Program Manager II - Operations Coordinator

Job Description

Dept/Location: EARO/ Juba, South Sudan

Reports To: Management Quality Coordinator

JOB BACKGROUND/SUMMARY

CRS has been operating in South Sudan continually since the 1980’s, although South Sudan just became a country program in July, 2011. Interventions include food security and agriculture, WASH and health, peace building and governance, education, and SILC. South Sudan remains a very challenging operating environment with weak, or in places non-existent, infrastructure, chronic insecurity and intense seasonality.

USAID FFP has funded a 3 year MYAP in Jonglei State to support the role of the South Sudan government and address the root cause of household food insecurity in the state. CRS as lead of the consortium (hoping to) implementing the IMPROVE project will undertake a range of infrastructure activities in soil and water conservation to support expanded production by pastoralists and agro-pastoralists and roads improvement to improve market access.

SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The Operations Coordinator is a host of each CRS Office – a leader that has main responsibilities to ensure an efficient, forward-looking, legal, and secure operating environment for local office operations consistent with CRS agency-wide policies and procedures and in line with the CRS East Africa Regional strategy. The most important aspect of this position in the South Sudan context will be to develop the capacity and empower Sudanese Nationals in the respective departments for which this position is responsible. This will be achieved through active recruitment, mentoring, staff development and performance management. Also, the position will be training a National Operations Manager to assume responsibilities. In close collaboration with the Management Quality Coordinator and Head of Programs, s/he will oversee all program support functions, and ensure functioning and implementation of overall management quality.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Procurement, Logistics, Fleet, Administration, and IT

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF POSITION

I. Project - Knowledge

1. Understands all projects documents, project activities, donor requirements and needs to enable appropriate planning for material, financial, and human resources.
2. Corresponds on management and administrative matters with stakeholders. Provides various status and progress reports and filings on behalf of local office.

II. Resource Management

1. Create and maintain liaisons with necessary local government labor ministries and CRS policy makers to assure local interests and CRS are maintained.
2. Coordinate in obtaining entry permit for visitors and TD staff, by ensuring that national staff are empowered to follow up.
3. Coordinate with legal counsel in obtaining work permit and resident permit for international staff working with CRS SS.
4. Approve all expenditures from administrative budget. Daily supervise all staff in Administration, Finance, Procurement, IT, Fleet and provide leadership and mentoring to them.
5. Leads the process of strategic planning for Resource Management – how, when and why to allocate other resources – staff development and training, assist MQC in implementation of MQAT action plan, monitoring of the plan, evaluation of the results.
6. Ensure that all direct reports receive proper supervision, including capacity building and adherence to the CRS performance management protocols.
7. Ensure that all construction as it pertains to CRS Juba and Field Offices as well as living compounds follows the agreed upon terms of the relevant contracts
8. In coordination with the MQC, HoP and CR, ensure that operations are responsive and adaptive and reflective of the changing context within in SS, including responsiveness to changing security needs and emergency response.

III. Financial Management

1. Review and provide feedback to MQC on office budgeting, supervise monthly budget report and assure sufficient cash flow. Maintain firm oversight of local office budget’s in coordination with MQC.
2. Together with Finance Manager, prepare annual budget plan, and cash forecast. Monitor budget-performance and provide analysis and recommendations to MQC.
3. Manage internal/external audits associated with operation department and follow-up on findings until closure.

IV. Property Management

1. Ensure processes are carried out as per CRS guidelines for inventory controls, contracting services, and maintenance management for all CRS properties and assets consisting of the following: facilities such as (housing, office, warehouse/stores, garages) and physical assets of vehicles, equipment, computers, and other inventories.
2. Maintain key relationships with suppliers, provide a physical inventory annually to include financial updates to CRS HQ, assure that properties are maintained and safe.
3. Ensure staff is provided with adequate facilities and equipment.
4. Ensure that all procurement documentation is in database.

V. Relationship Management

1. Liaise with other NGO-s and international/national community on issues of Operation Management.
2. Maintains good working relationship with local government authorities.
3. Creates and maintains good and quality communication, within immediate team, between Juba and field offices, and with EAR).
4. Occasionally, at MQC and/or CR’s direction, attends meetings and speaks on behalf of CRS’s country program issues.
5. This position will be replaced by a National Operations Manager; therefore the Operations Coordinator needs train and handover to a local staff.

VI. Information Technology

1. Ensure that all IT systems function optimally and match office needs.
2. Recruit and select an adequate IT staff for the necessary support for local office’s information technology, which includes the set-up of IT system, office network, phone system, and other ancillary services. Supervise and oversee the work of IT Specialist, assure that the Specialist maintains all IT documentation.

VII. Procurement

1. Oversee the entire procurement process to ensure compliance with CRS and donor policies including review of contracts, prepare and maintain documentation for leases and grants.
2. Serve as liaison with lawyers, in conjunction with CR and/or MQC, assuring quality legal and consulting services for CRS.
3. Assure systems and processes are in place for expendable goods such as office supply and fuel.

VIII. Fleet Management

1. Coordinate, monitor and control fleet, including the weekly schedules of CRS drivers.
2. Coordinate reporting of driver’s time, vehicle logs, gasoline expenses, purchases, etc.

IX. Performance Management

1. Coordinate the quarterly review and annual performance assessments and development plans of subordinate staff.

2. Ensure quality performance plans are developed, coaching session held and appraisals done.

3. Ensure that staff receive extensive mentoring and support both directly through day to day supervision and indirectly through development and training opportunities.

4. Clearly communicates the results to each of the staff. As key activities of Performance management function:

- In collaboration with staff members ensure that staff members have clear expectations, performance goals, and criteria.

- Organize assignments, tasks, and expectations in a way that fosters opportunities for learning and development; manage individual development by providing coaching, feedback, and reinforcement.

- Explicitly encourage others to achieve performance and developmental goals and provide them with encouragement, support, time, and resources.

- Deal firmly and promptly with performance problems; let staff members know what is expected of them along with clear timelines.

- Stay informed about staff member’s progress at meeting expectations and performance and development goals by holding regular coaching sessions and providing effective verbal and written feedback on performance and development, including the completion of annual competency assessments and performance appraisals.

- Maintain direct and key involvement in the Performance Management system, having responsibility for performance management of direct reports and overview accountability for indirect reports

X. Training and Capacity Building

1. One of the key areas of this position is to provide training and capacity building to national staff.

2. Identify a staff member within the existing team or hire externally who can then trained to take on the position of Operations Manager as part of the transition of the position from international to a national staff.

3. Through coaching and capacity building develop a team which can work around different areas of the operations department to have a position backup system to ensure the daily tasks are carried out effectively and efficiently.

EMERGENCY COMPETENCIES

These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each staff working in emergencies to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• · Communicates strategically under pressure
• · Manages stress and complexity
• · Actively promotes safety and security
• · Manages and implements high-quality emergency programs

PROGRAM MANAGER COMPETENCIES

These are rooted in the mission, values, and principles of CRS and used by each program manager to fulfill his or her responsibilities and to achieve the desired results.

• · Sets clear goals and manages toward them
• · Collaborates effectively with staff and stakeholders
• · Manages financial resources with integrity
• · Applies program quality standards to project design and organizational learning

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Supervisory: All local office staff (Procurement, Logistics, Fleet, Administration, and IT)

Internal: Deputy Country Representative, MQC, Head of Programming, Program Managers, HR Manager, Area Coordinators and Field Office Managers.

External: Vendors, UN, Government Ministries, CRS partners, contractors, and other service providers, and legal services.

QUALIFICATIONS

Personal Skills

1. Extremely detail oriented and organized

2. Strong written and verbal communication skills

3. Works well under pressure, handles demands of multiple people and prioritizes

4. Exercises good judgment in decision-making

5. Able to coordinate and lead teams

6. Strong analytical skills;

7. Excellent team leadership and coordination skills;

8. Commitment to working successfully within a team structure;

9. Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal and networking skills;

10. Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Internet);

Technical/Professional

1. Minimum 5 years of directly relevant professional experience that includes supervision of others;

2. Ability to provide training and facilitate meetings for diverse audiences;

3. Must have management experience preparation of budgets, forecasts, payable, receivable, and contracting experiences, knowledge of CRS operations, policies, procedures

4. Strong interpersonal relationship and communication skills, fluently speaking and writing in English language.

5. Understanding of IT networks (an area of responsibility) and a skill proficiency in Microsoft products and Internet.

6. Previous CRS, USAID, or NGO experience is highly desirable.

Education

1. Bachelors Degree (Graduate degree preferred) in a directly related field, such as Management, Business Administration, contracting, or Supply Chain Management.
2. Work experience in a directly related field will be considered in lieu of graduate degree 2 years for each year of degree

Personal Skills

1. Strategic thinker with strong leadership and decision making abilities
2. Demonstrated strengths in relationship management; able to work cooperatively with diverse groups of people at all levels in a multicultural, team environment
3. Strong problem solving skills; able to see problems in context of the organization and think thru consequences of solutions
4. Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision;
5. Able to prioritize work, multi-task and meet deadlines;
6. Organization and planning skills; detail oriented;
7. Mature, responsible, and professional; able to manage in an unstable environment with potential for unrest;
8. Exercises good judgment and sound decision making;
9. Diplomacy, tact and strong negotiation skills;
10. Adherence to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching

Mental / Physical Requirements

1. Fluency in English both oral and written skills
2. Must express thoughts and ideas by spoken and written word; listen effectively.
3. Must sit for prolonged periods of time; drive to various locations; work at a computer.
4. Ability and willingness to travel up to 30% of the time within S. Sudan with visits in-country to project sites; travel within or outside EARO and to HQ when requested.
5. The position is based full-time in Juba, South Sudan. This is a non-family post in location with limited amenities.

Foreign Language Required: English fluency; proficiency in Arabic an advantage.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skills, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position

NOTE: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.