Directeur Régional des Operations, USAID/Madagascar HARENA Project At DAI Global

CONTEXT

HARENA is a USAID project in Madagascar. With a duration of five years (2024-2029), HARENA will use a systemic and multi-sectoral approach to reduce threats to biodiversity and forests, improve conservation and build resilience to climate change; develop sustainable economic opportunities for the poor; and improve environmental governance. Working through local economic and social systems, HARENA will address the root causes of poverty and food insecurity that drive communities in Madagascar to rely on high biodiversity areas for their basic needs. To do this, HARENA will act through three key areas of intervention: 1) natural resource and Protected Area (PA) management, biodiversity and forest conservation (nature); 2) improved and climate-resilient livelihoods and private sector engagement to improve human well-being and socio-economic outcomes (wealth); and 3) natural resource and protected area governance (power). Operating in three geographic areas with high biodiversity value and high potential for mitigating terrestrial climate change, HARENA will implement five strategic approaches to achieve the following key results:

• Strategic Approach 1: Improve sustainable management of natural resources with a focus on biodiversity, land, forests and protected areas (PAs);
• Strategic Approach 2: Promote diversified, sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture-based livelihoods, including complementary natural resource products (such as cash crops) to enhance livelihoods and ecosystem services;
• Strategic Approach 3: Improve governance, advocacy and anti-corruption efforts at national, regional and local levels around the management of natural resources, land and water;
• Strategic Approach 4: Increase local resilience to prepare for and adapt to climate change and other shocks; And
• Approche Stratégique 5 : Renforcer la gestion de l’utilisation des terres à travers la planification spatiale au niveau communal et sécuriser les droits fonciers par la mise en œuvre efficace de la politique foncière.

description du poste

Le/la Directeur/Directrice Regional des Opérations régionales est un poste à long terme qui assurera la gestion opérationnelle et administrative de l’un des bureaux régionaux de Harena dans les domaines suivants : opérations et soutien administratif à l’équipe de projet, achats et contrats de sous-traitance, conformité contractuelle globale et soutien à la gestion des clients, recrutement et gestion des ressources humaines, gestion des bureaux et logistique des voyages et de la sécurité. Sous la supervision directe du Directeur du Bureau Régional, et avec les conseils et la supervision du Responsable Financier et du Directeur des Finances et des Opérations basés à Antananarivo, Le/la Directeur/Directrice Régional des Opérations jouera un rôle essentiel dans la supervision de la gestion financière et opérationnelle et veillera au respect du manuel des opérations sur le terrain du projet (FOM), des politiques et des lignes directrices de DAI, des réglementations de USAID, des exigences et des limitations du contrat du projet, ainsi que des lois, exigences, et pratiques locales pertinentes à l’appui de la mise en œuvre technique du projet.

PRINCIPALES TÂCHES ET RESPONSABILITÉS

Opérations et administration :

• Servir comme point de contact régional pour les besoins opérationnels du projet, y compris la gestion des tâches liées au bureau, la programmation/les invitations, les ressources technologiques et le dépannage, la gestion des vidéoconférences, la réservation de salles, l’acquisition d’appareils et de logiciels, la commande de fournitures de bureau, la réalisation d’audits d’inventaire, la mise à jour des organigrammes du projet et des listes de contacts, et la maintenance des calendriers du projet (voyages, rapports, panels d’évaluation, etc.) ; servir de liaison opérationnelle entre le projet et les équipes d’Antananarivo) ; assurer la liaison opérationnelle entre le projet et les équipes d’Antananarivo ; fournir une assistance administrative aux activités techniques en examinant les factures et les notes de frais, en soutenant les achats, en répondant aux questions opérationnelles ou liées aux procédures, en coordonnant la logistique des réunions et des événements, en coordonnant la logistique des déplacements et de la sécurité, et en soutenant le processus de clôture.
• In coordination with the Regional Office Director, develop and improve operational processes, systems and internal controls to effectively guide project management and implementation and ensure compliance with the project Field Operations Manual, USAID rules/regulations and the terms of the project contract, including process guides, checklists, resource guides and a library of best practices and lessons learned.
• Autonomously resolve routine issues and escalate more complex issues to the Regional Office Manager and/or Finance Manager and Director of Finance and Operations in Antananarivo and follow up until resolved.
• Coordinate the maintenance of administrative records and inventory, including documentation related to procurement, recruitment and project finances; maintain and promptly verify administrative records by backing up and filing in a rational and straightforward hierarchy all documentation on shared file servers and project management systems, in accordance with the project records map.

Financial administration:

• Assist the Regional Office Director in overseeing regional project finances and budgets, including project accounting, budget management, financial reporting and cost control.
• Support the development and maintenance of project tools and tracking tools by accurately tracking, forecasting and reporting on all regional office finances as required by the teams based in Antananarivo and in the regional offices.
• Support the Regional Office Director in the development of financial reports and overviews for relevant stakeholders; reports and overviews include, but are not limited to:
  • Budget analysis, quarterly adjustments, forecast projections and scenario forecasts, at the request of the COP, the Financial Manager or the local office.
  • Insights and reviews at the activity or region level, including utilization rate analysis, level of effort (LOE), and invoice tracking, as well as workflow forecasts in procurement matters.
  • Contribute to monthly financial summaries and other reports or analyses as requested.
  • Contributions to HO report for monthly overviews and quarterly Estimate at Completion (ETC) reviews.

Procurement and subcontracting:

• Support regional project teams in developing activity budgets linked to work plans.
• Support technical and operational procurement by organizing documents, taking notes, and working directly with the procurement team to perform pricing analyses, draft source selection memos and debriefing letters, and ensure compliance with all DAI policies and procedures, in addition to audit support where applicable.
• Participate in the contracting and granting process, including assisting in completing documentation requirements and adhering to DAI policies and procedures.
• Maintain partner contact information and, if necessary, assist the Communications Specialist with administrative and logistical requirements to ensure coordination with Harena’s partner network; act as the primary point of contact for potential suppliers of goods and services. Support the development of templates and guides for the procurement/grants team and/or partner companies to improve the procurement and subcontracting process.

Contracts, compliance and customer management:

• Schedule, prepare and attend meetings with the Regional Office Director, Finance Director and/or other project managers to ensure they have all the information needed to make decisions. Take notes and report action items to the appropriate Harena team members after each meeting and follow up to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner.
• Assist the Regional Office Director in managing and responding to requests from the COP, project management and/or client, as directed, including drafting and filing USAID client approval requests and responses, and coordinating with the Harena main office team on these requests.
• Support compliance with the terms and conditions of the agreement by following applicable regulations and DAI policy.
• As directed, provide support in the areas of operational data management and reporting, including for semi-annual and annual reporting; develop and maintain trackers and process guides to improve the accuracy of data collected and assist with data standardization across technical and procurement teams.
• Assist in carrying out external or internal audits if necessary.

Recruitment :

• Provide support to the recruitment and onboarding life cycle, including drafting/revising terms of reference, posting positions, reviewing CVs, arranging and participating in interviews, coordinating with Harena main office counterparts to finalize agreements, drafting and reviewing client approval requests, developing new employee onboarding schedules (working closely with the main office Ops/HR team of Harena), the training of new staff and the maintenance of personnel files.
• Identify efficiencies and potential improvements in the recruiting process.
• Maintain open communication with the Harena home office team on administrative and operational aspects of the recruitment process; act as a liaison between the Harena project team and candidates throughout the recruitment process.

Additional support:

• Ensure proper coordination of logistics and any other necessary planning needs for project activities such as training, workshops, technical assistance, travel and events.
• Provide operational and logistical support to all visitors to the region, including long-term Harena staff, contractor personnel, independent consultants and other short-term experts.
• Ensure that project files are properly maintained, including documents relating to procurement, recruitment and project finances, maintaining a rational and simple hierarchy, in accordance with the regional office file map.
• Coordinate the review process of staff expense reports in coordination with the Antananarivo team to ensure compliance with DAI and project financial and accounting policies and procedures.
• Supervise the regional operations team, including the finance assistant, driver and housekeeper. Ensure that each staff member performs their duties as expected, including close coordination of finance functions with the Finance Manager in Antananarivo, and close coordination of the driver with the Security Manager.
• Other administrative or operational support tasks assigned by the project management team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of relevant professional experience in an administrative, operational and/or technical field, or a master’s degree and 3 years of relevant professional experience.
• Proven experience in operational management and process management of donor-funded development projects, including experience in administration, business, human resources/recruitment, travel logistics and/ or events, and/or project management skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of internal controls and audit processes (e.g. purchasing, subcontracting, financial management, project operations, etc.
• Experience with Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and changing priorities without compromising the quality of work.
• Ability to work effectively within a cross-functional team.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in French and Malagasy; English is desirable but not obligatory:
• Proven experience supporting USAID-funded development projects.
• Experience managing, engaging and communicating with clients and stakeholders at multiple levels.