Position: Operations Director, USAID Peru PREVENT
Period of Performance (on/about): April 13, 2020 - April 12, 2021
Maximum Level of Effort: Full-time, 1 year LTTA
Base of Operations: Lima, Peru
Position Reports to: Chief of Party
1. Project Background:
USAID’s PREVENT activity will support the Government of Peru (GOP) and Peruvian civil society to reduce environmental crimes through a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach, including strengthening the justice system, leveraging science and technology, monitoring and protecting flora and fauna, defining economic costs and incentives, and working with miners to bring them into the formal economic sector. The PREVENT activity will be implemented to achieve the following main objectives:
- Objective 1: Improve Enabling Conditions for Preventing and Combatting Environmental Crimes
- Objective 2: Reduce and Prevent Environmental Criminal Activity Within Protected Areas, Their Buffer Zones, Forest Lands Management Units, and Indigenous Lands
- Objective 3: Build Partnerships to Mobilize Resources to Support Prevention and Reduction of Environmental Crimes
2. Role’s Purpose:
The Operations Director will play a pivotal role in overseeing adherence to the project’s Field Operations Manual (FOM), USAID regulations, contract requirements and limitations, policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems. The individual will ensure robust, flexible, and adaptive operations across Procurement, Grant, Finance, Administrative, Security, and IT teams in order to support project activities. The Operations Director may be called upon to assume specific responsibilities when needed or perform any other related duties as assigned.
3. Objectives and Duties
- Responsible for gaining comprehensive knowledge of project’s Field Operations Manual (FOM) and for identifying areas where policies, procedures and/or practices may not be fully aligned with project practice and advising project management with options and recommendations
- Oversee daily administrative operations of the project, including human resources, facilities, travel and logistics, procurement and IT, and record and file management.
- Establish strict controls over the receipt, disbursement, and administration of financial resources.
- Maintain communication with DAI’s home office staff on administrative and operational aspects of the project.
- Maintain all personnel policies to ensure compliance with local labor law, tax law, and USAID regulations.
- Oversee recruitment, salary negotiations, hiring, evaluation, and termination of employees, in consultation with the COP.
- Ensure that administrative records, and project personnel documentation, are well-organized, maintained, and updated.
- Ensure that staff complete required DAI trainings (IT, TAMIS, Field Procurement, Security, Ethics, etc.) and are trained on personnel policies, administrative procedures, and procurement.
- Serve as the project’s Security Point of Contact to lead risk-mitigating efforts and maintain ample communication among the staff, along with the COP.
- Review and manage the procurement process according to DAI procurement workflows.
- Engage across project teams to initiative, procure, and implement resources for project activities.
- Ensure procurement files are properly documented and closed upon completion of an activity.
- Guide the project through the grantmaking process and support the capacity-building of grantees.
- Ensure project staff are properly trained in project data management systems, and that staff actively incorporate the data management system into daily project activities.
- Foster, in collaboration with the COP and Senior Management, a working environment of high ethical standards and morale, mutual respect, understanding, trust, and cooperation among all staff members that delivers results and maximizes performance outcomes.
- Oversee the management of regional office properties, and ensure that all project facilities are powered, cleaned, and functioning properly.
- Other duties as may be assigned by the Chief of Party for successful achievement of operations objectives
Supervisory Duties
- Trains, directly supervises, and mentors at least five (5) mid-level managers
- Plans, assigns, and directs work; appraises performance, addresses and resolves problems
Qualifications:
- B.A. Degree in Business Administration, Business Management, International Development or equivalent. Advanced degree such as MBA, PMP Certification or equivalent preferred.
- 10+ years of relevant experience and progressive responsibility in project operations at the senior level of an organization
- Fluency in English and Spanish is required
- Experience leading and managing the operational aspects of USAID projects, including a demonstrated understanding of applicable grant- and finance-related USG contracting regulations
- Accuracy in working with large amounts of data
- Experience supervising staff
- Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints
- Experience with enterprise accounting software, and Microsoft office suite
- Demonstrated knowledge of internal controls and processes (e.g. procurement, local subcontract agreements, etc.)
- An articulate individual who possesses excellent communications and personnel management skills and who can relate to people at all levels of an organization
- An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards and appropriate professional image
- An extremely well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus