Regional Operations Manager - ESAFD

IFDC’s East and Southern Africa Division operates through 7 country offices and has staff in 11 countries, with divisional headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The country offices are managed by Country Representatives who supervise National Administration and Finance Officers. 

The Regional Operations Manager will: 

• Supervise the financial, administrative and human resources functions of the different offices
• Harmonize and standardize procedures to meet IFDC internal controls, donor requirements and audit requirements
• Ensure uniformity of and compliance to IFDC policies
• Support the Director on contracting, budget development and expense monitoring.

The Regional Operations Manager - ESAFD reports to Division Director and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.  This is an international position.

Please visit our web site www.ifdc.org, Employment, for complete job requirements and instructions for application.   Screening of candidates will begin immediately.    

Desired Skills & Experience

Required Skills

• Directly supervise accounting officer, HR officer and contract compliance officer in the Division
• Responsible for development, implementation and control of administrative, financial and human resources procedures in the Division, in coordination with the Accounting Unit, the Budget and Procurement Unit and the Human Resources Unit in IFDC Headquarters, Muscle Shoals.
• Assist the Division Director with development of the annual operational budget, based on the budgets of the individual projects.
• Support Portfolio Managers and Project Leaders with budget development of all new projects before submission to the IFDC Budget and Procurement Unit for approval, and supervises annual budget development and review of all ongoing projects.
• Support Portfolio Managers and Project Leaders in monitoring of monthly budget expenditure of projects.
• Review the Divisions’ project contracts and sub-contracts before submission to a project leader, Division Director, or to IFDC Headquarters for approval. 
• Oversee all transfer procedures (fund requests, approval of requests, vouchers).
• Supervise maintenance of personnel records as per IFDC procedures and policies.
• Responsible for adherence to IFDC policies and general HR principles and practices related to hiring, retaining and dismissing staff.
• Maintain performance evaluation plan and salary scale for the Division
• Develop human resource development and training program plan for the Division in coordination with Division Director, Program leaders, Project leaders and the Country Representatives
• Supervise development of personnel services contracts and review and recommend the same to Division Director for approval.
• Assuring adequate medical coverage for staff in accordance with local laws, where applicable
• Ensuring compliance of IFDC to all local labor and other applicable laws.
• Train administrative and finance staff in the Country Offices on procedures and concepts. 
• Conduct operations reviews of all offices of the ESAFD on a regular basis.  The review covers financial, administrative, and personnel aspects. 
• Provide direction and technical backstopping to National Administration and Finance Officers in the Division’s Country Offices. 
• Provide support to the Director on all other administrative and financial issues

Required Experience

• Excellent knowledge of budgeting, accounting, human resources procedures and principles, procurement and contracting. 
• Demonstrated experience of handling complex Human Resource issues in a rapidly changing environment.
• Ability to review and/or develop contracts with clients, service providers, funding organizations, etc., and to develop/review confidentiality agreements, teaming agreements, and other legally binding agreements. 
• Ability to develop project budgets.
• Ability to supervise administrative staff in the offices, and to effectively communicate with people from different cultures, both orally and in writing. 
• Ability to travel (20-30% of time) in East and Southern Africa. 
• Minimum of a Master's degree in Business Administration with 5-7 years of relevant experience or a Bachelor of Science in Business or a related field with 15 or more years of relevant experience.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, knowledge of French is welcome.

Company Description

IFDC is a public international organization addressing critical issues such as international food security, the alleviation of global hunger and poverty, environmental protection and the promotion of economic development and self-sufficiency. IFDC focuses on increasing productivity across the agricultural value chain in developing countries. This is achieved by the creation and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise. IFDC is governed by an international board of directors with representation from developed and developing nations. The non-profit Center is supported by bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, private foundations and national governments. The non-profit Center was established in 1974 in response to global food and energy crises. To date, IFDC has provided assistance in nearly 100 countries.