Chief Operating Officer

SPARK, an international non-profit organization focusing on creating better jobs for young people in fragile states, in their search for Chief Operating Officer to be based in Amsterdam. The role is also open to other locations/Hubs (Amsterdam, Istanbul or Tunis).

The Chief Operating Officer will join the CEO as part of the executive leadership team. The COO will work ideally from Amsterdam as a base but will be spending significant time in (new) SPARK locations. The person in this role is responsible for the transition of SPARK to a multi-hub organization that balances the needs of hubs and program teams with the requirements of a reliable and resilient operational backbone. The COO will be instrumental in moving Spark to new highs by building a next level organization.

The COO is an experienced organisation builder who has worked in multi-country set-ups for development/humanitarian response organisations. Well versed in internal support functions including Finance, M&E, HR, Legal and ICT systems.

The COO leads these internal divisions that provide business support and critical systems. With a natural authority that stems from relevant experience in the field and sector, the COO ensures a support oriented culture, that allows for the highest possible degree of localization that SPARK knows to be essential for sustainable results. SPARK is truly committed to shifting power to local communities it serves, starting from the co-creation of programming.

The COO is a steady, decisive, and effective partner, working alongside its CEO, who will continue to lead acquisition and programme development and manage the external relations of the organisation. As an executive team, the CEO and COO must strike a healthy balance between agility, flexibility and being support-oriented on the one hand with central supervision and control on the other hand.

The COO is prepared to frequently travel to fragile zones SPARK operates in and is physically well able to travel to fragile areas.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities include:

• Responsible for excellent and efficient business support in the areas of Finance, Impact Assessment, HR / organisational change, IT, Legal and Compliance and will be able to build the existing ICT, HR and financial systems to a next professional level;
• Oversee the timely and smooth roll out of operation functions in fragile and conflict affected states that SPARK enters (such as momentarily Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan and Ukraine);
• Ensures all internal processes are supporting the flawless execution of our programs and projects and provide timely and seamless input for the development of new programmes;
• Directs change initiatives in the organisation;
• Oversees design of systems, processes and support structures to accommodate the growth, operational and cost effectiveness objectives of the organisation;
• Ensures systems and processes are fit for purpose in the fragile states we operate in;
• Guides the upgrading/ improvement of our ERP system for the organization;
• Ensures that donor’s requirements are integrated in the operational planning processes and ensures compliance with the reporting processes in the organization;
• Support the Regional Directors of SPARK on key operational issues;
• Foster a service and goal-oriented, accountable environment within SPARK’s field operations;
• Attract, develop and retain required members of the SPARK organisation. Provide mentoring as a cornerstone to the management career development program.

Ideal Candidate

• At least 10-15 years’ experience in setting up aid operations in conflict affected (state) environments;
• Experience and strong knowledge across operation intensive functions, within an international aid organisation;
• Solid analytical skills in overseeing financial operations for large scale projects with a drive to continuously generate more impact;
• Strong process architecture, process implementation and improvement experience, and change management capabilities;
• Experience in implementing Health, Safety, Environmental, Ethical Guidelines and Quality systems;
• Strong stakeholder management skills are essential to fulfill responsibilities of this role;
• Leadership skills and strong operational acumen;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with a proven ability to ensure consistency, timeliness, and accuracy of reports and memoranda;
• Proven people management skills, able to lead and manage multicultural teams across 5 time zones;
• Financial acumen and data driven personality.

SPARK Offers

• Flexible work arrangements between our HQ and other locations/Hubs (Amsterdam, Istanbul or Tunis).;
• Flexible use of a total of 32 holidays annually (including national holidays), giving full freedom of when to use these;
• Training possibilities.