Senior Operations Manager

Location: Amman, Jordan Regional Office

Position Status: Full-time, Regular

Salary Level: (Refer to the Country Salary Guidelines)

Current Team Member: N/A

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have a long term impact.

The Program / Department / Team

Since 2012, the Mercy Corps Syria programme has provided emergency, life-saving programming to displaced and besieged populations across the country through three operational hubs. Mercy Corps continues to position itself as the implementing partner of choice for Emergency relief programming, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, Shelter and Livelihood programming. Furthermore, Mercy Corps operates with a wide network of local implementing partners to advise, support, and coach targeted Syrian civil society organisations to better and more efficiently serve conflict-affected communities.

The Operations department is committed to implementing and maintaining the highest standards of efficiency and integrity in the logistics, administration and procurement of goods and services across the Syria country programme and across three operational hubs, all while maintaining compliance with Mercy Corps’ and donor policies, procedures, regulations and specifications.

The Position

The Senior Operations Manager is the head of department for Operations, Procurement and Admin/IT units and a key member of the Senior Management Team. S/he ensures the necessary Ops unit resources are planned and utilised towards effective programme support. The Senior Operations Manager plays a key role in the overall leadership of the country programme under the guidance of the Country Director. The Senior Operations Manager is expected to contribute to procurement, operations, and overall coordination efforts in order to enable excellence in all operations functions across hubs.

The Senior Operations Manager shall oversee, both directly and indirectly, the procurement portfolio for the full Syria programme across multiple hubs and in different capacities. Working with in-country resources and with technical assistance from the Global Procurement and Logistics units, s/he shall be a key actor in ensuring that the Syria country programme is at the forefront of the Syria response as a data-driven, forward-thinking and innovative operational hub, with an eye towards creating plurality and innovation in the contracting of suppliers and service providers. The position also serves as the Head of Procurement for the Mercy Corps Syria country programme.

The Senior Operations Manager will also be hands-on with all operational hubs across the response and will feed directly into Mercy Corps’ best practices in procurement, logistics, facilities and office management functions, while seeking synergies across operational hubs and ensuring compliance in adherence to Mercy Corps global policies and protocols.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGIC VISION & LEADERSHIP

• Set direction by prioritising and organising actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy and annual plan development.
• Contribute to the country's strategic planning process, budget and provide regular updates.
• Review operational and logistics functions to ensure agility in order to undertake a transition towards more sustainable interventions and refine existing systems to remain responsive to context changes.
• Develop and organise activities of the Operations Department to provide timely and effective support to programmes to ensure objectives are met.
• Recognise opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are fostered and welcomed.

PROCUREMENT OVERSIGHT

• Act as Head of Procurement in the country programme.
• Understand MC procurement policies and formats and coordinate MC procurement activities according to the Field Procurement Policies and Procedures, SOPs and donor rules & regulations.
• Provide training to staff on these policies, while also developing new protocol under Modified Procurement Procedures, where necessary;
• Ensure active participation and measurable outputs by Programme and Operational staff as part of quarterly procurement planning exercises and meetings;
• Ensure that the procurement filing system is in place and in accordance with the Procurement filing procedures in both the Mercy Corps Field Procurement Policies and Procedures as well as best-practices in the MC Syria programme context;
• Coordinate with the Finance Department to ensure that payments to vendors are made on-time and without any unnecessary strain on the financial systems of MC;
• Develop capacity development strategies for all procurement staff, both under direct and indirect supervision, planning towards the strengths of individuals while simultaneously looking to further develop skill sets with an eye towards career growth.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ procurement activities are legal and ethical.
• Enforce proper use of procurement ceilings and approval procedures.

OPERATIONS OVERSIGHT

• Collaborate and support Hub operations leads to ensure timely, accurate processing and documentation of procurements and use of Mercy Corps’ Field Policies and Procedures for Procurement, Inventory, Assets and Fleet Management practices;
• Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of each field office;
• Ensure strong communication and collaboration lines are maintained with Hub Leads and Syria Country Office management;
• Deploy and maintain management information system tools that effectively capture performance data from all hubs and field offices. Work with hub Operations teams to proactively identify, analyse and respond to trends, either through reinforcement or corrective action;
• Ensure that compliance monitoring processes are developed and effectively implemented;
• Liaise with finance to ensure compliance and payment schedules; maintain service contracts across hubs; and
• Ensure proactive involvement of key processes with the financial department actors, including budget versus actual report input and necessary information for operational budget accuracy.

ANALYTICS DEVELOPMENT

• Build, develop and maintain data models, reporting systems, data automation systems, dashboards and performance metrics that support key operational decisions;
• Support the design and building of technical processes to address operational issues and risk areas within the Syrian response context;
• Collaborate with hub Operations leads to ensure accuracy of data and deliverables of Procurement, Logistics and Administrative staff with policies and processes; and
• With the Global GSCO resources, ensure quality controls and departmental standards to ensure quality standards, organisational expectations, and donor and institutional requirements.

FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT

• Review hub and programme department inputs to the quarterly master budget before final submission to finance.
• Ensure new budgets correspond with approved operational team structures and human resource plans.
• Recognise the high level of donor scrutiny imposed on Syrian programming and ensure continuing effective, transparent and responsive compliance mechanisms are in place, particularly with regard to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, OFAC and BIS restrictions, and due diligence relating to money transfer agents that operate in Syria.
• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.
• Participate as an active and voting member on the Mercy Corps Syria Risk Management Committee and contributor to Country Risk Matrix.

TEAM MANAGEMENT

• Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles, and assist with career development.
• Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
• Work with all Mercy Corps staff to ensure smooth introduction and adoption of operational systems.

REPRESENTATION

• Interface with relevant government authorities responsible for International NGO’s and other INGOs;
• Supporting hub Operations Leads in maintaining productive relationships with all stakeholders, vendors, suppliers, etc.
• Ensure visibility of the Senior Management Team through regular visits to hubs and by providing regular visit reports and action items for operations and programme teams.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardise its humanitarian mission; and

• Other duties as assigned.

Direct Supervisory Responsibility

• Operations Manager - NES
• Senior Admin and Operations Coordinator - MSS
• Procurement Coordinator – NWS/MSS
• Field Area Coordinator - NWS

IT Coordinator - MSS

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Country Director

Works Directly With: MSS/NWS Procurement Teams, NES Procurement Teams, Hub Level Operations Leads, PAQ Department, Finance Department.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Degree in relevant business field is desirable;
• A minimum of 5-6 years’ field experience setting up and managing administration, procurement and logistics with humanitarian NGOs with supervisory responsibilities;
• Demonstrated understanding of supporting complex programming in challenging environments;
• Demonstrated experience with data management, mining, workflow and analytical tools;
• Working knowledge of data mining principles: predictive analytics, mapping, collecting data from multiple data systems on premises;
• Experience in ERP or Procurement Management System is desired.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines and problem-solving independently and cooperatively;
• Strong organisational skills; ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel.
• Excellent oral and written English skills; Fluency in Arabic is required.         
• A demonstrated ability to multi-task and process information into action as to not delay program activities.

Success Factors

The successful Senior Operations Manager, will be good at problem-solving and have the ability to work out methods to deliver successful programs while demonstrating excellent stewardship of donor funds and compliance with Mercy Corps and donor regulations. The individual will maintain strong cooperative relationships with other departments and interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial as well as training capacity while demonstrating the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. The individual will be able to work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment and be willing to travel regularly to other offices. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

This is an accompanied position based in Amman, Jordan with an estimated 40% travel required to more austere locations in North East Syria and other Mercy Corps offices. 

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organisations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organisation with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognise that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, programme participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding the 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 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.