Director of Programme Operations, DRC

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Director of Programme Operations to join our DRC Country Office.

Team and Role Purpose

As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director of Operations shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office. The Director of Operations in his/her capacity is responsible for implementation of all programming in country, including providing senior leadership and oversight of all field offices, emergency preparedness and response (including DRR), and logistics for the Country Office in DRC. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

• Job Title: Director of Program Operations
• Reports To: Country Director
• Work Pattern: On-site
• Location: Bunia/Kinshasa
• Required Time Zone: UTC+2 (Bunia) or UTC+1
• Contract Length: Director Fixed Term Contract (2 years)
• Right to Work: The successful candidate must have the right to work in the country where the role is based, for the duration of employment.
• Language Requirements: French and English
• People Management: Head of Supply Chain, Humanitarian Director, Field Managers, Program Directors, Head of Award & Partnership.
• Remit: National

Principal Accountabilities

As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:

• Leadership of the DRC Country Office
• Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our Members and donors
• Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
• Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: host government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, and local and international NGOs
• Ensure that the required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office

Oversight and Management of Program Implementation

• Ensure that all budget holders are kept accountable for their respective projects on PRIME management.
• Responsible for overall coordination of program implementation and delegated responsibility for field delivery of high-quality programming in line with the objectives of the country strategy
• Participate in program proposal process and ensure that all programs progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed within time and on approved budget.
• Participate in conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high-quality programs to serve difficult to reach children
• Have oversight and be accountable for all program and operations budgets; support budget holders to manage and be accountable for all individual projects and grants
• Ensure programs are implemented in ways responsive to the communities, and children in line with Save the Children principles, values and strategic plan and following Save the Children compliance procedures. This includes working with government and national NGO-partners to strengthen national capacity
• Ensure preparation of timely and high quality progress reports, program reports, and donor reports
• Supervise the Country Logistics Manager, Humanitarian Manager, IT Manager and the Field Managers to ensure timely reporting and efficient budget management for the grants under their responsibility,

Logistics, Inventory and Procurement

Under the close oversight of the Head of Supply Chain;

• Ensure that the CO logistics capacity and systems meet the SCI standards and are able to satisfy the programming requirements
• Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency logistics procedures are detailed in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
• Manage the CO Logistics department ensuring that all CO logistics activities (fleet, assets, transport, supply chain, base setup etc) are coordinated
• Ensure goods and services procured are cost effective and of standard quality
• Ensure procurement processes are effectively implemented
• Ensure proper record keeping, maintenance and control of inventory
• Ensure proper documentation and recording of fixed assets of the organisation
• Ensure that the fixed assets are managed

Emergency Response Management

Under the leadership of the humanitarian Director support to:

• Ensure that all the humanitarian projects are aligned with PRIME requirements as well as proper budget/staffing management.
• Strengthen the DRC CO organisational readiness to respond to emergencies in line with global SCI emergency goal and benchmarks
• Ensure that the CO designs, updates and implements a full set of emergency preparedness actions, drawing on SC member input and resources
• Mount appropriate and timely responses at scale to all emergencies consistent with established benchmarks, plans and organizational policies, and in close cooperation with incoming surge teams
• Ensure that all CO staff across departments and sub offices are familiar with, adhere to and implement the procedures and processes detailed in the Rules and Principles for emergency response
• Maintain consistent and coherent engagement in key inter-agency emergency preparedness and response coordination mechanisms including the Cluster system

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Program Implementation

• Ensure appropriate staffing within Program Implementation, including sub office staff
• Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
• Manage Program Implementation team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
• Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process.
• Manage the performance of all staff in the Program Implementation work area through: Child Safeguarding: Safety & Security Risks management, Internal Control & Compliance Experience and Skills Essential Education and Qualifications Essential Master’s degree in development or other social sciences or equivalent experience Working at Save the Children International Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first. We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply. Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this. Application Information Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.
  Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline. Our Recruitment Process We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities. Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.
  • Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
  • Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
  • Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
  • Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ workplans
  • Oversees mainstreaming of CSP assessment, activities and cost lines in Contingency Plans and the CO Humanitarian Strategy.
  • Ensure the COSFA are implemented across the country office’s projects.
  • Ensures a CSFP (Child Safeguarding Focal Point) locally identified is part of the Emergency Health Units and similar task forces;
  • Ensures funds dedicated to CS interventions are earmarked in the OPS Platform and / or mobilize funds from the OPS Platform to support CO capacity building efforts in the area of CSP.
  • Report on all CSP allegations and cases in keeping with local procedures
  • Alert on any CSP suspicions in keeping with the Whistle blowing Policy
  • Cooperates as requested by the Country Director in all CSP awareness raising, induction, training activities and conduct of investigations on CSP allegation and cases
  • Play key role and support the CD in Safety & Security Management.
  • Lead the Incident Management Meetings
  • In coordination with the head of SS, support the design and implementation of field offices SOPs.
  • Contribute to the countrywide context.
  • Play key role in the Risk Management comity: attend meetings and follow up on agreed actions.
  • Support the relevant risk management tools design, review and updates.
  • In close coordination with the head of internal control, support as required all the compliance components which includes response, awareness and mitigation.
  • Lead the Quality Standard Self-Assessment in coordination with relevant stakeholders
  • Implement the outcome of investigation actions and document
  • Recommended a minimum of 10 years’ management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, including significant field operations experience running both emergency and development programs
  • Robust experience of NGO emergency program cycle management, and with experience of working within a complex and matrix organisation structure
  • Substantial experience in logistics, including procurement, supply chain, fleet management & inventory
  • Significant knowledge of international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors, and of procedures, accountability frameworks and best practices in emergency management
  • Substantial experience and knowledge of effective financial and budgetary control and securing and managing grants from major institutional donors
  • Solid project management skills related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results
  • Ability to analyse information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
  • An in-depth understanding of national and international development issues in particular in relation to children
  • Previous experience of managing and developing a team and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
  • Fluency in written and spoken French and English
  • Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams in the event of major emergencies
  • Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
  • Knowledge of the Central African and Great Lakes region (desirable)
  1. Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter
  2. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team
  3. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview
  4. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks