Christian Aid (CA) -  a UK-based international NGO, partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

POSITION : Country Office Manager

Role purpose

• To be responsible for developing, maintaining and implementing essential HR, IT, Information Management and administrative and operational systems within a country to enable the team to function smoothly and effectively.
• Proactively taking responsibility for making things work, for example managing the relationship and performance of external suppliers.
• To provide travel support as required to staff and visitor.
• Responsible for provision of Tier 1 HR, IT and administrative support. Usually a member of the country leadership team.

Role Context

• The role is positioned in the Business Administration, HR & IT role family. Based within a country the main focus of the role is to ensure effective implementation of core HR, Admin and operations function within the Country office and Christian Aid as a whole. There may be some travel within the country and region / division required.

Key Outcomes:

• Compliance with Christian Aid policies, procedures and standards especially in the areas of HR, IT, Information Management, Administration and general operational systems.
• Effective and efficient business operational systems in place throughout the office and for managing relationships with partners and external suppliers.
• High quality advice and support provided to staff and (sometimes) partners in the financial management of programmes. (May not be applicable in all roles).
• Tier 1 HR & IT support, including legal, office environment and health and safety, managing contracts, local procurement and first line technical support
• Support external suppliers working to agreed service level agreements through effective relationship management.

Role requirements
Relationships:

• External: The role will also be required to manage relationships with external suppliers
• Internal: The role is line managed by the Country Manager. The role holder will have contact with the Regional HR Advisor, Regional IT Officer. The role works closely with internal systems staff (IT, HR and Divisional Support team)

Decision making:

• To make day to day decisions to ensure the core business systems within a country are functioning effectively and efficiently.
• To make decisions in order to proactively change systems to improve performance and comply with Christian Aid strategies, policies and procedures.
• To make decisions based on specialist knowledge of country IT, Health and Safety, HR or finance systems.

Analytical skills:

• Ability to apply logical thinking and common sense to gathering and analyzing information, designing and testing solutions to problems.
• Developing self and others:
• Continuously look for opportunities for self-development. Give and receive honest and open feedback in a timely manner.

Person Specification
Applied skills/knowledge and expertise:

Essential:

• Degree in Business Studies/Business Administration, Social sciences or any other related area.
• 3-5 year experience setting up and managing Human resources, Administration, IT and operations in an NGO with supervisory responsibilities
• Proven and demonstrable understanding/experience in Human Resources, Office Administration/operations
• Good working knowledge and experience using HR soft ware, Microsoft office application
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Knowledge and experience in Nigerian employment law, organizational planning, organization development, employee relations, and creating and maintaining training programs of such.
• Excellent Negotiation and representation skills
• Experience in an HR specialist function, organisational design, performance management, reward management, recruitment and selection or training and development

Desirable:

• Self motivated and with an ability to manage a wider range of complicated issues.
• Experience of security procedures
• Self motivated and with an attention to detail
• Experience in local and international security protocols

IT competency required:

• Intermediate

Competency profile
LEVEL 2: You are expected to be able to:

Build partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organisational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate effectively:

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their non-verbal behavior, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward resources:

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver results:

• Prioritise, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realise potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognise how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these fall outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work.

Remuneration
N5,489,151.

Note

• Further details of specific tasks and duties will be agreed with the line manager as part of the performance agreement. Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility.
• This role profile is not prescriptive; it merely outlines the key behaviours the role-holder requires to be successful in the role; the key behaviours and responsibilities are subject to change. Any changes will be made in consultation with the role-holder.
• You will be expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, policies and procedures within Christian Aid which may be updated from time to time.
• You must be in sympathy with the aims, beliefs and values of Christian Aid as it seeks to work on relief, development and advocacy for poverty eradication.