Area Manager /Head of office (Deadline: Nov 7, 2022)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004, working in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in five regional states – Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Amhara – and the capital city of Addis Ababa. We engage in both development and humanitarian work, and seek to integrate approaches, programs and geographies as much as possible. Our partners include government, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies and communities.

Position Title: Area Manager /Head of office

                   Duty Station: Jijiga

                  Open Position:  1

GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:

Jigjiga Area manager is directly responsible for identifying program design, development and implementation, fostering internal and external coordination, providing overall leadership to  the operations team (security, logistics, procurement, administration, and human resources) functions and meaningful representation of Mercy Corps in the Somali region. S/he will oversee program implementation in compliance with Program management at Mercy Corps standards  and ensure that operations are implemented within Mercy Corp’s policies, regulations, procedures, guidelines and strategy; enable a productive and accountable relationship with all different stakeholders.

Works under the direction of the Country Director and responsible for all operational and program aspects of the field office, s/he support the strategic positioning of Mercy Corps and ensures all Mercy Corps work is planned and executed with quality, accountability and measurable impact..  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. Area manager is a Senior Country Leadership Team Member and head of the Jigjiga field office.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Strategy and Vision

·       Communicate a clear vision of present and future program goals and strategies to the Jigjiga Area team members and stakeholders, translating into concrete work plans,

·       Contribute to countrywide strategy development and prioritize and organize actions and resources to achieve objectives set through those processes.

Internal and External Coordination

·       Oversee the smooth flowing of Operational and programmatic work of the area office.

·       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.

·       In collaboration with the Country Director, and other senior leadership, engage in strong regional-level representation with donors, local government, and local NGOs and networks including MoU signing.

·       Create an environment of excellence, accountability and collaboration with the team(s) and office(s) you are responsible for and collaborate with

Program Management and Operational Leadership

·       Work with the Program leads to ensure that support is provided to the Programs teams as required and that activities are taken within MC policies and procedures

·       Work closely with support and program staff to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps, donors and local Government regulations

·       Supervise effective, efficient and timely implementation of all projects according to agreed contracts, budgets and donor requirements.

·       Monitor budgets in coordination with area program leads to ensure there is no overspending or underspending and flag any issues with SMT in a timely manner.

·       Provide regular area information on programme activities, policy matters and external relations, based on agreed formats and schedules.

·       Assist in implementation of MC’s M&E plans for the projects and ensure complaint handling mechanisms are in place in all projects and promote accountability concepts.

·       Oversee preparation of program portfolios by area teams for presentation at Area Monthly  meetings and Country Quarterly Meetings and contribute identifying opportunities for new projects in coordination with country program teams.

·       Coordinate all area program managers and coordinators and ensure all program leads have clear work plans in place and are following them.

·       Authorize appropriate use of the organization resources

Procurement & logistics

·       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.

Human Resource and GDI

·       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.

·       Be a thought partner in the recruitment of diverse team and promoting inclusive and safe work environment including supporting early career team members to fulfil their professional goals)

·       Lead by example to promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with team members, partners and program participants

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.

Safety and Security Management:

·       Assist the CD and country Security specialist 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 Specialist  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.

·       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.

·       Provide regular incident and security situation reports to country Director and Security Specialist as per determined determined communication schedule.

·       Represent Mercy Corps, as advised by supervisor, to local governments and authorities and at routine security meetings/briefings.

Organizational Learning 

·       As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

·       Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

·       Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

GEDSI (GENDER, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION)

• Understand and aware GDI related priorities of the country office and contribute for the

realization of priorities (continually work to understand and be aware of the gender diversity and inclusion priorities of the country office and contribute in the execution)

• Promote gender equal and inclusive workplace culture in a day-to-day interaction with a team member, partners and program participants.

Safeguarding & Ethics

·       Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

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)

·       Strong oral and written communication skills. Superior interpersonal and coaching skills including patience and ability to work well with staff at all levels.

·       Proven experience in Crisis/ Conflict Management.

·       Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Local Language

·       Good negotiation, representation skills and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse team.