Head of Office Vacancy Announcement
1. Eldoret - Rift Valley
2. Thika - Central Kenya
Mercy Corps is implementing the Local Empowerment for Peace (LEAP), YES YOUTH CAN and a WESTERN UNION Funded Financial Literacy program in Rift Valley.
The programs pursue different objectives with a heavy focus on Peace building and Youth empowerment.
Mercy Corps is working toward realizing the various objectives by building and strengthening sustainable local mechanisms for conflict mitigation and reconciliation, and supporting youth empowerment and community reconstruction project activities.
Mercy
Corps has recently been awarded a 3-year program under USAID’s Yes
Youth Can initiative, covering six regions in Kenya; Western, Nyanza,
Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast.The core of this program is a Youth Innovate for Change Fund (YICF), which will be a youth-owned, youth-led and youth-managed financial facility to support local solutions for community economic development as it grows in value.
This program aims to appropriately empower Kenyan youth (18-35yrs) to strengthen their socio-economic and political stakes through youth-led and managed initiatives and institutions.
The YICF will in the first three years provide sustainable financial and skills development assistance to approximately 200,000 youth through a variety of youth-identified social and economic community development projects.
General Position Summary:
The Head Office is to provide general management and leadership for all program support functions. Head of Office will be responsible for the oversight and coordination for Mercy Corps’ support areas in Rift Valley and Central Kenya.
Oversight includes: managing procurement, logistics and office HR /administration activities to ensure adequate support is given to program activities in line with donor and Mercy Corps compliance requirements. Head of Office will be responsible for the day to day coordination of operation related activities.
S/he is will be the security focal point for Rift Valley and central offices, and is responsible for the security information, procurement, and logistics links within the Nairobi country office. Head of Office—Rift Valley is responsible for proactive and informative communications with Mercy Corps staff in the Eldoret, Kericho and Nakuru offices.
Essential Job Functions:
- Oversee the smooth flowing of routine, administrative work of the Mercy Corps office and program support operations.
- Will work daily with support staff i.e.: logistics, finance, transport and HR/administration departments to ensure proper daily support functions and compliance with MC and donor policies;
- Ensure adherence to Mercy Corps administrative procedures by support and program staff;
- Oversee daily office activities
- Conduct meetings and receive routine reports from support functions of the Rift Valley offices, as per MC policies, including assets, procurement, warehousing, and human resources
- Advice the operations Director as required, Project Managers and other staff on the government policies and procedures, taxation and on interaction with the government;
- Assist Human Resources Manager, as required, in the evaluation and organization of trainings for staff to ensure they are properly trained to complete MC objectives.
- Assist HR, as required, in identification of personnel needs of national staff, and advice and participate in recruitment, selection, service contracts and remuneration of national personnel.
- Maintain and advise on appropriate security systems and procedures and ensure all staff adheres to these procedures
- Facilitate Security Management Team (SMT) meetings in Rift Valley and ensure information is disseminated to all staff, with the D being kept informed. Director of operations.
- Provide a security briefing to all new staff (advising on current security phase of Rift Valley)
- Assist the Director of Operations and as required, in developing strategies to continue work in times of heightened security.
- Ensure that all necessary measures are taken to provide MC employees with a staff working environment as detailed in existing guidelines, including responsibility of fire regulations and building evacuation procedures.
- Promote learning and advancement opportunities for all operations staff.
- Acceptance of visitor and vehicles to MC premises. Receiving of mail etc.
- Facilitate any incident reporting requirements as required. Maintain a filing system.
- Will represent Mercy Corps, as advised by supervisor, in local governments and authorities and at routine security meetings/briefings in Rift Valley.
- Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its mission.
- Other duties as assigned
- Facilitate, when necessary, on all aspects of asset management and asset caretakers including their use, location and return - conduct investigation for any missing assets or items unaccounted for;
- Manage with an emphasis on excellence and achievement; encourage a team culture of respect, tolerance, sensitivity, and creativity.
As
part of Mercy Corps’ agency-wide Organizational Learning Initiative,
all team members are responsible for spending 5% of their work time in
formal and/or non-formal professional learning activities.
Accountability: Director of Operations
Reports Directly To: Director of Operations
Works Directly With: COP’s Operations staff, Finance, Program Managers.
Knowledge and Experience:
Accountability: Director of Operations
Reports Directly To: Director of Operations
Works Directly With: COP’s Operations staff, Finance, Program Managers.
Knowledge and Experience:
- Business administration or commerce human resource management as added advantage.
- 5 years direct management of support functions experience in a conflict development context.
- Experience with security management in remote insecure environments
- Sound knowledge of procurement, logistics, HR and administration procedures
- Demonstrated understanding of Mercy Corps programs and Sphere indicators.
Success Factors:
- Ability to provide leadership and direction to a team in an insecure environment and tense situations.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate, take direction, assume leadership, and make rational decisions while working remotely from country leadership.
- Ability to provide direction in many of the technical requirements of running an office, i.e., IT management, logistics and finance systems, compound management.
- Effective communication and team-building techniques.
- Ability to train and facilitate dialogue among a diverse group of individuals with various skill sets and work styles.
- High motivation, initiative, and adaptability.
- A passion and commitment to working in conflict settings and host communities to make concrete improvements to their livelihoods and living conditions.
- An ability to live and work successfully in remote and challenging settings with limited resources.
- Strong diplomacy skills in managing a team with different backgrounds, abilities, and technical knowledge.
- Even temperament and good sense of humor appreciated.
The position will be based in Eldoret or Thika with 40% field travel.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting.
Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Living /Environmental Conditions:
The position will be based in Eldoret or Thika, with 50% field travel.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TYD to a field posting.
Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Interested candidates who meet the above required qualifications and experience should submit on or before Jan 30th Jan 2012 at 4.00 p.m. a cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing three professional references (including a recent or supervisor) to hrkenya@ke.mercycorps.org
Applicants must clearly indicate on the email subject “Application for the position of "Head of Office”.
Applications without this subject heading will be disqualified.
Please do not attach any certificates. Potential candidates will be interviewed as applications are received.
Only qualified short-listed candidates will be contacted)
