The Senior Director - Support Services, as a member of Senior Management Team (SMT), shares the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Nepal/Bhutan Country Office. The position holder will be accountable to the Country Director (CD) for government relationships and the provision of effective financial, security, information technology (IT) and admin services in both emergencies and development programming contexts.
Term and Location: Fixed term position (initially for 2 years) based in Kathmandu with travel requirements
Required Qualification: Chartered Accountant (CA) or Master in Business Administration (MBA) with at least 7 years management and leadership experience in a corporate or I/NGO environment including experience in the development of strategies and operational support service (Finance, Grant Management, IT and Office Administration) plans and their implementation
Key Areas of Accountability
1. As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to:
- Supporting and leading Country Office staff to ensure the effective delivery and control of key systems and functionalities of the country program
- Support the development of an organizational culture that reflects our dual mandate values; promotes accountability and high performance; encourages a team culture of learning; creativity and innovation and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our members and donors
- Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
- Help establish, maintain and improve active and regular working relationships with: host government authorities, partner agencies including humanitarian and development donors. and local and international NGOs
- Ensure Nepal/Bhutan Country Office complies with all Save the Children Management Operating Standards and Standard Operating Procedures
- Ensure 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
2. Finance and Grants Management
- Responsible for the overall Finance function, ensuring compliance with GAAP, SCI, donor accounting and financial reporting requirements
- Supervise Grants and compliance Director and ensure development, review and finalization of all project budgets and/or amendments, ensuring that these are in compliance with donor requirements, agency's internal financial guidelines, requirements of the SCI GMS and consistent with SCI programming principles and the Country Program Strategy Plan
- With the Grants Compliance unit, review contracts negotiations, consultancy agreements and provide guidance to strengthen budgeting and budget monitoring; and provide training and TA to Program managers and Finance & Administrative staff
- Ensure maintenance of timely and accurate accounts and financial internal control
- With key members of the support team visit Nepal/Bhutan sub offices on regular basis and provide training and technical assistance in the area job responsibilities
3. Information Technology
- Ensure that sophisticated, efficient, cost effective IT Systems are in place which is also in compliance with SCI policy and quality benchmarks
4. Staff Safety and Security
- Ensure that the staff and assets of save the Children are safe and secure
- Ensure that all safety and security minimum operating standards are met
- Coordinate preparation and implementation of staff security guidelines and support sub-offices in carrying out periodic security assessment and reports
5. Administration and Facilities Management:
- Supervise administrative function to ensure the smooth import of capital assets, monitor visa process for expatriate staff and liaison with government
- Manage office facilities - including telephone system, photocopier lease and maintenance, computer network and office supplies - ensuring the most environmentally friendly approaches are used
- Maintain office facilities to achieve the best working environment possible
- Oversee the overall maintenance of the office premises, facilities assets and equipment (physical work environment) and ensure that these are secure and efficiently utilized
- Review and annually update all contracts and leases before forwarding them to the Country Director for signature
- Ensure compliance with Health and Safety regulations
- Ensure adequate security for office premises and property
- Ensure that internal and external communications systems function effectively and efficiently
- Maintain records of insurance cover across the organization, ensuring adequate cover and keep up to date with suitability and types of cover available, conducting an annual review
- Support sub-offices by ensuring operations support - ensure there are mechanisms in place to support sub-office issues
6. Government Relationships
- Maintain strategic links with Government of key ministries at national, regional and district levels, identify opportunities and ensure Save the Children's participation in key activities of the national and provincial and local level government
- Ensure that Save the Children policies are coherent and relevant to current policies in and internationally
- Maintain / develop further relations with the government of and other relevant government related stakeholders in relation to support services
- Represent SC at high level and routine meetings with the government in relation to relationships
7. Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development - Support Services
- Ensure appropriate staffing within Support Services
- Ensure that all Support Services staff understand and are able to perform their roles in a Humanitarian response
- Manage Support Services team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
- Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
- Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result based system and follow up
- Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities
- Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance; documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans
- Encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Ability to plan and organize a substantial workload that includes complex, diverse tasks and res possibilities in both development and emergency contexts
- Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies
- Demonstrated credibility with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels of an organization
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
- Ability to express oneself succinctly, creatively and independently
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate skills in leading a multi- disciplined team through a period of change
- Leadership skills, including the ability to supervise and motivate qualified professional staff with strong personal value systems
- Analytical, decision making and strategic planning skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities
- Ability to coach, mentor, delegate appropriately and provide developmental guidance to supervised staff
- Team building skills
- Competent level skills in core IT applications, particularly MS Office
- A commitment to the values and principles of SC
- Experience of exposure to developing countries
- High level of commitment to the principles of development and to the organizational and programmatic goals of Save the Children
