Director of Support Services At Save the Children

ROLE PURPOSE:

As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Liberia, the Director of Support Services shares in the overall responsibility for the leadership, coordination and supervision of the Country Office (CO) Support Services functions. The role will be accountable to the Chief of Party for overseeing the support functions – Finance IT, HR & Admin, and Supply Chain functions.

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring compliance with SCI global standards, policies and practices. The position also plays a key role in effectively supporting program implementation activities in line with the annual and program strategic plans

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.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Chief of Party

Role Dimensions: Save the Children aims to improve nutrition and early grades literacy for children in public primary schools by implementing the Liberia Empowerment through Attendance, Reading, and Nutrition (LEARN) Program. Save the Children (Prime) and Mercy Corps (Sub) work in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), and the Ministry of (MOH). LEARN has the program-level goal of improving literacy and nutrition of school-age children, which is supported by improving student attendance, improving the quality of literacy instruction, and improving student attentiveness.

The LEARN program is implemented in four counties in Liberia: Grand Bassa, Grand Gedeh, River Cess and River Gee, and will reach 220 schools and 132,780 direct beneficiaries throughout the course of the project. LEARN’s project design addresses both of USDA’s strategic objectives: Improving literacy of school-age children (SO1) and Increased use of health and dietary practices (SO2). Activities of the project focus on improving the quality of literacy instruction, student attentiveness, student attendance, improving knowledge of health and hygiene practices, safe food preparation and storage, and nutrition, and by increasing access to clean water and sanitation, preventative health interventions, and food prep materials and storage equipment.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

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

Input to the strategy and operational decision taking of the Extended Senior Management Team and Senior Management Team. In particular, the business support aspects of decision making (Finance, HR, IT, Supply Chain and business admin),
Demonstrable strategic and creative leadership, management and coordination skills in a network setting,
Sound organisational and people management skills, Finance, HR & Admin, IT and Supply Chain Functions
Demonstrate advanced understanding of management roles and dynamics in a large organisation, such as SCI,
Lead and support on improving the operations planning at all the country level,
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, partner agencies including humanitarian and development donors, and local and international NGOs

Supply Chain

To provide strong leadership of the Supply Chain Function within the SMT,
To work in close collaboration with senior colleagues at the Country Office level, with the Regional office, the centre and members to co-implement and/or monitor business appropriate solutions in areas such as stock management, procurement and distribution planning & reporting, value for money through the systematic reporting of financing benefits, and promotion of the SCI standard policies and procedures,
Work with the Country office, Regional Office and Centre to ensure adequate Supply Chain Capacity for effective programme delivery while taking Value for Money into account, and the rollout of any new system, policy, training need, procedure and tools;
In collaboration with the CO Supply Chain lead, ensure and run the Supply Chain the SCI Liberia in compliance with the needs and requirements of the SCI Liberia, the regional Office, the members and donors,
Ensure and support the CO Supply Chain to timely provide all regular report, continuous improvement of KPI, and ensure regular feedback as well as follow up on adjustment measure.

Finance

Oversee the finance function in Liberia Project Office, ensuring that planning and budgeting, financial accounting, financial control, international accounting principles, budget monitoring and reporting
Assist the Chief of Party and the SMT in the management /administration of the Project Office resources. Highlight variances, provide analyses and recommend solutions.
Identify and effectively manage financial risk, related to delivering the Country Office program. Develop mitigation plans at proposal stage
Oversee correct level of budget authority exists within the Project Office. Own the application of SCI approved scheme of delegation, together with the Chief of Party
Manage financial aspects of budget development for new proposals Oversee appropriate and adequate emergency finance procedures are detailed in the Project Office Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up
Fulfil all financial reporting requirements for internal and external stakeholders
Responsible for ensuring 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 the Chief of Party 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

Administration

Supervise administrative function to ensure the smooth import of capital assets, monitor visa process for expatriate staff and liaison with Government
Ensure sophisticated, efficient, cost effective Information Technology Systems are in place which is also in compliance with SCI procedures
Train staff to take customer service approach, identify bottlenecks, and streamline processes.
Facilities Management
Oversee the overall maintenance of all Save the Children office premises, facilities assets and equipment (physical work environment) in country and ensure that these are secure, in working order and efficiently utilized
Review all contracts and leases to ensure the benefit of SC before forwarding them to the Chief of Party for signature
Responsible for Compliance with Health and Safety regulations in accordance with SCI procedures
Responsible for ensuring CO internal and external communications systems function effectively and efficiently

Human Resources

Supervise the Human Resources function to ensure that 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 development of dual mandate HR practices and processes aligned with the organisation’s overall strategy and SCI MOS to meet the evolving needs of the organisation
Responsible for appropriate recruitment, retention and development of staff.
Ensure managers understand and implement performance management for improved performance and HR department implements policies and procedures.
Responsible for appropriate and adequate emergency HR procedures detailed in the program Office Emergency Preparedness Plan to enable rapid scale up
Facilitate the HR aspects (such as deployment mechanisms) of the Country’s Emergency Response Team
Monitor and advise on disciplinary matters in accordance with established policies and procedures
Mediate conflict, grievances and harassment cases
Prioritise staff and partner awareness of, training in and adherence to the Child Safeguarding Policies.
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Support Services
Responsible for appropriate staffing within Support Services
Responsible for making sure all Support Services staff understand and are able to perform their roles in an emergency
Manage 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 staff in the Support Services work area through staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems. Establish result based system and follow up
Develop staff through the following methods of 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 at standard and above and less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans

IT Management

Ensure the project office is compliant with global IT standards, Policies and procedures for the CO technology environment;
Leading the development and implementation of ICT annual plan based on agreed objectives and Standard Operating Procedures in ICT services
Design and implement a Disaster Recovery Plan for the project office with emphasis on data storage, security and backup services.
Lead IT initiatives, user awareness and compliance with Global Assurance requirements.
Actively participate in regional working groups for information and knowledge sharing
Inspire innovation through research and business partnering to make IT an enabler for the achievement of SCI’s global strategy and for meeting local demand for tools
Partner with Logistics in ensuring timely and value for money IT related purchases are achieved while ensuring SLAs with service providers exists and are adhered to it.
Promote a culture of documenting and sharing of best practices using knowledge management tools and sharing monthly reports with the RO team and line manager
Plan and budget for all IT expenditure in consultation with the line manager
Meet with managers to discuss system requirements, specifications, costs and timelines
Ensure use of Service Desk in all offices and provide support and technical assistance to project offce IT Officer/ Assistant in resolving escalated issues.
Ensure optimal functioning of Internet link in all offices
Prepare evaluations of software or hardware, and recommend improvements or upgrades
Report any alleged or suspected misuse of IT systems/equipment, lapses of security and major violations of organizational standards to senior in-country management, and provide support as directed to any resulting investigation, such as obtaining evidence, suspending access privileges, etc.
Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child protection, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified finance professional (recognised accounting qualification suggested) , Supply Chain or HR&Admin with experience of operating in a global and complex organisation

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

Recommended a minimum of 5 years 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

Ability to plan and organise a substantial workload that includes complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities in both development and emergency contexts

Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies

Demonstrated credibility with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels of an organization

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

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

Team building skills

Competent level skills in core IT applications, particularly MS Office

Competent level skill in Supply Chain management or in one of the main area (Stock, procurement, fleet, asset)

A commitment to the values and principles of SC

Experience working in developing countries