Operations Coordinator At MAGNA

General presentation: **

Description of context: MAGNA is a private, non-profit, international humanitarian organization whose objective is to provide medical aid to populations in crisis. MAGNA organizes humanitarian medical projects to help people in need, whether through poverty, disease, war, or ecological disaster and regardless of ethnicity, religion or nationality. MAGNA is independent of all states and institutions, as well as of all political, economic or religious influences.

Description of MAGNA:

MAGNA recruits medical and non-medical personnel, collects private and institutional funds and raises awareness among the public about populations in danger. Using a small but highly committed group of staff and volunteers, MAGNA has achieved respectable results. MAGNA for over 15 years has focused on providing medical care (primary, secondary, nutrition, sexual violence, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases) on tree continents.

MAGNA in region of Africa currently runs programmes in DR Congo, South Sudan, Kenya and plans to open Central African Republic.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Main Objective

The Operations Coordinator supervises project activities in assigned countries, work closely with other members of Operation Centre, provides leadership and vision to the organization’s program agenda, and supports the development of new programmes or missions.

The Operations Coordinator plays a key role within the Operation Centre, ensuring overall management of specific overseas programmes including strategy and financing of the projects and coordinating with other departments for specific aspects of the programme.

Specific objectives

1. General Responsibilities

The main responsibility of the Operations Coordinator is to ensure that each project under his/her supervision operates based on a sound humanitarian strategy and follows the MAGNA standards of operations.

2. Mission management

For other missions/ projects, with and through the Head of the Mission/ Responsible of Operations at Mission with support of Operations Centre:

Supports and follows up field missions on:

Þ Developing, following and/or amending country strategies, registrations, operations, reports and E&M

Þ Security management (prevention and management)

Þ Timely answers to specific questions on context and donor policy

• Ultimately validate program’s definition as laid out in proposals and assure that it’s coherent with MAGNA operating principles, charter and mandate, and with each country strategy.
• To ensure that all programs are defined and implemented following MAGNA protocols and guidelines, and that new initiatives are implemented as needed.
• Manage, under the Executive Director’s authority, acute crisis (evacuations, emergencies).
• Control and supervise with the Head of Mission and Operation Centre the proper implementation in the missions of MAGNA policy in terms of administrative procedures, staff management, charter, and environmental and cultural behavior.
• After field supervision visits, produce a summary field visit report. If necessary and after consultation, call for a specific meeting on problematic issues identified.
• Review field workers – reports and donors – official reports in order to control coherence with the initial proposal and the actual context/progress of overseas programmes.
• Supervise and control that job descriptions from the field are adequate and appropriate to the position opened. Job descriptions should be standardized and produced in a timely manner.
• To provide timely support in writing, editing, formatting and validating proposals.
• Design and finalize narrative and budget proposals according to the organization and programmes’ strategy, in liaison with the field, financial department and Operation Centre.
• The Operations Coordinator must liaise consistently and productively with the Technical Advisors in HQ and have an overall strong knowledge of the technical issues, politics of the region, relevant research, and best practices on all points related to programs and humanitarian issues in the missions he/she supervises.

3. Programs funding

• Work with Administrators and Finance Controllers/Officers to ensure that programs are sufficiently funded and that general support is sufficient to implement the project.
• Keep informed of donors guidelines (ECHO, OCHA, UNICEF, UNFPA and others) evolution so he/she can support and validate the writing of proposal’s budget.

4. Donors

• Will explore possibilities of funding with the full range of institutional donors as well as collaborating with the Fund/Communication Dept. to support grant development with other major donors.
• Keep informed of donors guidelines evolution so he/she can support and validate the writing of proposals.
• Be familiar with contractual terms of the contracts with donors and ensure compliance with those terms, particularly in regard to reporting deadlines.

5. HR

• Interview candidates for field missions in collaboration with admin and complete evaluation form
• Validate the organizational structure of the missions, participate in the definition of necessary posts, of job description and help the recruitment process.
• Brief field expatriates during their passage in Operation Centre
• Brief departing field workers on the programme in the country of assignment, train/brief those who are first missions on the organization’s strategy and general guidelines, debrief returning field workers on the achievement of their mission and past performance.
• Development and regularly update of mission support documents (country profiles, briefing packets, time plans, contacts, logistical guidelines etc.)
• For this purpose, interns might be recruited, and their supervision falls under this job description
• Support and supervise field expatriates in the missions he/she supervises: evaluation, follow up and assistance on HR related issues, in close liaison with Operation Centre.
• Supports the HR Manager and the operations departments in the recruitment process of expatriates (interviews, evaluations, trainings).
• Develop field training capacity

6. Logistic management

• Responsible for the follow up of the logistic orders from the field and adequate purchase regarding budgets available on missions, in liaison with the Head of Finance/Finance Manager and Operation Centre.
• Responsible for the identification of suppliers and fair purchase procedure through Operation Centre and other countries.

7. To liaise extensively with Fundraising and Communication Dept. on field issues. Develop links between Operations and F&C Dept, by:

• Providing information from reports that could be translated into press releases or communiqués
• Liaising with F&C Dept to enhance content material for the website
• Being available for interviews and press related events on matters pertaining to the missions he/she follows

8. Representation

• Attend relevant conferences and meetings,
• Develop a network of key contacts within the circles of NGOs, platform, institutional partners, academia and diplomatic representation.

Physical Demands **

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit for long periods and to concentrate on work, including typing, and turn out heavy volumes of work accurately, within short time frames under stressful situations in the context of a moderately noisy office with many interruptions.
• To travel to the field (usually in the developing world), the employee must attest to a level of physical fitness capable of enduring physically difficult, highly stressful situations which may include the necessity to walk long distances, carry a backpack or other equipment of up to 20kg, to ride long distances over very poor road/water conditions, to eat a limited diet and/or to reside in potentially uncomfortable housing or tents.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment **

• The duties of the job require regular attendance at least 5 days/week. Must be available to work outside normal office hours or on the weekends as required by contact with the missions, mission security, or other obligations.
• Must be able to travel as required (minimum 25%) for standard domestic and international business travel as well as to the missions under supervision. While performing the duties of this job in the field, the employee may be exposed to precarious settings under high security risks and/or very basic living conditions and outside weather conditions, as well is to infectious diseases.

  Your profile

  – University degree**.** Particularly in medicine, public health or paramedical or the field of international relations. Project Management or HR Management are desirable

  • NGO experience in an operation position in the field, or in a similar position is desirable,
  • Desirable working experience with MAGNA or other NGOs, in developing countries. Previous working experience as a Project Coordinator will be essential
  • Common knowledge of office software (Word and Excel), good command of English
  • Knowledge of French is compulsory and English is desired

  PROPOSED TERMS

  Status

  Open-Term Contract

  Compensation

  MONTHLY INCOME (before taxation) : from 2,395 up to 3,188 Euros depending on the experience.