risks, key performance indicators and proposed corrective action or new approaches;
• Identifies possible risks through the establishment of quality control mechanisms such as client surveys, periodic data quality assurance reviews and error escalation procedures, then mitigate the risks promptly;
• Close monitoring of service level metrics to ensure that quality service targets are achieved so as to avoid any SLA violation risks;
• Periodic detailed process reviews for each functional area to address any potential risk.

Reporting 5%

• Prepares and conducts regular meetings;
• Oversees the preparation of weekly/monthly/annual and ad hoc reports.

Safeguarding Children and Young People (Safeguarding) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI)-5%

• Understands and puts into practice the responsibilities under Safeguarding and GEI policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), ensuring that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
• Leads the orientation of SSC staff to ensure that they are properly inducted on and understands their role in upholding Plan International’s safeguarding and GEI policies;
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in assignment design, during implementation and as principles applied in day-to-day work of SSC Strategy;
• Ensures that the SSC contributes to Plan International’s global efforts to ensure safeguarding and GEI, including making sure that relevant reporting and data are submitted. 

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualifications/ experience essential:

• A Master’s degree in Business Administration or any other relevant post-graduate training including professional qualification (e.g. CPA/ACCA/CIMA/IHRM/SCS, KISM, KIM) with more than 5 years’ work experience post-graduation/qualification.
  OR
• A degree in Business Administration and/or Management/ Commerce, Human Resources, Finance or other related field with at least ten (10) years of relevant experience in coordinating, leading and/or managing operations and/or administrative activities with at least 2 years’ experience in an established Shared Services environment.
• Proven experience in managing and motivating teams to high levels of performance
• Business acumen with at least two of the following core business disciplines i.e. Business Operations/Administration, Human Resource or Finance
• A general cross-functional understanding of Procurement, IT, Finance & Grant Management, HR, Logistics & Administration and Security
• Experience in or appreciation of business process improvement