Danish Refugee Council/Danish Demining Group (DRC/DDG) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, working in more than 40 countries to provide adequate assistance with a rights-based approach to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees and migrants. DRC/DDG is currently looking for a highly qualified Spanish and English-speaking Support Services Manager for its area office in Caquetá, covering the south of Colombia (Caquetá and Nariño). This is an opportunity for an experienced professional to support DRC’s emergency response to the mixed migration flows in Colombia from Venezuela and DDG Mine Action program.
Danish Refugee Council/Danish Demining Group has been active in Colombia since late 2011. With an office set up in Bogota and an operational base in San Jose del Fragua, Caquetá department, DDG’s presence in Colombia is about to complete 10 years. Between 2014 and 2016, DDG was involved in a significant capacity building project and provided technical support to the Colombian government in Land Release, Technical Demining, National Standards and Impact Monitoring. DDG saw its Humanitarian Mine Action desk accreditation renewed in 2019. Since April 2018 the organization has deployed Community Liaison/MRE and NTS capacities in two municipalities in Caquetá - San Jose del Fragua and Belen de los Andaquies. DDG is close to initiate the deployment of 3 clearance teams in the four Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA) and one Suspected Hazardous Area (SHA) identified so far in the municipalities.
The onset of large mixed migration flows into Colombia due to the crisis in Venezuela requires a major integrated humanitarian response to meet the urgent needs of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, Colombian returnees, and host communities. Based on the conclusions of several emergency needs assessments, DRC set up an emergency response in the Caribbean coastal areas of Colombia (Riohacha and Barranquilla), in Bogotá and Medellin. DRC´s integrated humanitarian response will be based primarily on protection activities, with components of Shelter, WASH, multi-purpose cash assistance, NFIs, and livelihood interventions.
Overall purpose of the role:
Provides coordinated and strategic leadership for all support functions in the area and ensures the smooth running of all support functions to meet the programme needs in compliance with the DRC Operations Handbook.
Main responsibilities
Planning and strategy:
- Ensure that annual planning for support services is done and regular targets are met and that these are linked to the coordination unit for country-wide consistency
- Ensure that project planning includes relevant support service requirements (such as lead times and appropriate budgets)
- Ensure that resource mobilisation is realistic and meets the needs of support functions, by using the operations budget to input to donor proposals
- Ensure that support services are fit for purpose to meet programme needs
- Be the focal point for the compliance self-check, risk register, internal audit and results contract
HR support:
- Ensure that monthly reports and produced and that targets are met by the department, while being a link to the HR coordination unit
- Ensure that quarterly tasks are completed on time (such as staff induction, Code of Conduct training and leave planning)
- Ensure that annual HR tasks are completed as per the Operations Handbook (e.g., Performance & Development Reviews)
- Streamline HR responses accross departments (e.g., support on organigram development)
- Ensure the HR team fulfills daily tasks, such as recruitment, contract renewal/ amendments, timesheet submission and leave tracking
Administration support:
- Be the focal point for key administrative tasks, such as registration for the coordination unit
- Oversee the team to ensure follow up on routine tasks are carried out (guesthouse supplies, visa applications, phone credit purchase, utilities bill payments, rental and lease agreements)
Logistics and procurement support:
- Ensure procurement procedures are followed while being the focal point for tenders together with the coordination unit (including being a chairman for most major tenders)
- Closely follow department KPIs and ensure that monthly report submissions are timely and of high quality
- Be a focal point and decision maker for fleet movement cancellations in line with LPM advice
- Work with the LPM to ensure each of the sub departments (procurement, fleet, assets, warehouse, and IT) have targets and are meeting them, in line with Operation Handbook procedures
Finance:
- Primary budget holder for all support service lines and secondary budget holder for all programme lines
- Responsible for budget monitoring and forecasting for support service budgets
- Work with senior managers to budget monitor all grants
- Ensure that key annual finance tasks are completed (such as the annual reports)
- Work with finance to ensure programme teams clearly understand compliance requirements
- Ensure that monthly finance tasks are completed (payroll, SOS, PIT, cashbooks and cash forecasts) and in line with Operations Handbook procedures
Roles reporting to this position
Manages the support services team in the office
Reports to
Direct reports to Area Manager
Technical Line Supervision: Head of Support Services
Required experience and competencies
- At least 7 years' experience in similar role
- At least 5 years' experience with people management
- Knowledge of project cycle management
- Knowledge of supply chain management and procurement processes
- Knowledge of budget cycle and monitoring processes
- Knowledge of code of conduct principles and the HR systems for performance management
- Knowledge of key donor policy and compliance procedures
- Full professional proficiency in English – minimum required B2 according to CEFR, C1-C2 preferred and a valid English certificate (IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge)
- Full professional proficiency in Spanish
- Advanced proficiency in Excel – competency will be tested through TOSA certification exam
- Experience working with an integrated ERP system – MS Dynamics is a plus
All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:
- Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.
- Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
- Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
- Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.
- Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
- For this role, the best candidate will also demonstrate ability to think beyond evidence, to deliver results and solve problems. He/She will show wit and ambition as well as a long-sighted mindset.
Required education
Master's degree in Finance/Accounting, Business Administration or Economics
What we offer
- This position is open as a national contract only; foreigners are also welcomed to apply as nationals
- Commencement: 01st July 2020
- Duration: First contract is delivered for 6 months only, then an open-ended contract will be offered according to the performance of the candidate during the first 6-month period
Salary/Benefits:
- Salary: Between 5'210.000 COP and 6'458.000 COP according to profile
- Benefits: Access to more 1,000 free online training and certificates – All-inclusive lodging is offered on compound
- Duty Station: San Jose del Fragua, Caquetá
- This position offers a great opportunity to become part of one of the leading global NGOs, focusing on refugees and displaced people, in a fast-growing environment in Colombia