Southern Africa Regional Operations Manager

Job Description

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage through a mix of presence and remote monitoring. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several pillars by a team of partners that includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Geological Survey, the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center, Kimetrica, and Chemonics International (Chemonics). Chemonics houses FEWS NET’s Early Warning Team (EWT), a team charged with integrated emergency food insecurity analysis through a Washington-based technical office and more than 20 field offices.

Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, EWT members monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The FEWS NET EWT produces regular reports, including Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates, emergency alerts, market and price updates, and global weather hazards analyses. FEWS NET makes reports available at www.fews.net and distributes them globally to governments, relief agencies, and other organizations engaged in humanitarian response and development programs.

The seventh phase of FEWS NET began in 2019. The work of FEWS NET EWT relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data exchanges, collaborative analysis and reporting, and technical capacity strengthening. FEWS NET supports local and regional food security networks to contribute to achieving the global objective of food security for all.

Position Description

The FEWS NET EWT maintains offices in a number of countries in Africa, Central America, Central Asia, and the Caribbean. The regional operations manager (ROM) serves as the operational head of each field office responsible for all administrative matters related to the project, including supervising the project’s support staff in the regional office. The ROM will also be responsible for backstopping the regional field accountant (RFA) on an as-needed basis.

Responsibilities

The main management responsibilities of the Southern Africa ROM include, but are not limited to:

Procurement and Inventory

• Supervise all project procurements and the inventory/maintenance of all equipment materials and supplies necessary to the execution of project activities.
• Maintain equipment and inventory; verify all inventory items periodically to ensure all are labeled per USAID guidelines and that the value of all items booked in Abacus under inventory accounts matches the total value indicated in the inventory report.
• Liaise with the mission on all disposition request, large procurements, closeout tasks, and inventory inquiries.

Vendor Accounts

• Maintain relationships with vendors; negotiate rates and review services offered by vendors for quality purposes.
• Prepare procurement action requests and comparative for the Program Management Unit (PMU) review and approval.
• Verify vendor invoices and deliveries and ensure supporting documents are received and corrected before processing with the RFA.

Personnel and Administration

• Maintain up-to-date records of staff in the personnel files, monitor and track personnel benefits including vacation and sick day balances and bonuses, and ensure all project files are archived in a secure location.
• Train administrative assistance and other designated support staff and provide orientations for short-term consultants on field office procedures. This includes onboarding short-term consultants, preparing employment agreements and submitting STTA expense reports and timesheets to the Home Office (HO) for processing.
• Manage the preparation and distribution of timesheets, submission of short-term consultant expense reports and timesheets, maintenance of the project’s filing system; preparation, receipt, distribution, and filing of all incoming and outgoing written project communications such as the weekly email.
• Liaise with field office technical staff to determine administrative requirements and serve as a liaison with the HO on field personnel administrative inquiries.
• Provide secretarial services, maintain administrative files, take notes of meetings, and provide written and verbal translations as necessary.
• Develop and maintain required administrative office systems and perform other tasks as assigned by either the supervisor or the home office project management unit.

Supervision

• Provide oversight, supervision, and training for the data and regional logistical assistant, office administrative assistant, receptionist, and drivers.
• Oversee performance evaluation submission and complete all evaluations for direct supervisees.
• Support the logistical work of the Regional Representative (RR) and other technical personnel.

Training and event planning

• Oversee all aspects of workshop and training coordination.
• Provide and supervise effective organization, coordination, and administrative support for workshops or activities in the country and region.
• Prepare all necessary administrative forms for project-related items.

Finance and Accounting

• Backstop the RFA as needed.
• Work with the RR, Country Representatives (CRs), RFA, and HO in developing and monitoring the budget for national and regional activities of the project.
• Work with the national, regional, and home office technical management teams in accordance with USAID regulations and local laws, including everything related to taxes and other project responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required; Portuguese and/or French language skills are desirable.
• At least six years of relevant experience in accounting, financial and procurement management is required
• A bachelor’s degree in a related field is required; advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) is desirable.
• Advanced computer skills, particularly in MS Office software, word processing, and spreadsheets is required
• Previous supervisory experience is preferred

Location and Reporting

The ROM will be based in Harare, Zimbabwe at the FEWS NET EWT regional office and is directly supervised by the regional representative. For office administration and financial management, the ROM will collaborate with the CRs in the region, the RFA, the Washington-based PMU, Home Office Operations Team, and the Senior Management Team. The ROM may be required to travel occasionally within the country and region, security permitting.

To apply, please complete the general application form and upload your CV and cover letter at https://fewsnet.formstack.com/forms/ewt_sa_rom by February 14, 2022.

All application materials, including responses to the general information form, CVs, and cover letters, should be provided in English. No telephone inquiries. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.