Syria Program Operations Director (National) - Damascus

TITLE: Syria Program Operations Director (National)

TEAM/PROGRAMME:  Save the Children Syria Country Office Senior Management Team LOCATION: Damascus

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: 

Level 3:  the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE: 

The Program Operations Director shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Syria Country Office (SCO) programmes. The Program Operations Director in his/her capacity is responsible for the implementation of all programming in the Syria Country office, the management of all Area offices, emergency preparedness and response, awards management, partnership management, and supply chain for the SCO.

SCOPE OF ROLE: 

Reports to: Syria Country Director

Staff directly reporting to this post : 7

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:

• Leadership of the Syria Country Office
• Supports the development of an organisational culture that promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, supporting our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for colleagues, other members and donors
• Supports the design and implementation of a coherent organizational structure that is appropriate to program needs and consistent with agency practices 
• Ensure the Syria Country office complies with all Save the Children policies and procedures outlined in the Quality Framework where applicable
• Ensures that all required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office

Oversight and Management of Program Operations

• Responsible for overall coordination of Program Operations and delegated responsibility for field delivery of high quality programming in line with the objectives of the country strategy
• In close coordination with PDQ Director, Awards Director, and Finance/IT Director, participate in program proposal process and ensure that all programs progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed within time and on budget
• Working with PDQ Director, participate in conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high quality programs to serve difficult to reach children 
• Serve as overall budget holder for most programming; manage and support budget holders for individual projects and grants
• Ensure programs are implemented in ways responsive to the communities, and children in line with Save the Children principles, values and strategic plan and following Save the Children compliance procedures. This includes working with government and national NGO partners to strengthen national capacity
• Ensure preparation of timely and high quality progress reports, program reports, and donor reports 
• Oversee all field offices

Supply Chain

• Delegated responsibility for supply chain
• Ensure that the country office logistics capacity and systems meet the Essential Standards and are able to satisfy the programming requirements 
• Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency logistics procedures are detailed in the SRO Emergency Preparedness Plan in order to enable rapid scale up 
• Ensure goods and services procured are cost effective and of standard quality and procurement processes are effectively implemented
• Ensure proper record keeping, maintenance and control of inventory and proper documentation and recording of fixed assets of the organisation

Emergency Response Management 

• Ensure that the Syria Country Area Offices are ready to respond to emergencies in line with global emergency goal and benchmarks 
• Ensure that the Country Office designs, updates and implements a full set of emergency preparedness actions, drawing on member input and resources
• Ensure that all staff across departments and area offices are familiar with, adhere to and implement the procedures and processes detailed in the Rules and Principles for emergency response
• Ensure early warning systems are in place

Awards Management

• Responsible for delivering an efficient and effective award management function for the SRO 
• Define the strategic direction of the awards management unit and undertake effective planning that supports the unit to establish and maintain an efficient and effective awards management process
• To use key performance indicators and other management information to identify and address operational issues that could impact negatively on the delivery of programmes

Partnership Management

• Through management of Partnerships team, ensure creation of strong partnership management systems across SRO 
• Support partners to be in a position where they own CSG, fraud, anti-terrorism and whistle-blowing risk

Representation and Networking

• Interact regularly with the international donor and NGO community to ensure awareness of SC programmes and to collect up to date information about the plans and programmes of other actors.
• Deputize for the Syria Country Director in his/her absence 
• Be pro-active in networking with national and international organizations, service providers to strengthen our operational and resource base

Supervise and manage programme staff

• Ensure appropriate staffing at all levels of the programme department 
• Ensure appropriate gender and ethnic diversity within the programme team.
• Ensure that programme staff have clearly defined objectives and understand their responsibilities.
• Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result based system and follow up
• Ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for programme staff
• Encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation.

SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• Future orientated, thinks strategically.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, other Members and external partners and supporters
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• Willing to take disciplined risks 

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential:

• The incumbent is an experienced country or operations manager (10 + years) with significant field management/operations experience running both emergency and development programmes
• Robust experience of NGO emergency programme cycle management, and with experience of working within a complex and matrix organisation structure
• A very good understanding of at least 3 of the sectoral programmes and a working knowledge of the programme priorities of the Country Office. 
• Substantial team management experience, ideally including remote line management of teams
• Significant knowledge of international humanitarian systems, institutions and donors, and of procedures, accountability frameworks and best practices in emergency management 
• Substantial experience and knowledge of effective financial and budgetary control and securing and managing grants from major institutional donors 
• Solid project management skills related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results.
• Ability to analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically. 
• Previous experience of managing and developing a team and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others. 

Desirable:

• Post graduate/ Masters degree in development or other social sciences 
• An in depth understanding of national and international development issues in particular in relation to children. 
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills. 
• Fluency in written and spoken English. 
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches

The Organization
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard. We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
· No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
· All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
· Violence against children is no longer tolerated
We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
Application Information:
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations. A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/jobs We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.