Lebanon: Deputy Director - Operations (Lebanon)

Job Description

Reporting to the Country Director (CD) and serving as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the Deputy Country Directorfor Operations (DDO) provides leadership, direction and coordination of support functions - including Supply Chain, Field Management, Safety and Security, Administration and Information Technology - ensuring they are fit for purpose and responsive to program needs. The DDO is responsible for the implementation of sound management practices to reduce risk and ensure compliance with donor and IRC policies in all IRC locations in Lebanon. The DDO is expected to contribute to high levels of teamwork and inter-departmental and cross-sectoral collaboration. Under the DDO’s leadership, operations teams are supportive of program activities, results-driven and guided by data analysis, problem identification and problem solving.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Ethics and Integrity:

• Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Way (standards of professional conduct) and other organizational policies;
• Demonstrate through word and action a high standard of compliance with all regulations incumbent upon IRC staff.
• As part of SMT, ensure timely and appropriate follow-up to allegations or violations of organizational policies including the IRC Way, supply chain procedures and other best practice guidelines.

Management and Strategy

• Actively contribute to and participate in management and leadership platforms such as the senior management team and the country leadership team;
• Champion the Lebanon Strategy Action Plan. Contribute to strategic planning and direction setting for IRC in Lebanon. Ensure meaningful participation of operations teams in strategy implementation;
• Work closely with the Country Director and other members of the SMT to ensure that a strong partnership is developed and maintained between Operations, Programs, Finance and HR teams at both central and field levels.
• Lead the continuous improvement of operations policies, procedures, systems and practices.

Safety and Security

• By delegation of the CD, lead the Safety and Security function for IRC in Lebanon;
• Supervise the Safety and Security Senior Manager;

• Oversee the work of the safety and security team, ensuring:

• Sound policies and standard operating procedures are in place and consistently communicated;

• Ongoing contextual and risk analysis informs safety and security decisions;

• Widespread and cross-departmental understanding and ownership of safety and security requirements.

• Assure that operations teams – including logistics (fleet), supply chain, IT and field offices - adhere to all safety and security guidance;

• Champion, model and maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program, including trainings and briefings that prepare all country program staff for security incident prevention and response;

• Lead cross-departmental risk identification and mitigation actions that align with organizational and regional risk-management initiatives.

Operational Management and Compliance

· Drive development and utilization of effective compliance monitoring processes;

· Conduct analysis of operations structure and staffing needs in coordination with other members of the SMT.

Field Management & Control

• Supervise Field Coordinators, Senior Field Managers;
• Guide teams to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in field office operations;
• Model strong communication and collaboration lines between Field Management teams and programs staff;
• Participate in the development and/or review of proposals to ensure that operational concerns, requirements and resource needs are reflected.

Supply Chain, Procurement & Logistics

• Supervise the Supply Chain Coordinator;
• Ensure that the Supply Chain team provide efficient support to the programs and does so in accordance with IRC and donors policies and procedures;
• Verify that Supply Chain policies and procedures are documented, disseminated and consistently applied across the country program.

Administration Management

• Supervise the Administration Manager and provide indirect oversight and support to the administrative team in the country office in Beirut;
• Ensure that the administrative team provides efficient support to the country office and Mt Lebanon/Regional sub-office in Beirut;
• Provide guidance on the development of the administration services and the continuous shaping of the department.

Financial Planning and Cost Control:

• Oversee the development of an annual budget for operations costs per site to be included in the operating budget;
• Review the operating budget and strategy plan as part of the annual fiscal year process prior to submission and periodically throughout the year;
• Provide input to the Country Director on potential areas of concern related to: operations spending; effectiveness of in-country reporting and planning systems; and Field Management oversight of expenditures and adherence to financial verification requirements.

Information Technology

• Supervise the Senior Information Technology Manager;
• Verify that information technology policies and procedures are documented, disseminated and consistently applied across the country program;
• Assure that the IT team provides efficient support to all IRC offices and facilities in Lebanon.

Staff Performance Management and Development

• Coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance;
• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews;
• Offer leadership support for successful adherence by staff to IRC’s global operating policies and procedures.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Position Reports to: Country Director

Position directly supervises: Supply Chain Coordinator, Field Coordinator (Akkar), Field Coordinator (Bekaa), Senior Field Manager (Tripoli/T5), Safety & Security Senior Manager, IT Senior Manager and Administration Manager.

Internal key relationships: Deputy Director for Programs, Finance Controller, Grants Coordinator, Human Resources Director, Regional Supply Chain Director, and Regional Safety & Security Coordinator, Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director, and HQ Support Departments

External: NGO forum, UN agencies, Government bodies, community stakeholders

Qualifications

The successful DDO will possess senior level experience in managing or coordinating humanitarian operations in areas affected by conflict, instability and insecurity. S/he will also possess experience negotiating in difficult regulatory environments. S/he will have an outstanding ability to multi-task, prioritize, solve problems, and pay simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams and must possess strong leadership and mentoring skills.

Knowledge:

• Masters degree required (management-related or general operations preferred)
• First-hand knowledge of the Lebanese context and an in-depth understanding of national and regional issues.

Experience:

• 6 to 8 years progressive management experience in an operational or field management role with at least 3 years of senior-level management responsibilities of similar size and complexity;
• Previous substantial experience in at least three of the following fields: Project Management, Finance, Supply Chain, Logistics, Procurement, Administration, Security, IT, Risk Management, Communication, Fleet Management;
• Previous experience in managing large and widely distributed teams;
• Strong background in security, risk management and contingency planning;
• Work experience in unstable security environments strongly preferred.

Skills

• English and Arabic fluency required;
• Demonstrated ability to manage field staff and remote field offices;
• Excellent cross-cultural communication skills;
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills;
• Strong staff capacity building and training skills;
• Strong computer skills;
• Flexibility, ability to work both collegially and independently;
• Demonstrated ability to consistently deliver high quality work on deadline.

Travel: 25 - 50% of time spent in the field and 50% spent in Beirut

Returning National Candidates:** We strongly encourage Lebanese national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of Lebanon and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the IRC can offer an attractive remuneration package, including competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation. Please submit your application through https://rescue.csod.com/ats/careersite/jobdetails.aspx?site=1&c=rescue&id=1379 before April 20, 2018 Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.