Plan International recrute 01 Head Of Operations

Head Of Operations

Location: Cotonou, LI, BJ

Company: Plan International

Plan International is an independent organization working to promote the rights of the child, committed to supporting vulnerable and marginalized children and their communities to overcome poverty. By actively connecting people engaged with strong ideas, we work together in order to induce positive, deep and lasting changes in the life of children and youth. For 80 years, we support girls and boys and their communities around the world, in the acquisition of skills, knowledge and confidence they need to assert their rights, freedom from poverty and live a fulfilling and positive life.

Plan International is a global organization that works side by side with communities in 52 developing countries to end the cycle of poverty for children and their families. Plan works at the community level to develop customized solutions and ensure long-term sustainability. Our solutions are designed up-front to be owned by communities and range from clean water and healthcare programs to education projects, economic empowerment, child protection initiatives and youth civic engagement. Across program areas, Plan’s activities are guided by a Child-Centered Community Development (CCCD) approach, which is rights-based, holistic, gender-sensitive, and inclusive.

The protection and promotion of the child rights constitutes PLAN’s priority.

Plan is an Equal Opportunity Employer and as such qualified handicapped or female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

The current terms of references seeks to fill out this vacant position which part of the Country office organizational structure,

The post holder will be expected to have the combined experience in operation management and aware on programme issues / challenges to make up a coherent whole to address the results required of this position and contributes to the results of the Country leadership Team as a whole.

The Head of Operations is a member of the Core Country Leadership Team (CLT) along with other country managers and is expected to contribute to Plan’s understanding and strategic direction in the country;

The Head of Operations line supervises three support managers in the areas of Finance, Administration Logistics & Security, and ICT. Finance and security function heads have secondary reporting line to Regional Managers of these functions.

The Head of Operation sreports regularly to the CD on the management of all legal risks associated with programme delivery including budget, people management, legal compliance and security.

The Head of Operations provides technical oversight and support to Programme implementation and influencing Areas (PIIA) in managing risks and remaining compliant in the delivery of cost-effective programmes.

The Head of Operations oversees the preparation, consolidation and analysis of collated country and PIIAs budgets for submission to the regional office.

The Head of Operations oversees the management of an annual operation support budget of near 18 million Euros.

Upon delegation of the Country Director, the Head of Operations may approve all commitments, contracts, grants, leases, disbursements and transfers to third parties up to €200,000.

Typical Responsibilities – Key End Results of Position :

Team development and people management

Staffing: Oversees the hiring, development and retention of qualified people in all positions of the operation support unit and other units as required to support the delivery of effective, efficient and high quality programmes;

Team building and maintenance: establish, agree, communicate and monitor standard of performance and behaviours for the operations support unit. Team ToR, objectives, and key performance indicators (KPI’s) are agreed annually, and monitored and updated quarterly

Individual development and performance management: manage and develop the performance of the operations support teams across the country to ensure delivery of quality support and services. This includes agree, monitor and evaluate individual accountability and personal development plans as per Plan’s performance management policy and process.

Strategic planning, reporting and support to programmes delivery

Strategic planning: contribute to the strategic development and management of the country Support to programmes: Oversee the planning and delivery of all general services and logistical requirements of program work in line with established procedures e.g.: procurements, storage, transportation and distribution;

Budgeting: oversees the coordination of the preparation, consolidation, analysis and submission of country and PIIAs budgets to the regional office (RO) as per field budget instructions and guidelines;

Reporting: coordinate the reporting process, in particular quarterly and annual reports, to the RO including timely submission of all required reports and implementation of follow-up actions and recommendations.

Compliance and management of country operation related policies

Policies and procedures: coordinates with relevant heads of Department/Section so that systems and processes are in place to comply with Plan global policies, standards and procedures and legal requirements in the areas of finance, administration & logistics, ICT and security

Security: oversee security planning and management in the country and ensure that all Plan offices (CO and PIIAs) have developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) and contingency plans consistent with global security policy and procedures.

Health and Safety: oversees the development and implementation of health and safety standards in compliance with the host country laws and Plan’s global health and safety policy;

Loss and Incident reporting: report timely and consistently all losses and incidents, including updates, to the International Headquarters (IH) and the RO;

Legal and regulatory: oversees the review of agreements and contracts and ensure compliance with the host country laws and regulation, ensure the interface with the legal advisors, timely report all potential legal cases to legal advisors and to the RO and to IH as relevant;

Procedures, systems, process and applications support

Applications and systems support: oversees the in-country rollout of corporate systems and applications including finance systems, HR Information System (HRIS) and other corporate applications;

Global and regional policies and procedures: oversee the rollout, including staff training, of global policies and procedures in the country;

In-country policies and procedures: oversees the development and implementation of up-to-date financial and administrative systems, policies, procedures and guidelines to support in-country operations and ensure compliance of Plan’s global standards and donor requirements.

Other responsibilities

Liaison with stakeholders: liaise with and communicates with government bodies, donors, United Nations and local and international agencies stakeholders – as required and directed by the Country Director.

 Knowledge :

Master’s degree, or equivalent preferably in any of the following areas: public policy, urban/regional planning, public or business administration, social/political science, development studies, economics, agro economy and finance management etc.;

Knowledge and understanding at strategic level of the international development context;

Proven ability of operation support; familiarity with key multi and bilateral donors procedures and rules;

Strong business administration and finance management capabilities with a focus on results and an entrepreneurial flair, at least twelve (12) years of relevant experience is desirable;

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

Strong networking and positioning skills at multiple levels;

Ability to coach, lead, stimulate, and inspire professionals in a development context;

Culturally aware, tactful and open minded;

Experience living and working in West Africa

Demonstrable knowledge as a result of education, training or practical experience on the key debates in development, particularly around child rights;

Practical knowledge of operations support for development and emergency response

General knowledge of financial, administrative, ICT, security, and business management matters;

Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), e-mail and the internet;

Strong knowledge of the requirements of donors’ compliance and grants management;

Fluency in English and strong working knowledge of French spoken and written;

Knowledge of the host country the geopolitical factors affecting child-poverty in the country as well as the political, social and economic opportunities for development are an advantage.

Other responsibilities

Liaison with stakeholders: liaise with and communicates with government bodies, donors, United Nations and local and international agencies stakeholders – as required and directed by the Country Director.

Dealing with Problems :

Complexity of problems handled & the degree of investigation, analysis, & creative thinking required to solve them

Ability to quickly understand and assimilate the complexity of Plan’s business model, systems and procedures, organisational structures and decision-making processes;

Capable to work in a matrix management setup and to work collaboratively with functional leads in the RO i.e. finance, IT and security;

Good understanding of HR, financial and admin systems and standards and be able to propose appropriate solutions to achieve efficiency and effectiveness;

Good understanding of Security/emergency management to ensure staff safety, minimize risks and maintain business continuity;

Ability to provide support to PIIAs and the country office staff to address internal child protection issues and other incidents;

Ability to identify critical and systemic risks and take timely and appropriate actions.