Head of Operations At Terre des Hommes Italia

Position: Head of Operations

Starting date: ASAP

Duty station: Beirut/Baabda with frequent travels to the NGO’s field offices. Remote work is not applicable to this position.

Terre des Hommes Italia (TDH IT), member of Terre des hommes International Federation, works in 21 developing countries implementing projects and activities for the benefit of more than 3 million people.

TDH IT implements relief and mid-term programmes and projects in the fields of education, primary health, protection, PSS and child rights.

Terre des Hommes Italia works in Lebanon since 2006. Since then, it has implemented several educational, protection and livelihood interventions in the most deprived areas of the country and in the Palestinian refugee camps.

Since the onset of the Syria crisis, Terre des Hommes has provided support to the Syrian refugee families fleeing their country and looking for a shelter in Lebanon, thanks to the support various donors (EU, ECHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, OCHA Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Agenzia Italiana per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo-AICS).

Within this context TDH It is looking for a Head of Operations to join our team in Lebanon with the purpose of overseeing all operational functions, including finance, accounting, HR, logistics, procurement, fleet management, and IT, as well as security analysis and advice to the NGO’s Departments.

Purpose and Scope of the position

The Head of Operations (HoO) supports the Country Delegate (CD) in the overall management of support services to all Delegation components by planning, coordinating, and delivering administrative and logistic services including management of staff and budgetary resources. The HoO serves as the focal point and advisor to the CD and key Delegation staff on all matters pertaining to the administration and delivery of services to all components of the mission.

The HoO is tasked to ensure cooperation and integration of administrative, HR and logistic resources and to liaise, negotiate and coordinate with all stakeholders, including national authorities with respect to administrative and support service matters. The HoO is to develop and implement a service optimization programme to promote continuous improvement in the quality and delivery of services.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Operations – Finance, Accounting, and Human Resources (40%)

• Coordination and supervision of TDH Finance and Admin staff
• Provide hands-on support to the Country Finance Manager, and lead the development of the TDH IT operational budget
• Support the Head of Finance and CD with the implementation of NGO administration policies and systems
• Overall supervision of the correct planning and implementation of financial, procurement and budgetary procedures in line with Terre des Hommes Italia standards and procedures
• Follow up of the Delegation budget and quarterly revision of expenses and forecast, including timely sharing with the Country Delegate and the Desk Officer of any delays/changes incurred
• Coordination and supervision of financial audits and/or other financial control mechanisms implemented by donors, local authorities, HQ due within the programs/country offices
• Final revision of interim and final financial draft reports of all TDH projects/programs according to the donors’ procedures
• Supporting TDH nationalization strategy through capacity building of the national staff on financial and accounting issues/tools/procedures
• In coordination with the Program Managers or other Heads of Department, and upon approval of the Country Delegate, preparation and follow up of the requests for waiver addressed to TDH HQ, when necessary
• In coordination with the CD, supervise TDH bank accounts, signatories and documents to be submitted to relevant authorities as per national rules and regulations
• Participation to the development of the Admin and Procedural tools at Delegation level, as required
• Carry out random spot-checks on TDH Italy’s projects/programs according to a calendar agreed upon with the CD
• Review contracts for office and housing space, leasehold improvements, IT
• Ensure legal compliance of work permits, visas, and registration for TDH Delegation office
• Support the recruitment process including orientation and onboarding, taking the lead on recruitment when needed

Operations – Logistics & Procurement (30%)

• Strengthen and oversee compliance, quality, timely and accurate processing and documentation of procurement as described in the Operations Manuals and any other relevant documents
• Develop and oversee a system for maintaining audit-ready procurement records and ensure that they are consistently stored and available when needed
• Support the Logistic Manager in ensuring effective fleet management, including tracking of maintenance schedule, fuel usage, and vehicle scheduling as described in the Fleet Manual
• Ensure assets tracking is implemented with accurate record-keeping of NGO and donor assets, including exceptional items that require registration and movement tracking
• Supervise the management of the warehouse and the inventory of each office and of the Delegation
• Support the Logistic Manager in leading the set-up of office IT infrastructure including internet and software, assess needs, and recommend software and IT solutions. Support the resolution of IT issues as they arise
• Develop a policy for and support the implementation of customs clearing, equipment registration, licensing, and insurance
• Manage safe and well-maintained premises for office and guesthouse purposes

Security and Access:

Security Information Collection, Management, and Communication (15%)

• Lead the security and log department in security information gathering, collation, and dissemination from a range of local and international sources and produce formal security updates
• Maintain close contact with all relevant stakeholders to develop a network and build relationships with key actors – NGOs, INGOs, UN, and government agencies, security forces, and other armed actors
• Monitor and analyse any security or access incident, ensuring reliable security information as a basis for informed decision-making and maintain a map and log of critical security incidents to support security decision-making and ensure staff and management are aware of the issues
• Provide security context analysis and regular security updates and rapidly communicate relevant security information, analysis, and recommendations to SMT and staff
• Provide on-the-ground security advice and ensure situational awareness to mitigate risks to programme staff in the field
• Liaise, negotiate and coordinate with all stakeholders, including national authorities, with respect to any access incident or constrain directly or indirectly affecting TDH operations
• Support risk analysis for the country program as a whole, advise the SMT on security-related issues
• Ensure that a centralized filing system of security-related documents is maintained and available to the appropriate staff.

Risk Mitigation and Management (10%)

• Facilitate an ongoing culture within the wider team of security awareness and ownership, and commitment to the procedures and to each other and arrange ongoing training as a key strategy for improved security conditions
• Produce and ensure adherence to SOPs, contingency plans, and risk assessment documentation, ensuring these are up to date and in line with required standards
• Recommend new protocols, or adjustments to procedures, to improve effective risk mitigation and support drafting of such as necessary
• In coordination with the Support Team, ensure that all staff are aware of, and trained in, the procedures detailed in the NGO’s security documentation and Standard Operating Procedure documents
• Lead security assessments in potentially high-risk new programme locations, or travel routes, to make recommendations regarding Go-No-Go movements and required risk mitigation steps required if movements are cleared
• Review standard Go-No-Go requests for travel to new locations (regardless of security risk level) or repeated travel to high-risk locations
• Advise on, and develop, contingency plans for critical incidents, including issues like hibernation, medevac, evacuation, vehicle injury accidents, among others and work with staff to prepare for those contingencies.

Team Development & Care (5%)

• Map security training needs, such as personal security, security management, health and safety, and trauma care/first aid, in addition to role-specific training for drivers, security guards, and other relevant staff
• Plan and lead training for all new staff in the priority subjects and regular refresher training for all staff to ensure continuity in learning and skills capacity
• Provide in-depth security inductions for new staff upon arrival and additional briefings for all staff upon major shifts in the security context.

Qualifications, skills, and experience:

• Strong commitment to the aims, principles, and values of TDH IT and of humanitarian aid
• Very high sense of discretion and integrity when dealing with sensitive information
• Master’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent level of knowledge
• At least 5 years of experience of professional experience working with an INGO in a high support management position or field coordination position, of which at least 3 spent abroad; previous experience in the Middle East is a strong asset
• Comprehensive understanding of strategic, tactical, and operational safety and security risk management. Strong analytical skills in security analysis and conflict sensitivity
• Strong knowledge of multiple operational functions and principles, including finance, procurement, logistics, HR
• Acquaintance with main donors (ECHO-UN-EU-Italian Cooperation) procedures
• Excellent IT skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and hardware skills.
• Excellent ability to analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically,
• Previous proven experience in developing a team, and ability to lead, motivate and develop others’ skills, and to lead training on relevant topics (security, operations)
• High level of interpersonal and cross-cultural oral and written communication skills, including the ability to interact with diverse stakeholders and to work as part of a team
• Fluency in written and spoken English, knowledge of Arabic is an asset
• Excellent organizational and reporting skills, precision, rapidity, dependability, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines
• High degree of responsibility, of taking initiatives, of having emotional stability
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts. Capacity to make accurate self-assessment
• Ability to balance and integrate security, well-being, and programme needs in analysis and advising
• Strong finance and admin background is a plus

Preferable

• Security Management course completed
• Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) course attended
• Previous experience in providing security and safety advice for personnel and infrastructure against a spectrum of threats
• Knowledge of Lebanon and Middle East political and Security dynamics

TDH Italia has a zero-tolerance policy towards SEAH and is not willing to employ any person who has been found guilty of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment. Ethics is part of the annual performance appraisal.

Salary according to experience and TDH IT salary scale. Since the position advertised for is unaccompanied, TDH will not be responsible for providing benefits for the selected candidate’s family members.

Only applications from holders of passports allowing easy entry into the Country will be considered.