Ireland: Operations Coordinator

Background and role

Based in Head Office Dublin, the Operations Team is a part of GOAL’s Programmes Department. Working closely with the other HQ departments, the Operations Team:

· Serves as the primary representative of country offices in HQ, representing the field’s interests in relevant processes, fora and in response to ad hoc information requests;

· Ensures the supervision of programme direction and coherence with organisational mission, strategies and policies;

· Administers and coordinates a broad portfolio of grants and programmes and manages external communications with GOAL’s donors and partners;

· Maintains efficacious communication systems, managing the flow of data between the field and HQ and supporting the internal coordination of information across a range of HQ departments.

Reporting to the Deputy Head of Programmes (Operations), the Operations Coordinator provides leadership and guidance to the HQ Operations Team while ensuring the evolution of systems and delivery of key processes and projects within the department.

Key Functions:

· To assume line management responsibilities of the HQ Operations Desk and Programme Support Officers, providing guidance and leadership to the team;

· To supervise GOAL’s grant administration function, ensuring the continuing highest standards (and success rates) in all donor submissions, internal reporting and internal administration;

· To ensure the effective delivery of key Operations Department processes including the annual country strategic planning process and risk management;

· To lead the ongoing development of departmental systems, including Management dashboards and ICT based solutions, and support their bedding down into departmental processes;

· To effectively deliver a wide and varying set of departmental projects such as management of country closures and the data protection initiative;

· Contribute to the furtherance of GOAL’s partnership / localisation agenda.

Specific Functions:

Team Leadership

· Supervise, support, and mentor Desk Officers and the Programme Support Officer including monitoring time keeping, sick and annual leave, appropriate desk cover during leave; ensuring that staff are adequately challenged in their role and utilised effectively; etc.;

· Provide input on training and development needs and schedule the training and development of Operations dept. staff in conjunction with HR;

· Performance manage Ops Team members including regular coaching and rolling out the standard appraisal process;

· Facilitate recruitment and induction for Ops staff based in HQ.

Systems and processes management

· Maintain process oversight on the risk management process including establishing process schedules, supervising Desk Officers’ initial risk register reviews, supporting the consolidation of reports and guiding the review of senior management;

· Maintain process oversight on GOAL’s Annual Country Plan (ACP) process including agreeing schedules and templates and communicating and rolling out a cohesive multi-actor process ensuring adherence to timeframes;

· Develop programmatic systems and tools for use by field and HQ staff, including providing leadership to GOAL’s technology agenda as it relates to operations functions;

· Support the development and roll out of communication focused tools, strategies and content as necessary, including responsibility for maintaining accurate and up to date information on the GOAL intranet and internet (website – in conjunction with the Comms Department).

Grant Administration

· Support GOAL’s Head Office review process to ensure all field submissions of reports and proposals to donors continue be timely and meet the highest standards;

· Support weekly and quarterly reporting process, ensuring timely and relevant information is submitted and fed back to country programmes;

· Liaise with Finance Dept. and specifically the Senior Operations Accountant on overseeing and planning the timely review of concepts and proposal budgets to be submitted to donors.

· Ensure all donor registrations are kept accurate and up to date;

· Work with Desk Officers to ensure maintenance of accurate files of all project/programme documentation including maintenance of accurate project/programme information on the Grant Management System (GMS) and intranet country pages.

Project Management

· Assume responsibility for and effectively deliver a wide and varying set of departmental projects as they arise;

· Assume responsibility for overseeing any ongoing or future GOAL country closures ensuring the full implementation of GOAL’s country closure toolkit;

· Ensure full compliance with general data protection regulations in relation Operations Department functions and the bedding down of GOAL’s data protection processes in country programmes;

Other

· Contribute to the furtherance of GOAL’s partnership / localisation agenda via the provision of strategic and administrative support such as attending and following up on actions arising from GOAL’s Partnership Working Group; review and inputting to GOAL’s evolving partnership strategy; ensuring that the GMS is up to date with partnership information; etc.

· Maintain effective oversight on field grant management directly and via the Operations team.

· Facilitate the induction of new staff, coordinating input from Operations Department members as relevant;

· Undertake occasional field visits and schedule Desk Officer field visits in collaboration with Regional Directors and the DHOP;

· Prepare specific briefs on areas outlined above for Senior Management as required;

· Provide out-of-hours support when required.

Person Specification

Essential

· A minimum of 5 years work in the development and/or humanitarian sector.

· A minimum of 2 years’ working as an Operations Desk Officer or a Grant Manager for an INGO.

· Significant knowledge and understanding of donor compliance for key institutional donors such as EC, ECHO, USAID, OFDA, DFID, Irish Aid, UN agencies and others.

· Significant experience writing and submitting proposals to a wide range of key institutional donors such as EC, ECHO, USAID, OFDA, DFID Irish Aid, UN agencies.

· Very strong organisational and administrative skills with a particular focus on detail and quality assurance.

· Good team player able to work collaboratively in a busy and close-knit department.

· Excellent IT skills, notably in use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

· Fluent in spoken and written English with strong analytical skills.

· Appreciation of the aims and objectives of GOAL.

· Willingness and ability to work based out of GOAL’s HQ in Dublin.

Desirable:

· Fluency in a second language, preferably French, Spanish or Arabic.

Please apply here:
http://grnh.se/63pmfi1