Deputy Country Director For Operations

The IRC operates in 8 governorates in Lebanon with a Country Office in Beirut and 4 Field Offices located in Zahle, Tyr, Tripoli and Qobeiat. Part of the Syria Response Region, the IRC has been operating in Lebanon since 2012 to assist refugees and host communities in multiple sectors, including education, women's protection and empowerment, protection, livelihoods, and economic recovery. The IRC's portfolio in Lebanon currently exceeds $25million. The overall security situation in Lebanon remains dynamic and unpredictable due to reasons of insecurity, weak governance, political polarization and poor socio-economic conditions. SCOPE OF WORK Reporting to the Country Director (CD) and serving as a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the Deputy Country Director, Operations (DDO) provides leadership, direction and coordination of all Program Support functions in the Country Office. These include Risk Management, Supply Chain, Field Management, Safety & Security, Administration, and Information Technology. A significant part of the DDO responsibility is the oversight of sound field management practices to reduce risk and ensure compliance with donor and IRC policies. SUMMARY OF KEY FUNCTIONS: Contribute to organizational strategic planning, and overall coordination efforts; Provides strategic direction of Operations; Effective day-to-day management of program support functions; Oversee performance of organizational systems; Ensure partnership building on operational issues; Enable durable programming and operational resilience.   REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS AND COORDINATION Reports to: Country Director Direct Reports: Supply Chain Coordinator, Safety & Security Coordinator, Two Senior Field Managers, IT Manager and a Senior Field Officer. Coordinates with Internal: Deputy Director for Programs (DDP),  Finance Controller, Grants Coordinator, Human Resources Coordinator, Regional Units, and HQ Support Departments External:  NGO forums, UN agencies, Government bodies, community stakeholders RESPONSIBILITIES Overall Management & Leadership Serve as an active member of the Senior Management Team and deputize for the Country Director when he/she is out of the country or on leave Participate in strategic planning and direction setting for IRC in Lebanon Work with CD and DDP to identify opportunities for program expansion and support development of funding proposals Work closely with the Country Director and other members of the SMT to ensure that a strong partnership is developed and maintained between Operations, Program, Finance and HR staff at both the Country and Field levels Lead the development and revision of program support and operational policies, procedures and systems Advises senior management on operational issues affecting program delivery and overall operations Identifies approaches and modalities to achieve management targets and increased cost-effectiveness Keep CD informed of status, information, needs, and concerns related to all operational aspects Drive  oversight of operational support costs, and sound field management practices Directs the integration, management and planning of country operations according to IRC principles and donor guidelines and ensures that these services are completed in a timely manner and within budget Ensure all new proposals have received thorough Operations review and appropriate operations platform is maintained Be the security focal point for IRC in Lebanon working closely with the senior management team to implement security policy. Operational Management and Compliance Develop and implement operational strategic action plans Assure effective monitoring of IRC operational systems and processes in programming areas Drive development and utilization of effective compliance monitoring processes Conduct analysis of organizational staffing needs and structure in coordination with human resources (HR) Play an active role in preparing for internal and external operational audits, and lead implementation of actions to address audit findings Develop a comprehensive dash board to ensure follow-up and analysis is updated on a monthly basis in all operational and program areas (i.e., finance, administration, Human Resources, Supply Chain, IT, Security, etc.) Work with appropriate units to ensure timely and appropriate follow-up to violations of IRC's Code of Conduct Resources Management Responsible for maintaining and improving resource management in the Country Office (CO) Identifying both short and long term resource needs and translate these into objectives and priorities Advise and inform the CD in regards to the development, monitoring and assessment of the ongoing programs in terms of resource management Participate in drafting project proposals, and on the use of resources according to budgets and policies Establish and improve resource management procedures according to IRC standards and guidelines Ensure the overall planning of the resources, including the reviewing and updating of the country strategy in consultation and collaboration with the SMT Risk Management Coordinate the activities of the Risk Management Unit and serve as the Risk Management Lead in the CO Lead cross-departmental risk identification and mitigation actions that align with organizational and regional risk-management initiatives Advise and instruct SMT on risk management practices Provide input, including operational risk analysis and recommendations related to operational support budgeting and spending and effectiveness of in-country reporting and planning systems Serve as liaison to legal counsel/lawyer(s), as assigned by CD Field Management & Control Supervise Senior Field Managers/Officers in Zahle, Qobeiat, and Tripoli Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in field office operations Model strong communication and collaboration lines between Field Management teams and programs staff Deliver responsive and appropriate levels of in-person and remote support to all field offices on operational matters, including coordination of HR, Finance and Supply Chain functions as necessary Maintain a management information system that effectively captures performance data from all field offices. Work with Field Management teams and SMT to proactively identify, analyze and respond to trends either through reinforcement or corrective action Participate in the development and/or review of proposals to ensure that operational concerns, requirements and resource needs are captured and reflected Supply Chain, Procurement & Administration Supervise the Supply Chain Coordinator, and provide indirect oversight and support to the Administration team Ensure that the Supply Chain team provide efficient support to the programs and does so in accordance with IRC and donors policies and procedures Verify that Administration and Supply Chain policies and procedures are documented, disseminated and consistently applied across the country program Oversee external financial commitments, including procurement contracts and lease agreements for offices, guesthouses and warehouses to ensure compliance Lead the Administration and Supply Chain staff in developing and managing mechanisms to ensure that all operational units are interacting well with each other, as well as with the Regional Office, Global Supply Chain (GSC), and between program and operations teams Guide Supply Chain staff in partnering effectively and cooperatively with other units to improve planning and resource utilization. Work with program staff to undertake procurement planning and identification of operational support needs Ensure full proactive involvement of key processes with the finance department including budget preparation, budget versus actual report input and necessary information for operational budget accuracy Safety & Security By delegation of the CD, lead the Safety and Security function in the CO, including: Supervise the Safety & Security Coordinator and provide indirect supervision of local security leads Directly guide and coordinate the National Security Management Plan, ensuring thorough and up-to-the-minute measures for prevention of incidents and preparedness for all eventualities Directly guide and coordinate in-country care of all expat personnel and visitors, including arrangements for housing, travel, benefits, and healthcare Ensure mitigation of risk faced by IRC staff in their work environment to a feasible degree as per the context Deliver effective oversight of Safety & Security management systems and processes, including country Security Management Plans (SMPs) and SOPs, are in place, updated on regular basis and are contextually appropriate, and easily accessible to staff and they are implemented by all staff at all locations, . Support the Regional Safety & Security Advisor to periodically review the Lebanon country program security management system Identify trends in security threats through sharing regular contextual analysis with the SMT and work to formulate appropriate response strategies Under the CD guidance, coordinate the CO Crisis Management process in the event of critical incidents Ensure security requirements are factored into programming and required security assessments are conducted for the program locations Champion, model and maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program, including trainings and briefings that prepare all country program staff for security incident prevention and response Financial Planning and Cost Control In coordination with the Finance Controller: Provide input to the Country Director on potential areas of concern related to: operations spending; effectiveness of in-country reporting and planning systems; and Field Management oversight of expenditures and adherence to financial requirements Review operating budget and strategy planning as part of the annual fiscal year process prior to submission and periodically throughout the fiscal year As requested by the Country Director, provide input to audit issues and corrective action plans Information Technology Supervise the IT Manager and ensure effective technical support is available to meet the needs of the country program Verify that information technology policies and procedures are documented, disseminated and consistently applied across the country program at all sites Oversee consistent application of appropriate data management and data security principles and procedures across all field office sites Liaise with regional and HQ IT staff to ensure implementation and on-going oversight and management of information systems operation, including network administration, hardware and application management, security, user support and Disaster Recovery strategies Staff Performance Management and Development Supervise, coach and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews Provide constructive feedback, professional development and capacity-building plans for all direct reports Promote and monitor staff care and well-being Coordination & Representation Represent IRC Lebanon on relevant national and local coordination forums Ensure proactive communication with the Regional Safety and Security Advisor, Regional Supply Chain Director, Regional Unit and New York HQ Support Departments as appropriate As appropriate interface with relevant government authorities and other external stakeholders  Returning National Candidates:  We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Syria Response Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation,   return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs.