External Advert-Deputy Country Director Business Support 213 views2 applications

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

That means we tackle the inequality that keeps people poor. Together we save, protect and rebuild lives. When disaster strikes, we help people build better lives for themselves, and for others. We take on issues like saving lives, governance and peace building, education, land rights and discrimination against women. And we won’t stop until every person on the planet can enjoy life free from poverty.

We are an international confederation of 19 organisations (affiliates) working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

All our work is led by three core values: Empowerment, Accountability, Inclusiveness. To read more about our values please click here

The Role

Oxfam has been working in South Sudan since 1983. Our Programmatic Strategy concentrates on saving lives, Resilient Livelihoods, Advancing Gender Justice and Good Governance and Active Citizenship through a full spectrum platform that includes humanitarian response, recovery and resilience, long term development and policy and advocacy. Oxfam currently operates via seven area offices nine former states (Upper Nile, Jonglei, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria and Western Bahr-el-Ghazal, and Northern Bahr el Gazal. It also works in partnership with several national organisations and community groups.

Position: Deputy Country Director-Business Support

Location: Juba

Grade & Level: B2 Global

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Number of post: 1

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Represents Oxfam corporately and manages and influences significant and high-profile external relationships in specific operational business support fora. Moreover, the post-holder represents Oxfam in coordination meetings and with external stakeholders—particularly government authorities such as the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) and state authorities at field-level, when required—and Oxfam NNGOs partners
• Working closely with colleagues within the Country programme as well as with the EA-Node and the HECA Regional Platform, the post-holder will have strong cross-organizational relationships with various work groups including humanitarian and development team, advocacy & policy staff, technical units and business support units, besides being a member of the SMT
• As part of the country leadership and senior management team in the country, develop strong matrix links with other country programme teams, relevant HECA regional staff and relevant International Department staff in order to develop and deliver Oxfam in South Sudan Country Strategy
• Deputise for the Country Director as required in his/her absence or whenever necessary.

STRATEGIC VISION:

• Develops long-term vision and strategic planning to achieve significant impact from major operational business support units by providing leadership, through setting and leading the delivery of specified programme units and/or team objectives.
• Plans and manages human and financial resources and processes related to specific programme units and/or area of expertise. Management tasks and problems are diverse and complex and involve a significant degree of risk (financial, security, brand).
• Produces, assimilates, analyses and uses information from varied and diverse sources to provide in-depth analysis in the specific business support units or policy area.
• Decision-making is strategic and operational with a high degree of judgement based on specific problem-solving experience, drawing on a range of external and internal factors.
• Leads the alignment of Oxfam’s operational business support units with Oxfam global policies and processes and ensures effective harmonisation, providing effective solutions to complex legal and context specific country issues.
• Assists the CD in the formulation, organisation and delivery of high-level business support processes, including legal, compliance and countrywide policy issues in line with Oxfam’s country and global policy and the country legal framework.
• Provides necessary support for the formulation of fundraising plans and follow up for the business support units and ensures proper reporting and accountability internally and external to multilateral and bi-lateral funders as per guidelines.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Ensure a strong link and mainstreaming of activities between the assigned departments, maximising their performances and effective use of resources through coordination and strategic guidance.
• In close collaboration with the HR Team and heads of operational business support teams, identify staffing needs, support recruitment of staff and manage the performance and development of all direct reports, ensuring performance objectives are produced and worked to, including identification and effective delivery of training and development needs.
• Ensure all Oxfam staff and programmes are familiar with and abide by the Oxfam’s Code of Conduct, Oxfam International standards and procedures and other regulatory codes and best practices for operational business support functions.
• Travel frequently to work with the field teams.

PROGRAMME SUPPORT

• Work closely with the DCD – Programme to ensure effective support services and integration of business support in programme implementation with focus on the One Programme Approach
• Develop and/or implement cost effectiveness frameworks (e.g. HR policies and procedures; systems and tools that promote internal and external accountability in Logistics) that will promote maximisation of impact from limited programme resources while creating innovative approaches to operations management to achieve organisational effectiveness
• Propose organisational ways of working including working through partnerships with NNGOs.

SPECIFIC SUPPORT TO OPERATIONAL BUSINESS UNITS

Information Systems (IS)

• Provide support and guidance on organisation of IS resources to ensure an appropriate use and compliance to Oxfam policies, with regards particularly to GDPR, data protection and information management;
• Provide oversight management to ensure quality IS services to Oxfam in South Sudan operations country wide in a cost-efficient manner, with focus on laptop management;
• Provide leadership and support to IS related policy development, business cases, documentation, reporting and audit issues as necessary.

Human Resources

§ Provide support and guidance on appropriate use and compliance with Oxfam GB HR policies, so to ensure minimum standards in recruitment, induction, performance management, staff development, compensation and benefits, succession plans and staff health & safety for Oxfam in South Sudan country programme

§ Provide leadership in human resource policy update and adaptation for Oxfam in South Sudan Country Programme to ensure that they are effective and meet programme needs.

§ Provide detailed advice and problem resolution (including direct 1:1 manager case work support) on complex and sensitive policy interpretation and procedural issues to managers and employees and HR colleagues

§ Develop and lead on the Country recruitment and resourcing strategy and influence senior management thinking and behaviours on this, ensuring that people management is central to this.

§ Proactively support Senior Managers (and HR Officers in areas of responsibility) on recruitment and resourcing based on efficient networking, adapted to use of the latest corporate HR recruitment tools and techniques.

§ Develop and maintain an in-country database with potential candidates for Oxfam in South Sudan, based on pro-active outreach amongst Oxfam staff registers globally and regionally as well as external and intra-agency networking and contacts.

§ Supervise the administration process related to the recruitment and resourcing process to ensure it is compliant with agreed performance levels and legal requirements, across all the following range of HR processes, with focus on:

• Attracting, retaining and developing the people needed to enable delivery of the Country Strategy
• Talent management
• Induction and Exit
• Workforce planning – manage organograms and advises CD on future staffing needs in coordination with the HR Manager
• Job evaluation, Pay and Reward (including the negotiation of starting salaries); Compensation, Pension and Benefits Contract
• Coordinate the in-country succession planning and employee engagement strategies.
• Regularly produce HR management information for CD and Senior Managers.

§ Provide leadership and support to HR and admin related policy development, business cases, documentation, reporting and audit issues as necessary.

Administration & Legal and Regulatory Compliance

• Provide leadership and representation on legal and regulatory issues and ensure effective follow up of a wide range of internal (e.g. Tax Exemption Certificate) and external (e.g. Control Self-Assessment) compliance issues.
• Supervise the efficient management of office and accommodation space across the country programme.

Logistics

• Provide support and guidance on organisational logistics resources to ensure an appropriate and strategic use, management and compliance with Oxfam policies.
• Provide oversight management to ensure quality logistics services to Oxfam in South Sudan operations country wide in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
• Follow-up on logistics process and operations ensuring effectiveness and development as needed of systems in place and compliance with minimum standards and policies.
• Provide leadership and support to logistics related policy development, business cases, documentation, reporting and audit issues as necessary.

Counter-fraud

• Provide support and guidance on counter-fraud resources to ensure an appropriate and strategic use, management and compliance with Oxfam policies, with focus on:

o Internalization of Oxfam Code of Conduct

o Implementation of mandatory procedures to govern corruption (such as: Fraud and Theft Response Plan; Fraud Investigation Toolkit and Anti- fraud and Theft Policy)

• Ensure the existence of the in-country Counter-fraud Champions Network
• Supervise country-led investigations—through a pool of trained investigators or assist the HECA Region Counter-fraud Specialist, when an investigation is handled externally
• Induct new hires and NNGO partners on counter-fraud, while continuously conducting refresher trainings to staff to minimise staff’s rationalisation, motivation and opportunity to commit fraud.

Safe-guarding

• Provide support and guidance on safe-guarding resources to ensure an appropriate and strategic use, management and compliance with Oxfam policies, with focus on:

o Internalization of Oxfam Code of Conduct

o Implementation of mandatory procedures to govern safe guarding (such as: One Oxfam PSEA Policy; One Oxfam Child Safeguarding Policy)

• Ensure the existence of the in-country Safe Guarding Focal Points Network
• Supervise country-led investigations—through a pool of trained investigators or assist the Oxford Safe guarding Team, when an investigation is handled remotely
• Induct new hires and NNGO partners on safe guarding, while continuously conducting refresher trainings to staff to implement Oxfam’s zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

INTERNAL COORDINATION, CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT

• Provide technical support to Oxfam in South Sudan team members within areas of specialisation as required, including delivering /organising in house training as appropriate.
• Facilitate gap analysis and work with SMT to develop and lead on the overall development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of realistic and sustainable capacity building plans for the Administration, HR, Logistics and IT team at country and field levels.
• Motivate the business support team to work interactively with the programme team and to come up with innovative solutions and systems that allows the programme to serve its overall goal.
• Ensure the experience and expertise of different team members is used in the strategic development and implementation of Oxfam in South Sudan Country Operating Model (COM) using their respective experiences and skills effectively in further developing the operational support function for Oxfam in South Sudan Programme
• Ensure that the effectiveness, impact and direction of the operational business functions is regularly monitored, reviewed, evaluated and can be learned from, and report any findings regularly to the Country Director, Africa EA Node, Regional Centre, donors and others as appropriate.

TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• Masters / Post-graduate academic qualification on Business Administration, Human Resources, Logistics or related discipline preferably in relief/development work with management and supervisory responsibilities in program operations at senior management level; South Sudan or fragile context experience considered an advantage
• Relevant experience of 7 – 10 years for Master’s or Post-graduate holders or 10 + years for Bachelor holders, preferably in an international NGO out of which at least 5 years should be supervisory/managerial experience
• Experience of leading the implementation of operational improvements and the persistence to achieve change in a challenging environment
• Good understanding of information systems and information technology with a sound knowledge of their development and capabilities
• Leadership qualities and people management expertise to provide direction and effective support to a multidisciplinary and multicultural team
• Strong commitment to Oxfam’s purpose, a broad understanding of the work culture in the “development” sector and its impact on key areas of responsibility and a commitment to humanitarian principles and action
• Effective verbal and written communication skills in English, including high-level interpersonal and representational capabilities
• Ability to operate and think strategically, coupled with proven analytical skills and the use of these to problem solve and make firm decisions
• Understanding of gender and diversity considerations within key areas of responsibility and commitment to address inequalities in the workplace and the programme
• Committed to rights-based approach including an active commitment to putting women’s rights at the heart of all we do as well as the rights of other marginalized people in all aspects of an organization