About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions
into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
General Position Summary.
The Area Manager/HoO is a member of the senior management team and head of the field office. As such, the Area Manager/HoO is responsible for all operational aspects of field office and provide support for the program, working collaboratively to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations.
S/he works under the direction of the Country Director and is responsible for all operational aspects of the field office, including Finance, PALM, and HR. The Area Manager/HoO, in support of programs and other units, provides timely reports and assistance to the Country Director and team to ensure that all the resources are used efficiently and effectively.
DESCRIPTIVE JOB FUNCTIONS:
Overall Coordination
· Oversee the smooth flowing of Operational and programmatic work of the area office.
· Work closely with support and program staff to ensure compliance with Mercy corps ,donors and local Government regulations
· Build and maintain operational structures that ensure proper segregation of duties between finance, administration and logistics and fully support field programs.
· Build and maintain an environment of collaboration among program, finance, operations and human resource team members resulting in optimal support for program activities.
· Coordinate monthly Management Team meetings including project and operations team managers, and other regular meetings as appropriate, at the office level to ensure timely flow of information between teams and departments and follow up on all decisions made to ensure timely execution of decisions;
· Access knowledge available within Mercy Corps globally and regionally and disseminate that knowledge as appropriate throughout the office to ensure best practice and adoption of lessons learned;
· Provide timely updates to supervisor on progress and issues,
· Identify risks and propose solutions for action and early resolution
· Analyze and provide updates on the political, social and economic trends in the area
· Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexity in a stable and calm fashion;
· Create an environment of excellence, accountability and collaboration with the team(s) and office(s) you are responsible for and collaborate with
Support to Program Teams
· Work with the Program Coordinator to ensure that support is provided to the Programs teams as required and that activities are taken within MC policies and procedures
· Authorize appropriate use of the organization resources
· Provides support to Program Teams in regional representation (i.e., meetings, MoU signing)
PALM
· Oversee that the assets are managed incompliance with the MC asset Management policy and initiate investigation to be conducted for any missing assets or items unaccounted for;
· Provide direct line management to support to staff under direct supervision
HR
· Assist Human Resources Manager, as required, in the performance evaluation of support staff and organization of trainings for staff to ensure that they are properly trained to provide the required support for MC meets its objectives.
· Assist HR, as required, in identification of personnel needs of national staff, and advice and participate in recruitment, selection, service contracts and remuneration of national personnel.
· Recommend HR actions in accordance with Mercy Corps Ethiopia Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual and the Ethiopian Labor Law
Finance
· Ensure all regular financial and narrative reports are sent to appropriate Mercy Corps managers on time and in appropriate standard;
· Coordinate overall field office budget; manage budget within approved spending levels and establish monthly cash flow plan to ensure a steady and adequate supply of funds for program activities.
· Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
· Ensure compliance with donor ,Mercy Corps and Local Government regulations
Safety and Security Management:
· Assist the CD and Security focal person in developing appropriate security systems and procedures; and advise all staff to adhere to these procedures.
· Facilitate Security Management Team (SMT) meetings and ensure information is disseminated to all staff, with the Country Director and the Security Manager being kept informed.
· Serve as a security focal person for Mercy corps and brief staffs including security guards and drivers, and guests on any immediate security threats and provide training as necessary and provide security briefing to all new staff (advising on current security phase of the area).
· Assist Country Director and Security Manager, as required, in developing strategies to continue work in times of heightened security.
· Ensure that all necessary measures are taken to provide MC employees with a staff working environment as detailed in existing guidelines, including responsibility of fire regulations and building evacuation procedures.
· Facilitate any incident reporting requirements as required.
· In coordination with the Country Director and Security Manager, will maintain the security bulletin board in the office and share information.
· Represent Mercy Corps, as advised by supervisor, to local governments and authorities and at routine security meetings/briefings ;
· Monitor and assess security and risk issues and trends in the cluster and inform program planning appropriately;
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
· Excellent communicator in English with demonstrated excellent report writing and speaking skills, proficiency in Amharic and the local language(s) greatly advantageous
· Demonstrated critical thinking, problem solving and relationship management skills
· Five years of experience as Operations Manager
· Proven experience developing effective and diverse teams in dynamic contexts
· Strong organizational and managerial skills
· Experience working in the relevant geographic areas and regions, with strong contextual knowledge of relevant cultures and clans. Working along border regions a plus
· BA/BSc in relevant field
· Experience effectively initiating and maintaining productive relationships with private, public, civil-society and research sector partners.
· Excellent computer skills, including all Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Outlook & PowerPoint)