HMA Operations Manager

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified and motivated HMA Operations Manager (OM) for its Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding portfolio in Ukraine. We appreciate devotion and team-building, and we welcome you to join our efforts in building capacities that will support human security.

About the job

DRC started Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (HDP) activities in Ukraine in 2014 (when the conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts broke out) including Area Clearance, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), and capacity building of the State Emergency Services (SES) and national authorities. Following the military offensive launched by the Russian Federation on 24 February, 2022 and the subsequent large-scale humanitarian crisis triggered by the war, explosive ordnance contamination has become a critical issue in many areas. While DRC cannot operate in its former areas of intervention in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts due to intense conflict activities, our demining teams are being redeployed in Chernihiv oblast to start clearance operations in areas recently de-occupied by Russian armed forces. Moving forward, DRC aims at scaling up and expanding its Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) programming in Ukraine, in coordination with the State Emergency Services of Ukraine. Currently, HMA programme in Ukraine consists of eight clearance teams, two NTS teams with the internal QA team, and information management unit and general project support staff.

The OM has the primary function of ensuring that the highest technical standards are maintained in HMA and that DRC works in line with national, international and DRC-HDP standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies and procedures.

The OM will contribute with ideas and technical input to donor proposals, develop detailed plans for the implementation of activities in close liaison with the national authorities (such as the NMAAs and NMACs), to ensure that operations are adequately staffed with well-qualified personnel, monitor all field activities through regular visits to project sites, and prepare appropriate reports for various audiences.

The OM reports directly to the Head of HDP HoP in country and has a technical line to HDP’s Global Senior Technical Advisor and Global Operations Advisor. When required, a Medical Coordinator will be deployed to the programme for a fixed-term period, during which she/he will also report to the OM.

The roles reporting to this position are the Technical Field Manager, Technical Advisors, Quality Management, wo Demining Supervisor, Information Management Unit made of three staff members, Internal Quality Assurance Unit made of two, Radio Operator, Medic Coordinator and HMA Assistant. Current operations capacity is 13 persons in total.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Operations Management

• Manage, monitor, and supervise the Technical Field Managers, TAs, and Quality Management and the team of national members assigned to the HMA operations ensuring that they carry out their duties and responsibilities in accordance with their job descriptions and as tasked.

• Ensure the highest possible standards of safety and security are maintained in all operations.

• Ensure that the prioritisation set by the NMAA, NMACs, and the donors are taken into consideration in the planning and implementation of operational activities.

• Assist with the delivery of support service functions especially the Supply Chain Manager, in developing plans for liaison with stakeholders and suppliers, in procuring supplies and equipment required, and with meeting the communications and transport needs of the field teams.

• Report operational outputs to HDP ’s Copenhagen HQ on a monthly basis, based on input from TFM/TA/ QM.

• Technical supervision and line management of key managerial positions on current HDP projects, in line with NMAS, HDP SOPs and International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and in coordination with the HDP HoP and the respective Area Managers in the field.

• Manage and monitor the HDP budgets closely and report to HoP, CD, the Head of Support Services (HoSS) and HDP PS of any discrepancies.

• Support and advice HDP’s HoP and DRC’s CD in country in operational matters and ensure that accreditation of operations is achieved and maintained with authorities.

• Support the HDP HoP with strategic planning and implementation of all HMA.

• Maintain and develop SOPs, workplans and other relevant operations documentation and implement changes within the programme accordingly.

Monitoring and Quality Management

• The OM has the primary function of ensuring that the highest technical standards are maintained in HMA and that DRC works in line with national, international and DRC-HDP standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies and procedures.
• Take responsibility for daily management and supervision of HMA clearance operations.
• Plan, monitor and evaluate all aspects of HMA clearance activities.
• In coordination with TFM, Technical Advisor, Quality Management and IM/ MEAL Unit, monitor and analyse productivity achieved and recommend methods and practices to enhance productivity, ensuring cost effective operations to be conducted in the programme.

Capacity Building

• Lead the planning and monitoring of training, and capacity and competence building of DRC national operational employees, with a specific objective of nationalisation of posts where possible.
• Assist TFM, Tas, QM in regular monitoring and follow-up of presence, performance and development of demining.
• Capacity and competence building including monitoring of training of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine, with a specific objective of strengthening and enhancing their technical capacity.

External relations

• Develop a professional collaborative relationship with national authorities and other agencies involved in mine action, conflict prevention and other fields of interest, including development agencies.
• Support the HoP in developing innovative new approaches to HMA including analysing new tools, equipment methodologies and approaches to technical implementation of HMA and ways of improved coordination of delivery with DRC programming.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to embrace and develop overall objectives such as gender equity, impact monitoring, and cross-sector cooperation in addition to the standing requirements listed below as:

Required

• Minimum 5 years’ previous experience in HMA and full understanding of its technical requirements.
• IMAS EOD 3+ qualifications and previous work experience as an Operations Manager.
• Proven management experience gained in a range of settings.
• Experience with accreditation to IMAS standard.
• Proven record of training national staff and ability to train and mentor national counterparts.
• Experience of working in insecure environments.
• Diplomatic, patient and persistent.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Good knowledge of Word and Excel.

Desirable

• Previous working experience in affected country, or a context similar to Ukraine.
• Knowledge of supply chain systems.
• Knowledge of human resource and budget management.
• Knowledge of IMSMA, GIS, ArcView.
• Understanding of Ukrainian or Russian.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: one year with a possibility for an extension

Band: E-Management

Designation of Duty Station: Field Base (Ichnya, at present). This is unaccompanied duty station

Start date: July 2022

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies.