The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009.  With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia and Djibouti, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Support Services Manager will be responsible for the effective leadership and management of all support functions and ensures the smooth running of operations across the Somalia area in line with the DRC Operations Handbook and ensures close coordination with country office support services units in Addis Ababa.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Area Manager, the Support Services Manager will manage the support functions of the area office and ensure compliance with DRC procedures and guidelines within the area. The role contributes to the development of area strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to base operations.

Leadership, planning, and strategy

• Lead and manage the support service functions of Administration, Finance, Human Resources, and Supply Chain at area level
• Ensure that annual planning for area support services is done and deadlines / targets are met for support function deliverables
• Ensure continual coordination with country office to ensure country-wide consistency and adherence with DRC global and country requirements
• Ensure that project planning includes relevant support service requirements (such as lead times and appropriate budgets) and the Government of Ethiopia’s 70/30 budget requirement
• Ensure that resource mobilisation is realistic and meets the needs of support functions, by using the operations budget to input to donor proposals
• Ensure that support services are fit for purpose to meet programme needs and provide a supportive focal point to enable interventions and operations
• Be the support services focal point for the compliance self-check, risk register, internal audit and results contract

HR support

• Ensure that Human Resources processes for senior staff is supported and enabled
• Ensure monthly reports and produced and that targets are met by the department and provide a link to the HR coordination unit in Addis
• Ensure that quarterly tasks are completed on time (such as staff induction, Code of Conduct training and leave planning)
• Ensure that annual HR tasks are completed as per the Operations Handbook (e.g., Performance & Development Reviews)
• Streamline HR responses across departments (e.g., support on organogram development)
• Ensure the HR team fulfills daily tasks, such as recruitment, contract renewal/ amendments, timesheet submission and leave tracking

Administration support

• Ensure overall administration of the Dolo Ado area office and sub-office locations is enabled and fit for purpose
• Ensure administrative tasks are carried out in accordance with the area office needs and staff are consulted on their needs and requirements for smooth functioning of the programme
• Oversee the team to ensure follow up on routine tasks are carried out (guesthouse supplies, visa applications, phone credit purchase, utilities bill payments, rental and lease agreements)

Logistics and procurement support

• Ensure procurement procedures are followed while being the focal point for tenders together with the coordination unit (including being a committee member for most major tenders)
• Closely follow department KPIs and ensure that monthly report submissions are timely and of high quality
• Ensure programme supply chain planning is supported, including assisting with the development of procurement plans and attending grant kick off meetings
• Work with the Supply Chain TL to ensure each of the sub departments (procurement, fleet, assets, warehouse and IT) have targets and are meeting them, in line with Operation Handbook procedures

Finance

• Support the Area Manager in all aspects of financial planning, execution, monitoring, and compliance
• Primary budget planner and secondary budget holder for all support service lines
• Responsible for budget monitoring and forecasting for support service budgets
• Work with senior managers to monitor budget of all grants, holding bi-weekly budget follow up meetings
• Providing detailed analysis on budget variances to the AM and HOSS
• Work with finance to ensure programme teams clearly understand compliance requirements
• Conduct regular spot checks and provide feedback to Area Manager and programme managers / team leaders on areas in need of improvement
• Ensure that monthly finance tasks are completed (payroll, SOS, PIT, cashbooks and cash forecasts) and in line with Operations Handbook procedures
• Ensure that key annual finance tasks are completed according to schedule (such as annual reports, online platform reports, etc)

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master

DRC’s core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Requirements

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• A minimum of 3 to 5 years’ experience of financial, supply chain, human resources, administration or contractual management within international humanitarian and/or development aid.
• Proven ability to design and implement financial and contractual management systems, processes and procedures across diverse programmes
• Proven ability to lead and manage support services functions – administration, finance, human resources, and supply chain
• Strong experience in management of finance and budget monitoring, financial forecasting, and procurement / logistical functions to successfully implement projects.
• High-level communications and interpersonal skills.
• A demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships within a cross-cultural environment.
• Sense of humour and supportive attitude

EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses, etc.)

• Degree in a related field, such as financial management, accountancy, or program management.

LANGUAGE: (Indicate fluency level)

• Excellent verbal and written English
• Somalia language is an added advantage