Operations Director for Syria

Position Summary

The Operations Director (OD) is a member of the country management team – CMT (country management team) together with the Country Director (CD) and Programs Director (PD). The OD shares responsibility for the effective and efficient delivery of People in Need’s (PIN) country programme. Specifically, the role of the OD is to manage and improve the support systems and operations required to achieve this objective comprising of the Finance, Human Resources, Logistics and Procurement departments. In performing this role, the    OD also ensures an enabling environment for the implementation of the country programme, while maintaining operations and systems that meet with the accountability requirements of PIN and its donors.

The OD´s line manager is the Country Director (CD). Technically the OD is supervised by the Regional     Head of Systems and Operations (RHOSO) based at HQ.

At country programme level, the OD is the line manager of Logistics and  Procurement Manager, Finance Manager and HR Manager. The OD also works closely with Programs Director, Programme Managers (ProgMs), the Head of Offices other departments mainly Liaison, Security, Accountability, MEAL department and other.

At headquarters (HQ) level, apart from the RHoSO, her/his counterparts on the methodological level is the Finance Advisory Unit, Logistics&Procurement Unit, Accounting unit, HQ HR Department, HQ Safeguarding as well as the Legal and Compliance department.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• The OD assists the CD in the management of the country programme, participates in the senior management meetings, and pro-actively takes part in the  decision-making processes;
• Ensures that systems and operations support the implementation of the country programme strategy and that logistics, procurement and financial procedures and regulations are implemented in full transparency and in accordance with donor and PIN rules;
• In areas of expertise represents PIN towards local authorities, donors, partners, and other stakeholders;
• Is responsible for adequate staffing of all supervised departments in order to achieve efficient delivery of People in Need’s (PIN) country programme;
• Promotes team spirit, a culture of respect, personal responsibility, transparency, and openness;
• HoSO acts as the Deputy CD in CD’s absence.

• The OD ensures that PIN policies and guidelines related to HR, logistics & procurement and finance are known and respected;
• supervises the support departments and functions under his/her line management, and sets up effective internal coordination and communication;
• promotes participation and accountability towards local authorities, local partners, and donors;
• in cooperation with CD, prepares contingency plans, manages risks and coordinates risk mitigation measures.

Human Resources & Capacity Development

•  The OD is familiar with PIN HR procedures and ensures that all country programme staff follows them;
• manages the national HR team and ensures it has sufficient capacity both in number and qualification of HR personnel;
• makes sure that relevant country programme HR procedures are in place and respected, and updates them on regular basis;
• supervises the process of internal and external recruitment of national staff;
• establishes system of in-country induction for both international and national staff;
• conducts induction training to new staff in operational procedures, as well as “DOs and DON’Ts” of the country programme;
• ensures that regular staff evaluation is in place and that bonuses and capacity development tools are being used according to HR guidelines;
• ensures that the contract termination procedures are followed properly;
• in coordination with FM, ensure that all HR administration systems for country programme are operating properly, in particular overseeing the proper implementation of administrative issues related to HR;
• together with the country programme senior management (CD, PD etc.) and national HR personnel, cooperate with HQ HR department on HR audits, setting and improving of HR procedures, and supporting their implementation;
• together with the national HR personnel, inform HQ HR about current HR related needs and requests from country programmes, at minimum within Quarterly report;
• takes part in the investigation procedures related to the reporting of breach of PIN Code of Conduct or other disciplinary issues;
• Ensures HR systems (HRIS, ELO, Navision) are properly set-up, administrated and used.

• The OD makes sure that relevant country programme financial and administrative procedures are in place and respected;
• oversees the operations of the financial team in all sectors, including budgeting, reporting, and accounting of the country programme;
• ensures communication between Finance and other departments with special focus on budget management;
• ensures financial and administrative systems (ELO, Navision) are properly administrated and used by the whole country programme;
• ensures the timely completion of CP documents needed for the yearly closure procedure;
• gives guidance and support to FM/Logs Manager for finance and procurement related communication with donors.

• The OD oversees operations of the Logistics&procurement department in all sectors (office and compound/guesthouse management, fleet, transport, communication, IT);
• oversees assets and stock management systems;
• oversees procurement system following all relevant donor and PIN guidelines and procedures, and considering relevant risks;
• makes sure relevant country programme procurement guidelines are in place and are respected;
• supervises and advises the country programme Procurement Officer and makes sure country programme procurement plan is developed and regularly maintained;
• ensures that current procurement documents are up to date;
• on a regular basis, audits the procurement process in order to highlight flaws and pressures associated with operating in the country programme context;
• implements or strengthens systems of oversight and prevention of corruption;
• oversees logistics budgets, improves needs planning, and contributes to planning needs for new projects with regards to logistics;
• ensures effective and efficient operational spending and provides commentary on the operational setup to other members of country programme senior management;
• establishes and supervises tools for cost effective office and operational management in cooperation with Finance department;
• supervises and organizes yearly inventories;
• supervises programme staff for the regular update of stock table (for donation to beneficiaries) and ensures that donation contracts are systematically prepared for any final donation;

• In general, the OD ensures that all obligations towards local authorities (annual audit, annual reports, fiscal financial reports, tax reports etc.) are respected and met in a timely manner;
• ensures that all taxes are paid in line with national regulatory framework;
• ensures that tax exemption (when possible) will be applied by NGO;
• In coordination with the CD and other relevant colleagues, ensures that all agenda related to permits, licences, and registrations are dealt with as and when required.

• Supervising the transparency of the due diligence and partner selection process, PATs, capacity development plans of partners in the areas of finance, logistics and procurement;
• Ensure that administrative and financial processes and procedures related to partnerships and sub grants are standardized and consistently implemented throughout the program;
• Ensuring partners compliance with the donor and PIN guidelines, assisting with developing necessary operational manuals and SOPs for partners.

• ensures the current contract templates used in the supervised departments on the country programme are up to date and properly used;
• conducts regular checks on proper archiving of accounting, procurement and logistics documents and sets up archiving rules if needed;
• coordinates external audits carried out at country programme level and assists with the HQ-level audits;
• is familiar with donors’ conditions and requirements and makes sure they are respected;
• acts as a communication channel between donors in case of any requests related to the finance, compliance and procurement agenda.

Main requirements:

• Significant previous experience with managing finance, logistics and procurement and HR;
• Experience with team management and supervision, and interest in building capacity of local staff;
• Experience of working in a humanitarian and/or development organization, including in developing and delivering processes/procedures and policies compliant with main international donors (previous experience with ECHO and UN is an asset);
• Excellent communication skills, fluent spoken and written English;
• IT literacy, advanced knowledge of MS Excel;
• Strong coordination, critical analysis and problem-solving skills;
• Responsible and systematic, and ability to organize and plan effectively;
• Ownership, independence, proactive approach, flexibility;
• Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure.
• Arabic language is an advantage

We offer:

• Working environment in a well-established humanitarian organization in a challenging context;
• Salary & Benefits: Salary based on PIN’s salary scale and HR policies; expected salary range between 3000 – 3200 EUR super gross (based on experience).
• Additional allowances include:

• • Monthly Subsistence Allowance of 1440 EUR;
  • Housing Allowance/Accommodation in PIN guesthouse;
  • Hardship of 400 EUR. 

• Time off and Rest:

• • 25 days of holiday annually;
  • 10 sick days

• Travel benefits:

• • Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once every 6 months of work;
  • Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with the visa application procedure;

• • Reimbursement for the medical check-up before and after the deployment;
  • Travel health insurance covering medical care, incl. the repatriation;

• Health and Well-being:

• • 24/7 Medical Support available online;
  • Free psychological consultations available online;

• Professional Development: Free access to e-learning platforms and PIN Learning Hub; PIN’s global Induction Training, and tailored capacity-building opportunities.

How to apply:

If you are interested in this position, send us your CV and short cover letter via our application form.
Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

People in Need is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct and committed to promoting the welfare of children and adults with whom People in Need involves. People in Need expects all staff to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need code of conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp). People in Need Staff will undertake the appropriate level of training.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.