Director of Support Services

Save the Children is seeking a qualified candidate to fulfil the following vacancy in its Ramallah Office:

Position: Director of Support Services
Position Ref.: SCI/ DSS/2017
Deadline to apply:  January 5, 2018

The role: As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in oPt the Director of Support Services shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office (CO).  The Director of Support Services in his/her capacity will be accountable to the Country Director for overseeing the support functions – finance, HR, IT, and administration services and co-accountable with other senior leaders for risk management –in both emergencies and development programming contexts.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

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

Leadership of the oPt Country Office
Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our full spectrum 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
Support the 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, partner agencies including humanitarian and development donors, and local and international NGOs
Ensure oPt Country Office complies with all Save the Children’s Quality Framework Essential Standards and Standard Operating Procedures
Ensure that all required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office

Planning and Budgeting

Assist the Country Director (CD) in the management /administration of the Country Office resources and its sub-offices including (a) the formulation of country work program and resource allocation, (b) providing effective support and guidance to the Senior Management Team and other key program staff during planning and allocation exercises; (c) monitoring implementation of donor agreements and resource utilization. Highlight variances, provide analyses and recommend resolution or reallocation of resources
Work along with the SMT in developing plans to meet funding and programming needs. This includes diversification of funding resources
Identify and effectively manage all key risks, especially financial, related to delivering the Country Office program.  Develop mitigation plans at proposal stage
Ensure correct level of budget authority exists within Country Office and Field Offices
Manage financial aspects of budget development for new proposals
Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency finance procedures are detailed in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
Ensure budget holders understand their responsibilities (e.g., through training)
Ensure Field Offices receive adequate support to operate efficient accounting systems, including timely receipt of monthly budget variance analysis by budget holders, timely answers to queries and scheduling tasks and deadlines

Finance

Oversee the finance function in OPT Country Office, ensuring that planning and budgeting, financial accounting, grant management  complies with donor T and C, financial control, international accounting principles, budget monitoring and reporting
Assist the Country Director (CD) and the SMT in the management /administration of the Country Office resources. Highlight variances, provide analyses and recommend resolution or reallocation of resources
Identify and effectively manage all key risks, especially financial, related to delivering the Country Office program.  Develop mitigation plans at proposal stage
Oversee correct level of budget authority exists within Country Office.  Own the application of SCI approved scheme of delegation, together with the Country Director
Manage financial aspects of budget development for new proposals
Oversee appropriate and adequate emergency finance and grants procedures are detailed in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
Fulfil all financial reporting requirements for internal and external stakeholders
Responsible for making sure  effective systems are put in place, and regularly reviewed, to allow adequate financial management and control over assets, funds, equipment, property, and facilities
Lead and participate in the development of finance policies and procedures to be ensure adequate finance controls are in place according to international accounting principles. Coordinate and assist CD during any internal or external audits 
Review and approve the proper accounting and closing of books upon receipt of completed reports and documents from various sub-offices
Develop sub-grantees financial management through training and capacity building
Develop CO budget holder financial management through training and capacity building
Perform any other responsibilities related to financial management as required

Human Resources

Lead the Human Resources function to ensure that effective advice and support are provided to managers and staff on interpretation and application of policies and procedures and on other HR related matters
Supervise the implementation of dual mandate HR practices and processes aligned with the organisation’s overall strategy and quality framework to meet the evolving needs of the organisation
Ensure appropriate recruitment, retention and succession of staff including the design and implementation of equitable compensation and performance management systems relevant for both development and emergencies, and career development for staff
Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency HR procedures are detailed in the Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up and facilitate the HR aspects (such as deployment mechanisms) of the Emergency Response Team
Monitor and advise on disciplinary matters in accordance with established policies and procedures and Labour Law of respective jurisdictions
Ensure that any conflict, grievance and harassment cases are effectively mediated
Monitor staff morale and well-being and ensure adequate support mechanisms are in place
Need a CSG point – responsibilities to the policy as the policy lead has moved from HR to CQSM
To champion and partner along with the CSG lead in country and the CD the CSG priorities, lead HR systems and processes are aligned and enabledelivery of CSG quality standards,  including the report system and case management as needed, in order to ensure a culture towards CSG is in place, and that CSG Audit criteria is fulfilled

Administration/Information Technology

Supervise IT/administration function to ensure the provision of effective IT/administrative support across the country office
Ensure legal compliance with respective Government regulations and laws
Ensure provision of high quality logistical support to guests, visitors including partner organisations involved in SC activities and accommodation for expatriate staff
Review and assess running costs in order to make savings and/or upgrade as needed.
Ensure sophisticated, efficient, cost effective Information Technology Systems are in place which is also in compliance with SCI Quality Framework – with a specific focus on ensuring sufficient primary and backup connectivity and bandwidth in CO and all Field Offices
Strive to support programmes with innovative IT solutions to support their work
Responsible for ensuring CO internal and external communications systems function effectively and efficiently and that sufficient backup communications and redundancies exist

Facilities Management

Oversee the overall maintenance of all Save the Children office premises, guest house, facilities, assets and equipment (physical work environment) in country and ensure that these are secure, in working order and efficiently utilized
Motivate staff to improve appearance of offices and guesthouse.
Review all contracts and leases before forwarding them to the CD for signature.
Responsible for CO Compliance with Health and Safety regulations in accordance with SCI Quality Framework Essential Standards
Oversee the annual preparation of the renewal of licenses and permits in coordination with the Admin staff
Ensure adequate insurance cover in place and kept up to date with suitable cover for maximum loss of assets.

Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Support Services

Ensure appropriate staffing within Support Services 

Ensure all Support Services staff understand and are able to perform their roles in an emergency
Lead Support Services team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
Responsible for the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff;
Manage the performance of all Support Services staff through:
Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
Establishment of a result based system and regular follow up
Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
Documentation of performance that is at standard and above and less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/work plans

Risk Management

Support the CD, CQSM, and SMT in pplying risk management lens to evaluation of growth strategies and opportunities to ensure manageable balance of risk and growth
Support the CD, CQSM, and SMT in developing a risk management policy to maximize financial resource effectiveness
Participate in the preparation of monthly Risk Management Register in consultation with SMT and CQSM in accordance with the SCI Quality Framework Essential Standards
Undertake the financial risk assessments of all new partners and monitoring of on-going risk in coordination with SMT
Support CD and SMT in keeping analysis of the internal and external risks and threats and appropriate mitigation measures up to date

Qualifications and experience

Qualified finance professional is a plus (recognised accounting qualification such as CIMA, ACCA, CPA) with experience of operating in a global and complex organisation
Recommended a minimum of 10 years senior management experience in an International NGO environment, including experience in the development of strategic and operational support services plans and their implementation in a professional work environment over a sustained period of time
Experience of reviewing and drafting HR policies, procedures and guidelines and of developing and implementing systems (including IT systems)
Experience of managing HR projects
Awareness of good HR practice in relation to child safeguarding
Ability to plan and organise a substantial workload that includes complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities in both development and complex emergency contexts
Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies
Exceptional customer service focus
Proven record implementing change and improvement initiatives
Demonstrated credibility with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels of an organization
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Fluent in Arabic (reading and writing)
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate skills in leading a multi- disciplined team through a period of change
Leadership skills, including the ability to supervise and motivate qualified professional staff with strong personal value systems
Analytical, decision making and strategic planning skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities
Ability to coach, mentor, delegate appropriately and provide developmental guidance to supervised staff and proven success in building capacity of staff
Team building skills
Competent level skills in core IT applications, particularly MS Office
Experience working in developing countries
High level of commitment to the values and principles and to the organizational and programmatic goals of Save the Children
Ability to travel to all programme sites in oPt (Ramallah, Gaza)

Contract length: 1 year renewable
 
The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. 

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, 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 workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Applications should be submitted to:
 

[email protected]

please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. 
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
 

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