Central Africa Operations Director, Addis Ababa, Kinshasa 109 views0 applications

WRI DRC is a national entity associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI work with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector to support policy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI work with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 35 years, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

Launched in 2016, WRI DRC continues our work in this country engaging in forest mapping to create Atlases. The Congo Basin Forest Atlases are a living forest information system, merging the latest technology in remote sensing and GIS with ground-truthing to monitor and sustainably manage forests.

Overview

We are associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization that spans more than 50 countries, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States. Our more than 500 experts and staff work closely with leaders around the world.

You will work closely with the operations support teams in Washington, DC to enable the smooth functioning of all core functions for our WRI DRC Office by building local staff capabilities and accessing global expertise in the Washington, DC and other international teams.

WRI is committed to ensuring gender equity across our program portfolios. As such, the Central Africa Operations Director is expected to incorporate attention to gender where appropriate.

Responsibilities

Establish and manage all operational processes for WRI’s project offices in DRC and ROC in accordance with each countries’ law and WRI policies including:

• Finance and accounting
• Risk Management
• Grants and Contract Stewardship and Compliance
• Registration & Legal Affairs
• Human Resources
• Office Administration
• Business Planning
• Information Systems
• Facilities

Management:

• Work with the Central Africa Regional Coordinator/CARPE COP to coordinate project and strategic planning across WRI’s DRC and ROC programs
• Lead overall development and implementation of operations procedures for DRC and Congo
• Manage operations staff (e.g. HR, Finance, Administration) and daily operations activities in DRC and ROC
• Participate in monthly Global Operations team meetings to include best management practices from the network to WRI’s work in Central Africa
• Officially represent WRI in DRC and ROC, when necessary

Finance and Compliance Lead:

• Ensure compliant functioning of all WRI’s offices in DRC and ROC by providing all the necessary operational support to program and operational staff
• Oversee the Finance and Accounting functions in the WRI’s DRC and ROC offices to ensure compliance with local accounting regulations and WRI systems as well as to ensuring separation of duties and controls
• Ensure sufficient capacity and oversight of compliance with the terms and conditions of all funding instruments
• Review financial statements and activity reports and other performance data of WRI’s DRC and ROC offices to measure operational productivity and outcome achievement and to determine areas needing cost reduction and program improvement
• Support the CARPE COP to direct and coordinate the organization’s financial and budget activities to fund operations, maximize outcome, and increase efficiency
• Work closely with individual project managers on an ongoing basis to ensure project grant financials and outcomes/deliverables are on track
• Support the Central Africa Grants and Finance Coordinator and CARPE COP to conduct quarterly financial reviews of program spending and revenue to minimize program risk of deficits or over-spending versus budget
• Oversee external auditing activities (for the entity and projects), including negotiation of work and fees.
• Support the Central Africa Grants and Finance Coordinator and CARPE COP to carry out the annual budgeting process for WRI’s DRC and ROC Offices
• Apply appropriate risk mitigation measures to ensure WRI’s DRC and ROC programs and records are compliant
• Ensure potential risk is registered

Human Resources Lead:

• Analyze and update HR-related policies for DRC and ROC, including compensation and benefits policies, to establish competitive programs and compliance with statutory requirements. Consult with the Global HR team and WRI Africa Operations Manager to ensure consistency with WRI policies as much as feasible under the law of each country
• Oversee job descriptions, recruitment activities, wages, fringe benefits and HR matters together with HR Manager and maintain coherence with other not-for-profit entities in Central Africa
• Support HR Manager in DRC/ROC to manage employee relations and help create a positive and productive work environment for all staff in their respective office
• Ensure WRI DRC and ROC staff have access to professional training and development opportunities
• Ensure onboarding process for new team members is completed on a timely basis
• Exchange information on a regular basis with the designated HR representative in the Washington, DC office

IT Lead:

• Develop or update project plans for information technology projects, in conjunction with WRI IT Director, including such information as project objectives, technologies, systems, information specifications and schedules
• Confer with the WRI Africa Forests Manager, WRI Africa Operations Manager and the IT support team in DC, and project personnel to identify and resolve problems

Administrative Lead:

• Manage all other operational functions and staff in the WRI’s DRC and ROC offices to ensure sufficient staff capacity and strong internal controls
• When necessary, represent WRI’s Regional Coordinator or CARPE COP at official events
• Oversee all the legal aspects of WRI’s DRC and ROC projects with external attorneys (Fiscal, statutory and labor aspects)
• Oversee all compliance, controls, financial and legal flows
• Ensure that Employee Handbook, Financial Procedures, Emergency Operations Plan and other Administrative Procedures are up to date and relevant to the needs of WRI’s DRC and ROC offices

Legal Lead:

• Working with external legal counsel, ensure remaining steps for official registration of WRI in DRC and ROC and ensure future compliance with national obligations are on track
• Ensure annual and or periodic reporting (as required) to the concerned authorities to be in compliance with all laws and regulations with WRI in DRC and ROC
• Work with the WRI Africa and Global Offices, as well as DRC/ROC Operations’ teams to ensure fulfillment of all legal and regulatory obligations across WRI’s operation areas
• Lead elaboration of memorandum of understanding with relevant partner institutions/organizations for WRI’s operational work in DRC/ROC
• Consult the Senior Gender Advisor for gender-related responsibilities specific to each position when developing job descriptions

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Masters’ degree in business management, public administration, or related field. An MBA or ACCA/CPA is preferrable
• Strong financial skills, with solid experience in financial planning, budget oversight, grants management, and oversight of sub-grants and contracts
• Detail-oriented and highly organized with at least 10+ years of hands-on experience in management and operations, ideally within an international nonprofit matrixed organization
• Adequate knowledge of financial and accounting requirements and rules, labor law, and latest regulations on international non-governmental organization
• Experience in building operational and accounting capacity. Bias toward innovation; experience developing new systems to improve efficiency or effectiveness
• Strong interpersonal skills and a passion to work with people across levels, functions, and programs to build a strong coherent institution
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French
• Good Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and Internet skills. Capability to learn and use software applications/databases that are used by WRI
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under pressure with tight deadlines. Flexible and able to work with minimal direction and supervision. Resourceful, creative, comfortable with ambiguity and results oriented. Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities
• Commitment to WRI’s mission and values
• Some international travel

How to Apply

Qualified applicants must apply online at careers.wri.org to be considered.

The World Resources Institute ( http://www.wri.org) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people’s lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI’s policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, parental status, protected veteran status, or disability. WRI’s global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI’s policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.