Senior Operations Officer - Kaabong (Internal Advert)

 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

Mercy Corps has been present in Uganda since 2006, focusing its interventions on economic and agricultural development, maternal child health and nutrition, governance, conflict management and humanitarian response. In 2017, Mercy Corps had an impact on almost 1 million beneficiaries in Uganda through our work focusing on building resilience and enabling economic growth, improving opportunities to attain better health and nutrition, and improving governance and conflict management. Common themes include community engagement, inclusive development, gender, and working in partnership with local government, the private sector and civil society actors.

General Position Summary

The Senior Operations Officer will be responsible for the overall Operations management of Kaabong office and Karenga sub office. S/he will make sure that all programs in the field are fully supported timely and accurately. S/he is the key person for all the Kaabong Operations arrangements and coordination.

Essential Job Responsibilities.

Procurement:

• Has a full understanding of MC procurement policies and formats. Provide training to teams on these policies;
• Coordinate and support development of procurement plans with program management and teams.
• Ensure proper use of procurement thresholds and approval procedures.
• Ensure adherence to procurement time to award and support in coordinating supplier delivery time.
• Ensure that Mercy Corps’ procurement activities are legal and moral.
• Support Program and Operational personnel in monthly procurement planning meetings.
• Obtain quotations and bids from the market for PRs as per Mercy Corps standards and formats;
• Interact with contractors, in coordination with the Program.
• Ensure required documentation of transactions are completed to MC standards.
• Ensure proper Maintenance and updating Procurement PR Masterlist
• Track all outstanding commitments in the area of operations.
• Coordinate with the Finance Department to ensure that payments to vendors are made on-time and without any unnecessary strain on the financial systems of MC.
• Ensure constant revision of Supplier Database.
• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties in the procurement cycle is practiced and observed at all times.

 Security:

• Serve as the security focal point for the field office, and implement security policies appropriate for the local context
• Regularly update Security Bulletin Board
• Ensure all national and international staff are well-informed of security incidents, and those incidents are acted upon in a timely fashion
• Inform all staff on existing security related policies, including but not limited to emergency strategies and evacuation plans
• Train newly hired staff on Mercy Corps Security Standard Operating Procedures
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor

 Finance & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with donor and Mercy Corps regulations related to food security programming.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

Organizational 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 Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Accountability:  Accountable to all Mercy Corps policies and regulations as established by HQ and Mercy Corps Uganda 

Reports Directly to:  Operations Manager - Kotido

Supervisory Responsibility: Logistics officer and Administration officer Kaabong,

 

Works Directly with: Operations, Administration, Finance, Human Resources and Program Leaders and Team Members 

Ethics and Integrity

All Mercy Corps staff are expected to behave ethically and demonstrate highest integrity in their professional and personal life. Mercy Corps has zero tolerance to any form of fraud, corruption, abuse, harassment or exploitation. Any breach of our policies or misconduct will lead to disciplinary action or may lead to termination.

 

Knowledge and Experience

• The ideal candidate has Bachelor’s Degree in Procurement and Logistics Management, Business Administration, or a closely related field with international NGOs is an asset.
• A minimum of two years’ experience in field operations with strong organizational skills, ability to maintain the Operations filing system, ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel,
• Computer literacy i.e. proficiency in Microsoft Office and experience with using email.
• Excellent English oral and written skills, knowledge of Local language is an advantage
• Proven ability to solve problems independently without supervision

Success Factors

The Successful Senior Operations Officer will combine exceptional management skills and experience in building and maintaining relationships. S/he will have an ability to think creatively about operationalizing and improving the Operations function of the field office. S/he will have proven experience with cross-cultural team and capacity building, individual staff development and strong mentoring skills. Multi-tasking, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail as well as strategic vision are essential. 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. A good sense of humor and the ability to learn from mistakes also goes a long way!

Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours. 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 locations.

This advert is open until Monday, May 30, 2022