Director of Operational Support

An international NGO dedicated to humanitarian safety, INSO provides information, analysis, coordination, training, and other support services to aid agencies working in insecure and fragile contexts.

Working with more than 1,000 local and international NGOs across 16 conflict affected countries, our projects support the safety of aid workers and help protect the vital relief they deliver to vulnerable communities.

To support our mission, we are now seeking an experienced individual to lead the Operations Department as the Director of Operational Support (DOS).

You will lead the provision of operational support services across the organisation and play a vital role in the effective delivery of our mission and aid workers safety. Areas of responsibility include logistics & procurement, facilities management, communications, transport, safety & security, IT, and regulatory compliance such as data protection, environmental policy, and 3rd party liabilities & services.

You will be a departmental director and member of the INSO Senior Management Team (SMT) and report to the Executive Director. You will manage five staff members at the HQ level, coordinate with other departmental heads and have technical line management over 16 field level Operations Managers.

The post combines overseeing practical field support services with responsibility to further develop the organisation’s capacity and policy. The ideal candidate will be an operations or support services generalist with experience delivering in complex environments as well as institutional development.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the operations support department; set a coherent departmental action plan, establish priorities and manage its budget.
• Oversee the recruitment of talented operational support staff across HQ and country programs to deliver departmental objectives.
• Ensure all operations staff are effectively trained in their responsibilities and supported while delivering them.
• Provide a reliable and efficient business partner to INSO field offices, thematic units and HQ ensuring timely and effective operational support to all objectives and activities.
• Work to improve internal operational systems and practices for more effective outcomes, especially in areas of preparedness and response.
• Review and develop the operational policy environment to fill gaps and meet needs.
• Ensure policy and regulatory compliance (such as from donors, regulators, and auditors), establishing training, monitoring, and reporting systems as needed.
• Coordinate closely with other departments to ensure effective new mission start-up, registration and mission scaling.
• Undertake periodic field visits to support development and address challenges.
• Participate in the SMT to contribute to wider organisational development.
• Connect and communicate to foster a positive and solutions-oriented team spirit.
• Represent INSO both internally and externally as required.

Requirements:

We prefer a support generalist rather than a specialist.

• Minimum 10 years of international humanitarian aid experience.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior NGO support role managing complex multi-site, international operations with demonstrable experience across mission start up and support in high-risk contexts.
• Experience working within major donor guidelines: ECHO, BHA, FCDO, SDC, etc.
• Experience with developing organisational policy and procedures.
• Experience with setting and managing budgets.
• Strong organisational, prioritization and communication skills.
• Demonstrable experience of team leadership and capacity building.
• Robust problem-solving skills.
• A degree in a relevant field such as management, organisational development, business administration or a technical field.
• Up to date understanding of the regulatory practises influencing the humanitarian sector (environment, GDPR, safeguarding, duty of care, health & safety, etc,)
• Work experience in any of the countries/regions we work and willingness to travel to INSO field sites.
• English fluency (written and spoken).
• Willingness to relocate to our HQ in The Hague, Netherlands.

Nice to have:

• French fluency (spoken and written)
• Prior knowledge of INSO

INSO’s Safeguarding Policy

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process.

Terms & Conditions

Fixed-term (renewable), full-time contract based in The Hague, Netherlands, €7,500 per month gross salary, 8% vacation pay (vakentiegeld), 2.5 days annual leave per month. This post is eligible for Highly Skilled Migrant visa sponsorship and a relocation allowance.