Company Profile

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-governmental policy and research organization dedicated to discovering and advancing what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty. Combining technical rigor, immediate policy interest, and a solid grounding in the needs of the poor, IPA’s work helps practitioners better allocate their resources and improve their operations. IPA has been fully registered and working in Ghana since 2009.

Job Description

• Position: Operations Manager
• Reports to: Deputy Country Director
• Location:  Accra, with frequent visits to Tamale
• Deadline to apply: 4^th April, 2016
• Desired start date: as soon as possible
• Length of commitment: 2 years renewable
• Job Code: OPM-FOG-29022016

Summary
IPA works in a variety of fields, including education, agriculture, microfinance, and health. Since our founding in 2002, IPA has conducted over 450 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide. IPA has been formally established in Ghana since 2009 and has experienced a fast growth since then. It has a young and dynamic team overseeing 19 ongoing projects, and composed of 84 permanent staff.

IPA seeks an Operations Manager to oversee administration and operations in its Ghana country office.

Position Summary
The Operations Manager (OM) will be responsible for managing country office operations that support both the general administrative and support needs of the Ghana office and project operations. He/she will manage a team of 8 administrative staff across the Accra and Tamale offices. Specifically, he/she will oversee in-country Human Resources, IT, Safety & Security, as well as Procurement and Inventory Management Systems, and ensure the general compliance of the country office with relevant laws and regulations. He/she will also work closely with IPA Ghana’s Research Managers and various project heads to identify project support needs and ensure that projects receive adequate support.

This position is based in Accra, with monthly travel to the Tamale office (approximately 5 days a month) and sometimes other field locations. The Operations Manager will report to the Deputy Country Director.

A two-year commitment for this position is required.

Job Description
The Operations Manager will:

Operations systems management

• Work closely with the Deputy Country Directors and Country Director to define and implement IPA Ghana’s operational strategy;
• Improve and manage systems for procurement, inventory management, information technology and other business processes to ensure the organization runs efficiently and effectively;
• Manage the Administrative Budget of IPA Ghana;
• Oversee office security and office emergency planning, in collaboration with IPA’s regional Operations Manager and headquarters;
• Manage relationships with suppliers and other external bodies, and oversee contract negotiation, development and review;
• Supervise the Accra Operations Associate and the Tamale Office Manager to ensure consistent and reliable support between both IPA Ghana offices and that the offices are of sound condition and provide healthy and well-functioning working environments;
• Supervise the IT assistant and their activities - including technical support and management of shared resources;

Oversight of in-country Human Resources;

• Supervise IPA Ghana’s HR associate and work with her to develop, improve and oversee systems for managing in-country human resources, in collaboration with IPA’s global HR department;
• Ensure that employees have a safe working environment, free from discrimination and harassment, and resolve employee complaints;
• Be the primary contact for legal counsel in risk mitigation activities and litigation pertaining to employee relations matters;

Capacity Building for members of IPA Ghana’s Operations team

• Build capacity of Ghana administrative and IT staff (currently 8 staff) to execute routine operational processes and solve operational problems with minimal management intervention;
• Oversee training needs assessments for administrative, operations and IT staff to determine when training is necessary and the type of training necessary to improve performance and productivity.

Operations support to project teams

• Identify and implement efficiency gains across the organization, and find solutions to balance the administrative burden of project staff;
• Ensure project teams are trained on and adhere to IPA Ghana operational policies including safety and security, resource management and HR;
• Perform other work related duties that may be assigned.

Required Skills or Experience

It is required that candidates have;

• A minimum of a Master’s level degree in Business Administration or related field with at least 4 years of steadily progressing management experience;
• A passion for problem solving, for capacity building, and for leading innovations and system improvements towards organizational efficiency;
• Exceptional analytical and organizational skills; strong attention to details;
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and delegate effectively;
• Significant supervisory management experience, including managing direct reports;
• Experience working within a complex organizational structure and managing work across multiple offices, spread across large geographic distances;
• Cultural sensitivity and a demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies;
• Team-orientation and preference for horizontal management culture
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and complete fluency in English;
• Very strong technical and computer skills – particularly with Microsoft Office;
• Creativity, self-starter mindset;
• Strong intellectual curiosity, interest in engaging in very diverse areas of organizational management;
• Authorization to work in Ghana.

It is preferred that candidates have;

• Strong negotiation skills;
• Experience managing the procurement lifecycle;
• Budgeting and financial management skills;
• Experience managing compliance with rules and regulations in Ghana, especially relating to Human Resources; as well as with rules and regulations of major donor agencies;
• Experience with field work in a research organization conducting or supporting data collection.