Head of Operations

A: Purpose of the job

MRG delivers projects or results in 60 countries around the world, either through relationships with local partners or directly. As a growing organisation, we have designed this role to consolidate this growth and to add to our expertise across the management level.

In this role, you will take responsibility for ensuring a smooth flow of operations and compliance throughout MRG global activities, with particular attention to locations where MRG does not have any registered office. You will oversee for the whole organization, the enabling support functions including Human Resources, risk management (including international safe travel), GDPR compliance and cyber security, but your role will not extend to oversight of fundraising or finance functions. (Although at times you will contribute to both functions with information input, support during peak times or bottlenecks or by supporting administration).

The below listed priorities are those we have identified for the first year of work within this post, it is likely that the post will be able to move beyond these more specific tasks to focus on longer term strategic developments of MRG’s organizational structure in the medium term. Changes to the JD in response to this shift will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

B: Main duties and responsibilities

The tasks include, but are not limited to:

1. Oversee Human Resources at MRG, line manage the HR Manager, ensure consistency and compliance with all relevant jurisdictions including work permissions, contracts, terms and conditions, tax in any jurisdictions where MRG does not have an established entity (where we do have an entity, the local finance team will lead on tax), and support the HR Manager with smooth recruitment, retention, employee relations, equality, diversity and redeployment as needed.
2. Maintain an updated risk management matrix in conjunction with the Directorate, and prepare reports on changes in risks to the Finance and General Purposes Committee and Council. Ensure risk mitigation measures are consistently implemented. Advise all staff and managers on higher risk international travel.
3. Lead the organization on cyber security relating to internal working infrastructure (i.e. not cyber security relating to MRG’s website or social media platforms). Ensure appropriate cyber-security measures are identified and consistently implemented. Manage any cyber-security related incidents, involving the Directorate in serious cases.
4. Lead the organization on the Salesforce CRM (recently implemented). Ensure widespread uptake and usage of the system and a growing set of contacts appropriately managed and accessed over time.
5. Lead for the organization on GDPR. With the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Coordinator, ensure all teams are aware of, and our practice fulfills, data protection responsibilities and steps. Manage any data breach risk or incident, involving the Directorate in any serious incident.
6. Lead for the organization on donor transparency reporting (e.g. International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)) and any other similar schemes
7. Lead the organisation’s implementation of its safe travel policy, including providing the necessary staff briefing, review of safe travel countries, scrutiny of staff travel plans and liaison with insurance providers.
8. Support teams on due diligence checks for new partners and new MRG workplace locations including by conducting feasibility checks, and developing an understanding of compliance frameworks in order to be able to brief the Senior Leadership and Council.
9. Ensure consistency and efficiency across teams in terms of administrative support tasks and functions, including systematic use of the Sharepoint filing system and other common systems and processes. Support all staff who have a primarily administrative role with technical advice and provide solutions as needed (although line management of these staff will remain within Departments/Teams).
10. Line manage a small team (currently the HR Manager (and HR Assistant), and the Executive Assistant)
11. Troubleshoot operational problems for staff working in countries where we have no established entity.
12. Support staff in Budapest, Kampala and Brussels with administrative issues.
13. Draft and present papers for Leadership Team, Finance Committee, Auditors and Council on areas of responsibility included above as needed.
14. Liaise closely with Director, Deputy Director, Director of Finance and Administration regularly, as well as all other Leadership Members from time to time and all staff carrying out administrative tasks as needed.

C: As needed

• Undertake such other tasks as may reasonably be requested by the Directorate
• Attend staff and other relevant meetings including external events.
• Respect and work towards full implementation of MRG’s gender, disability and equal opportunities policies in all the work involved in this post.
• Travel to MRG project countries will be expected from time to time.

Although the primary purpose of this post is as described above, the post holder may be required to work partly or wholly on other areas of MRG’s work. This is to allow MRG to move staff away from work which is un-funded or under-funded or is no longer a priority for the organisation, to work on areas which have more funding, are growing or which are understaffed. This will normally involve the post-holder in carrying out tasks similar or identical to those listed in this job description but applied to different programmes or projects.

This is a part-time position (0.6) with 1-2 days/week working from one of MRG’s offices in London, Budapest or Kampala.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

A. Education and Knowledge

Essential

• An undergraduate degree or four years’ relevant work experience in a similar level professional role.
• Successfully completed training on, qualification or at least one years’ experience of work linked to GDPR.

Desirable

• A relevant degree or postgraduate qualification.
• Knowledge of human and minority rights gained either through work or study.

B. Experience

Essential

• At least 6 years’ experience of work involving support functions in an organization working internationally – including experience providing support in or for at least some global south contexts.
• At least 2 years’ senior-level HR experience with international exposure
• At least 2 years’ experience supporting the development of cyber-security measures.
• At least 2 years’ experience of organization-wide data management including GDPR and Customer/Contact Relations Management software packages.
• Experience of streamlining and supporting cohesive, effective and coherent administration systems, processes and support within a dispersed organization (preferably international).
• At least 2 years’ experience of managing a small team and of providing technical advice to a large team or whole organization.

Desirable

• Experience of working on human or minority rights.

C. Abilities and Skills

Essential

• Excellent communication skills both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Proven project management skills or management consultancy experience.
• Computer literate and knowledge of MS Word, spreadsheets, databases, the internet and email packages.
• Fully numerate and able to develop, understand and monitor budgets.
• Ability to prioritise work, meet deadlines.
• Ability to stay calm under pressure and to assess and absorb information quickly.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to gain the confidence of donors and partners.
• Ability and willingness to travel as required.

Desirable

• Working knowledge of any out of French, Arabic, Russian or Spanish would be an advantage, as would ability to converse in a language in a part of the world where MRG has projects.

D. Other

Essential

• Interest in minority issues.
• Commitment to the aims and objectives of MRG.
• Commitment to gender equity.
• Enthusiastic about working in a multicultural environment and committed to equal opportunities.