Operations Manager Masters Job

This is a local hire position: salary and benefits will align with local terms and conditions in Kenya or Nigeria. All candidates must be work- authorized in the country where they are applying.

Functional Relationships

Helen Keller has a matrixed reporting structure. Regular communication and a spirit of teamwork are essential to make this structure thrive.

Reporting to the Transforming Lives through Nutrition Associate Director, Operations and Finance, the Operations Manager will collaborate with colleagues across program and operations in global management and in multiple country program offices to achieve efficient and effective program operations.

The TLTN portfolio is managed by a central Program Management Team (PMT) with support of technical experts from across the organization. The PMT and the Operations Manager will provide guidance to and coordinate the activities of country office teams. This position will liaise with country project teams and their operations colleagues to facilitate the integration of all facets of the program operations work with the common goal of ensuring that the procurement, administration, and subaward administration activities are achieved in timely and effective manner in full adherence with the donor requirements and organizational policies and procedures.

Key Responsibilities

Administration & Procurement


Act as central point of contact for country office operations colleagues to guide and oversee the efficient and compliant procurement of program commodities and equipment procurement and manage supply chain logistics.
Coordinate and track processes conducted by country office teams; troubleshoot matters arising; support teams by conducting research and providing information to support compliance with Helen Keller policies and procedures.
Facilitate import customs clearance and warehousing solutions when required.
Flag potential problems and bottlenecks to senior staff, as needed.
Manage procurement of goods and services on behalf of the central program team.
Coordinate international travel and necessary documentation for the central team.
Establish clear agendas and protocols for donor visits to project sites. Liaise with country offices to coordinate logistics
Liaise with People & Culture on recruitment processes, staff learning and development activities, and other Human Resources actions, as needed.


Coordination


Organize and manage logistics of global Transforming Lives gatherings and events. Liaise with counterparts on other program teams, as needed.
Continually refine and document coordination processes among implementing country offices, the central team, and relevant global units regarding portfolio administration. Document workflows, develop job aids, and train colleagues, as needed.
Model collaboration for your matrixed team: effectively consult and inform colleagues to maximize efficiency and knowledge sharing; and integrate guidance and direction from subject matter experts in your team and elsewhere in the global organization to maximize performance.
Ensure accountability to clients, partners, colleagues and donors by providing ongoing feedback in a context of mutual respect.
Contributing to mitigating risks and resolving issues proactively, including identifying potential challenges in logistics, budgets, or team dynamics and coordinating with cross-site colleagues for developing solutions to maintain operational momentum.


Post-Award Management


Guide country office colleagues to prepare and manage sub-awards and review for quality and timeliness. Provide training, as needed.
Coordinate scheduling and track work assignments to support the PMT to prepare and submit high quality donor reports and track donations in a timely manner.
Maintain award and program management systems. Contribute to the ongoing improvement of those systems. Document workflows, develop job aids, and train colleagues, as needed.
Working closely with the Grants &C Contracts unit and Transforming Lives Help manage the set up and issuance of timely subawards monitoring of sub-awards, ensuring subawards are managed effectively and activities and expenditures align with donor expectations and internal policies.


Required Qualifications and Competencies


Demonstrated experience of at least three years at Manager level or above in a similar project including the ability to:
Prepare and manage subawards.
Ensure compliance with donor and organizational requirements.
Arrange complex travel and meeting logistics.
Procure goods and services in accordance with donor and organizational requirements.
Collaborate across departments and program partners to integrate all aspects of operations with the work of program teams to meet program outcomes and fulfill objectives established in awards.
Coordinate and supervise administrative, and operational staff. Experience working with remote teams across multiple project sites a strong plus.
Continually improve processes and systems to achieve greater efficiency and collaboration.
Train colleagues on processes and systems and support them with clear documentation and job aids.
Very good oral and written English language skills sufficient to prepare routine business correspondence and status reports.
Ability to communicate in French a strong plus.
Excellent interpersonal skills, including an ability to communicate effectively across cultures.
Highly computer literate including knowledge of Microsoft office suite or equivalent and advanced Excel skills.
. Well-established and practiced organizational and planning skills.


Ability and willingness to:


flex schedule to accommodate availability of colleagues in other time zones;
travel occasionally to project country offices and/or to program workshops..


NOTE: All staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to travel internationally.


Collaborative, flexible and solution oriented. An ability to maintain balance when under stress.
Demonstrable respect for all persons regardless of religion, ethnicity, class or gender, with a high comfort level working in a diverse environment with a demonstrated commitment to high professional ethical standards.
Personal commitment to Helen Keller's mission and the values embodied by our namesake and co-founder: courage, integrity, rigor, and compassion.


Qualifications


Master's degree in business administration, financial management, logistics, or a relevant field; plus
Minimum of 6-8 years of directly relevant experience or equivalent combination or education and experience.

Founded in 1915, Helen Keller International is dedicated to saving the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. We combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing programs based on evidence and research in vision, health and nutrition.
We currentl... read morey have more than 180 programs in 21 African and Asian countries.
Part of this work is focused on preventing blindness and vision loss for millions of vulnerable people through cataract surgery, vision correction, vitamin A supplementation, screening and treatment for diabetic retinopathy, and distribution of treatments and cures for neglected tropical diseases.
We also work to reduce malnutrition by promoting solutions aimed at improving nutrition practices for millions of families. These include vitamin A supplementation, maternal and child nutrition education, fortification of staple foods with essential nutrients, globally recognized family-led agricultural programs, and community based management of acute malnutrition.
Helen Keller International also reaches tens of thousands of under-served youth in the United States each year through ChildSight®. This unique program provides free vision screenings and prescription eyeglasses to students living in poverty in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio.