About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.
Program / Department Summary
Syria is in the midst of a major humanitarian crisis impacting the entire country as well as a number of neighboring countries. More than 11 million people have been displaced from their homes and the number relying on humanitarian assistance continues to grow. The main thrust of the work of Mercy Corps along with its national and international partners for the foreseeable future will be primarily focused on meeting urgent humanitarian needs across the country while building resilience and social cohesion elements in its programming strategy. The heightened insecurity and continuous acts of violence and war make the humanitarian response not only more challenging, but increasingly complicated. With a large and complex portfolio of work across the country, Mercy Corps has established itself as an analytical, strategic and flexible responder, adapting continually to shifting front lines and operational realities to respond effectively and efficiently through multiple modalities with teams inside Syria and working cross-border from neighboring countries. Mercy Corps Syria country program moved to a structure where teams report into a single managerial architecture to allow transversal consistency among programs and unity of purpose at the strategic level.
General Position Summary
The Director of Operations (DoO) is a thought-leader position that shall hold responsibility for all operational oversight of the Mercy Corps country operations, including smooth functioning of all procurement, information technology, administration, and logistics functions. As a member of the country’s senior management team (SMT), s/he shall continue to develop and maintain a professional, effective, efficient and results-driven operations support team. The DoO is expected to be an innovative and visionary leader who values technical competence, use of data and analytics in decision-making, and the establishment of creative partnerships in one of the world’s most complex and challenging environments, while ensuring quality in support services across direct-programming, remote management, and partnership-focused programming portfolios. The size of the Syria mission requires a robust framework for accountability at different levels of decision making, and targeted support on priority work-streams. Success in the role requires solid management skills and excellent leadership qualities, to provide clear guidance and model behaviour conductive for success. The DoO works closely with other members of the senior management team, inspiring a focus on delivery and impact for those we serve.
Essential Job Responsibilities
STRATEGIC VISION & LEADERSHIP
● Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy and annual plan development.
● Contribute to the country strategic planning process, budget and provide regular updates.
● Review operational and logistics functions to ensure agility in order to undertake a transition toward more sustainable interventions and refine existing systems to remain responsive to context changes.
● Develop and organize activities of Operations Department to provide timely and effective support to programs to ensure objectives are met.
● Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are fostered and welcomed.
PROCUREMENT OVERSIGHT
● Directly supervise the Senior Operations Manager: Procurement & Strategy, in overseeing the complete Procurement portfolio for the country program.
● Ensure timely and accurate processing and documentation of procurements, and ensure accurate
paperwork and a supply chain as described in the Field Procurement Policies & Procedures.
● Oversee database & paper file management for procurement and logistics resources documents.
● Ensure procurement records systems are well managed and maintained.
● Collaborate with regional and Global Procurement and Logistics department on the roll-out and support of new policies and technologies.
● Lead on the planning and adoption of procedures for the contracting of special categories of contracts, including those of money transfer agents, service-contracted local organizations for supplementary programmatic assistance, and service providers for monitoring assistance.
● Ensure all Mercy Corps contracts and business transactions/ relationships with suppliers are transparent and in compliance with country laws and Mercy Corps/ donor policies.
FIELD OPERATIONS OVERSIGHT
● Directly supervise the Senior Operations Manager: Administration & Field Operations, and indirectly supervise the NES Area Director of Operations, in overseeing smooth logistical management across direct and remote-managed program implementation.
● Lead the Operations department on any business continuity and contingency planning exercises or drafting of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as it relates to field operations management.
● Guide the fleet management procedures with Logistics and Operations teams to ensure that systems are in place to track maintenance schedules, fuel usage and vehicle scheduling as described in the Field Fleet Management Policy.
● Provide support and ensuring all field offices meet minimum standards for administrative need and activity planning.
● Oversee tracking of all assets to ensure accurate record keeping of Mercy Corps and donor assets, including exceptional items that require registration and movement tracking, in accordance with the Mercy Corps Field Asset Management Policy.
● Maintain inventory records of commodities and materials across all offices, warehouses, and service-contracted supplier locations.
● Oversee customs clearing, equipment registration, licensing and insurance, etc.
● Assist the program team and departments to understand their roles and responsibilities in terms of interaction with the logistics and procurement departments. These include trainings, regular coordination meetings, problem solving and necessary planning activities to ensure effective and timely program implementation.
INFORMATION & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY OVERSIGHT
● Directly supervise the ICT Coordinator, overseeing the optimal functioning of all IT systems, including Internet, hardware, and software.
● Plan the design, development and installation of top-level IT infrastructure, operations planning and related services to ensure compatibility with existing and Mercy Corps standard systems.
● Collaborate with ICT actors to strategize on the design and implementation of Hub and Field office networks, including budgeting and procurement strategies, export license requirements, and other requirements relevant to network and computer equipment.
● Strategize and plan with ICT infrastructure actors for the safe storage of all country program data online and offline.
ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT
● Indirectly supervise Administration functions, including the Amman Administration Coordinator and the Beirut Office Operations Coordinator, on ensuring excellent facility management, including offices and individual housing.
● Oversee the operational master budget planning support costs for offices, inclusive of utilities, office supplies, cleaning and maintenance services, and other facility management costs;
● Ensure all office registrations, licenses, legal standing for all premises are properly retained and stored appropriately. Confer with in-country legal counsel(s) as required to ensure adherence to local laws and regulations.
PROGRAM SUPPORT FUNCTIONS
● Work closely with Hub-focused Area Directors, Program leads, and SMT to ensure all operational departments are working in close collaboration with programs to facilitate smooth, efficient and effective implementation.
● Work closely with and supervise the Operations Managers to ensure that support systems and structures are in place and compliant with relevant internal and external policies and procedures.
● Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
● Uphold Mercy Corps’ Zero Tolerance policy to corruption and work closely with HR, Finance, Risk, and Ethics & Assurance to mitigate fraud, conflict of interest, and legal ramifications of Mercy Corps activities.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
● Foster a creative and solutions-oriented team culture with ownership and accountability at relevant levels of decision making.
● Identify gaps and systems breakdowns and assist the operations team to be able to achieve the objectives.
● Provide team members with information, tools, and other resources to improve performance and reach.
● Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
● Model a dynamic and reflective leadership approach that drives diversity, debate, respect, and results.
● Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
● Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
● Supervise, hire and orient new team members; support field hub operations positions in the hiring and on-boarding of field-team members.
● Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
● Be responsible for full and proper implementation of Mercy Corps systems of management, compliance and control as described in Mercy Corps global policies and donor regulations.
● Foster inter-department collaboration toward common objectives and a clear vision.
FINANCE AND COMPLIANCE MANAGEMENT
● Review hub and program department inputs to the quarterly master budget before final submission to finance.
● Ensure new budgets correspond with approved structures and human resource plans.
● Recognize the high level of donor scrutiny imposed on Syrian programming and ensure continuing effective, transparent and responsive compliance mechanisms are in place, particularly with regard to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, OFAC and BIS restrictions, and diligence relating to money transfer agents that operate in Syria.
● Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations.
● Participate as an active and voting member on the Mercy Corps Syria Risk Management Committee.
INFLUENCE AND REPRESENTATION
● Participate in shaping policy positions and advocacy messages pertaining to the overall humanitarian situation inside Syria, including and not limited to, regulations in Syria, sanction schemes, and informal money transfer mechanisms, etc.
● Represent Mercy Corps or delegate appropriate actors to country-wide or hub-based Operations and Logistics working groups or clusters.
● Ensure visibility of the Senior Management Team through regular visits to hubs, and providing regular visit reports and action items for Operations and Program teams.
LEARNING
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECTED POPULATIONS
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging program participant communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility
Direct: Senior Operations Manager, Procurement & Logistics (Amman), Senior Operations Manager, Administration & Field Operations (Amman), Travel & Administration Manager (Beirut), ICT Coordinator (Amman)
Indirect: NES Area Director of Operations (Derik, Syria), NWS Director of Support Services (Amman), Office Operations Coordinator (Beirut)
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Syria Country Director
Works Directly With: Country Senior Management Team, Regional Risk and Support Services resources, Global/Regional Procurement & Logistics team, additional headquarters-based support departments.
Knowledge and Experience
● BA/S or equivalent in relevant field required, MA/S preferred;
● 7 years of overseas experience including at least 4 years in a management position, preferably including in the Middle East;
● Extensive experience in logistics, administration and/or procurement.
● Experience managing humanitarian relief and post-conflict programs in areas of affected by conflict and insecurity;
● Private sector experience desirable;
● Knowledge of major donor requirements and compliance issues;
● Solid knowledge of security protocols and ability to work appropriately in an insecure environment;
● Strong management skills, with good understanding of relevant cross-cultural issues;
● Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively with team members;
● Fluent written and oral communication in English required, proficiency in Arabic is a plus.
Success Factors
The successful DoO will possess senior level experience in managing or coordinating humanitarian relief and/or post-conflict programs in areas affected by conflict, instability and insecurity. The DoO will also possess experience negotiating in difficult market conditions, which may have been obtained from working in the private sector. S/he will have an outstanding ability to multi-task, prioritize, solve problems, and pay simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision. S/he will also have proven experience with cross-cultural teams, with strong leadership and mentoring skills. S/he will maintain strong cooperative relationships with other departments and interact effectively with international and national personnel both in a managerial as well as training capacity, while demonstrating the ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. S/he will be able to live and work closely with a diverse team of individuals in a highly intense and fluid work and security environment and be willing to travel regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective
written and verbal communication a priority in all situations. In Syria, patience, diplomacy, tenacity, compassion, determination and a sense of humor are all success factors.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The Director of Operations position is based in Amman, Jordan. This location is an accompanied position. Housing is individual accommodation with unlimited freedom of movement beyond the house/office. There are International schools in Amman. Team Members will have access to medical, electricity, water, etc. This position requires (50% of time) of travel to field offices, some in insecure environments.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies