Job Title:             Operations Director – Surge Team

Reports to:         Head of Emergency Operations & relevant Country Director

Terms:                2-year Full Time Fixed Term Contract Unaccompanied.8 weeks annual leave increasing to 10 weeks after completion of first full year and R&R where applicable. Up to 3 weeks home-based work.  All Surge Team members must be available to travel overseas within 24 hours of being requested to deploy.

Location:            Members of Concern’s Surge Team will be typically deployed to various Concern country programmes for varying time periods, typically ranging from six weeks up to six months. When not deployed or on leave, team members will WFH.

Salary:                GB7 €70,088 to €77,875

About Concern: 

Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.  Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.  Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

Role Purpose:  

To respond quickly and flexibly to new and existing emergencies. To lead and manage programme support systems functions including: - HR, Administration, Logistics, Transport, IT and typically Security.

Responsibilities:

• In new emergencies or existing country programmes, develop and disseminate procedures, guidelines and manuals relating to transport, stores, logistics, procurement, administration, HR, security and IT, ensuring that they are understood and consistently applied across the relevant country programme team.
• Ensure that systems are planned and implemented in line with relevant organisational policy and procedures, and with those of our donors.
• Advise the Country Director and Country Management Team (CMT) on all policy matters related to systems as appropriate.
• Lead in the review and updating of the Security Management Plan to ensure that it is a relevant and appropriate to the operating context.
• Support the CMT in the planning and developing donor proposals.
• Represent Concern at various fora as required.
• Build productive relationships with relevant national government agencies.
• All managers are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• All managers are required to actively participate in any emergency response as and when required.

Emergency Response:

• Participate in emergency assessments.
• Lead the development and delivery of systems support in emergency response

Logistics & Transport:

• Ensuring efficient procurement of goods and services (local and international) in a planned, transparent and accountable manner, ensuring value for money and compliance with donor requirements.
• Supporting the team in rolling out the Logistics Manuals, including training and follow-on support.
• Supervising fleet management across the country, including sizing, monitoring of transport reports and vehicles maintenance plans.
• Responsible for overall stock and assets managements.
• Ensure the on-going management of the asset registers and inventory.

Administration & Office/Residence Facilities and Management:

• Overseeing the facilities and management of properties and contracts across the country programme.
• Ensure that visitors and new staff are provided with welcome packs, schedules and in-country briefings and these are updated regularly.
• Ensuring compliance with national level legislation in all contractual, financial, labour and taxation matters.
• Liaising with contracted lawyers to ensure legal actions or court cases are dealt with promptly and efficiently.

Financial Management:

• Ensuring adherence to Concern’s Finance policy and procedures, promoting transparency and accountability, and incorporating best practices in resource management.
• Ensuring consistent and realistic budgeting and management of resources by the systems departments and support programmes in planning and management of resources.
• Oversee the preparation of donor budgets to ensure that the timing and cost of planned systems support is accurately reflected.

Human Resources:

• Ensuring Concern HR policy and procedures are kept updated, incorporating best HR practice, in line with Concern’s organizational policy and following national labour legislation.
• Ensuring effective performance development through the use of the Performance Development Review system for direct reports, and in supporting teams in its use across the country programme.
• Providing support and supervision to teams regarding the use of complaints mechanisms and grievance and disciplinary procedures.
• Working with HR Manager on the annual staff training plan, ensuring the inclusion of training needs identified in Performance Reviews.
• In conjunction with the HR Manager and Finance team, ensure the timely preparation and accuracy of the national staff payroll.

Security:

• Support the Country Director in the management of security by ensuring periodic security reviews are undertaken and the Security Management Plan (SMP) is appropriate to the programme context and updated as necessary.
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the provisions of the SMP and that it is adhered to.
• Ensure the safety and security of programme offices and houses.
• Ensure that staff are trained and familiar with the uses of communications systems.
• Maintain close links with other relevant agencies (NGOs and UN) for the provision of security information and ensure information is regularly communicated to relevant staff.
• Ensure that protocols are in place in the case of hibernation and evacuation.
• Ensure that all new staff and visitors receive an in-country security briefing.

IT:

• Ensuring Concern’s IT policy and procedures are in place and adhered to.
• Through the IT officer, ensuring the provision of effective support systems, enabling the smooth operation of IT systems.
• Developing staff capacity to operate and manage IT systems in all offices.

Role Holder Requirements:

• Third level degree in a relevant discipline – Humanitarian, Business Administration, Supply chain etc.
• 5 years’ progressive overseas experience working in a systems role with at least 2 years overseas experience at senior management level within an international NGO.
• Experience of leading and managing a diverse team of senior/middle level staff including international staff.
• Proven strong management ability including being able to motivate and develop the skills of others.
• Proven experience of managing diverse & multi-systems functions including HR, Administration, Logistics, Transport, and IT.
• Emergency assessment and response experience.
• Experience of security management in insecure contexts.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including fluency in written and spoken English and a good working command in French.
• Willingness to travel frequently to rural and basic field locations.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences.
• Good knowledge and competence of different computer application.
• Flexibility, adaptability, sense of humour and patience.
• Ability to represent the organization.
• Ability to cope with stress, work under pressure often to strict deadlines.

To apply:  CVs should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by the closing date.

Please note that Concern Worldwide does not provide Visa sponsorship.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date. 

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.

Your Personal Data

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year.  Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on ensuring that the name of any employee or volunteer (existing or new), does not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). 

Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will only be made following a successful clearance check being conducted on the applicant and such checks may be updated periodically during the course of the period of employment. 

By submitting a formal application for paid or voluntary employment to Concern, you agree to Concern carrying out a clearance check as outlined above and that Concern will not proceed to recruit you should your name appear on any of the aforementioned lists

In certain circumstances, donors may request that personal data relating to employees to work on the activities that they fund be provided directly to them - so that they can perform their own counter terrorism checks. This may involve transferring some basic personal data outside the EEA. It will be a condition of your employment contract that Concern be allowed to share this information with institutional donors for these purposes.

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy

Please only apply for this position if you are satisfied with the proposed processing of your personal data as outlined above.