Head of Operations* At Welthungerhilfe

The position is to be filled as soon as possible, with an initial contract duration of one year. There are very good prospects for an extension. Employment location will be Gaziantep, Turkey.

Welthungerhilfe (WHH) has been engaged in the Syria Response since 2013 working in the fields of development cooperation and humanitarian aid. We seek to improve the access of persons affected by the Syria crisis to quality life-saving and life sustaining humanitarian assistance and strengthened basic services including protection services, whilst building on their inherent capacities and facilitating access to livelihoods opportunities, in order to reach our objective to improve their wellbeing and resilience.

As Head of Operations you will be a key member of the Syria Response strategic management group. Your primary objective is to facilitate smooth operations and efficiency in supporting the implementation of the programmes that make up the Syria response including the regional office (CO) in Gaziantep and field sites in Turkey, North West Syria and Lebanon. You will work closely with the Country Director and respective Heads of Programme and Heads of Project to ensure the support services are appropriately structured and resourced for the planned activities. You will line manage the Logistics, Administration, Procurement, IT functions and oversee operational security with a focus on improving processes through innovation and the use of new technology, whilst ensuring organisational compliance to systems related donor policies and guidelines.

Your responsibilities

Logistics and Administration:

• Ensure smooth operations of all logistics activities at Country Office and field office and project level
• General office/ facilities management
• Custodian of assets and inventory ensuring appropriate tracking and replacement planning
• Supply chain management and ensuring timely shipment of materials to field sites including customs clearance
• Ensure efficient and effective fleet management
• Coordination of the preparation for meetings, workshops, events

Procurement function:

• Ensure that goods and services are correctly planned for each project in agreement with the Head of projects using project specific procurement plans
• Supervision of the local and international procurement
• Supervision and coordination of tender processes and coordination with the procurement unit at Head Office to ensure procurements are in accordance with WHH standards
• Manage the e-tendering platform
• Provide training and capacity building to the staff in the field

IT function:

• Ensure appropriate and robust IT infrastructure based on the needs of the Country Office and projects
• Manage specific process improvements through the use of new technology as they arise and actively look for new opportunities for advancement

Operational Security:

• Work with the security advisors to ensure that adequate operational security measures are in place in each area of operation in the Syria Response in terms of offices and fleet in accordance to the global security policy / guidelines of Welthungerhilfe
• Ensure adequate operational preparedness for managing crises and critical incidents

Your profile

• A university or polytechnic degree in logistics, international management or a comparable level of qualification
• A minimum of 5 years of senior management experience in logistics and security in co-financed projects of international (aid) agencies, preferably in the region
• Experience in security/crisis management
• Coordination and organisational skills – even under a high workload
• Ability to work in a multinational team
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills and intercultural sensibility
• High level of mental and physical resilience and readiness to travel to areas with volatile local conditions
• Excellent spoken and written English language skills; German, Turkish and/or Arabic skills are an advantage

Our offer

We offer you the opportunity to work in a responsible and interesting field as part of an extremely dedicated team. Welthungerhilfe attaches great importance to the personal and professional development of its employees and the balance of their work and private life. Remuneration is based on our gender-independent salary scale. In addition, Welthungerhilfe offers numerous other benefits, which are listed under “Our benefits”.

*Welthungerhilfe values diversity and ensures an inclusive, non-discriminatory working environment. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community.