USA: Global Operations Director

May 16, 2021 | Natural Resource Governance Institute
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The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) mission is to secure a future where countries rich in oil, gas and minerals achieve sustainable, inclusive development - one where people receive lasting benefits from extractives, and the negative impacts associated with the sector are minimized. When used well, these resources can create greater prosperity for current and future generations; used poorly, or squandered, they can cause economic instability, social conflict, and lasting environmental damage.

Support Services provides HR, technology, and procurement excellence.  NRGI operates global services out of New York and London; and has registered region and country offices in Accra, Dar es Salaam, and Lima.  New registered offices are planned for Rangoon and Dakar.   

Additional staff work in Bolivia, Cameroon, DRC, Guinea, Hungary, Lebanon, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tunisia. Our global advocacy and regional programs run in more than 20 countries through a mix of staff presence, partner presence, and registered offices.  As a complex and dispersed organization, a strong operational backbone is key to our impact on the ground and to advancing our mission. 

Job Purpose: The Global Operations Director is NRGI’s in-house expert in aspects related to country and grant compliance: procurement, grants and contracts management. They play an essential role in ensuring that these critical resource management processes are compliant with NRGI policies and procedures, donor requirements and international good practice. In addition, s/he is responsible for ensuring that all of NRGI’s offices worldwide are compliant with local legislation and that high-quality support services are provided in each location through capacity building.  In particular, this involves supporting the CFAO in identifying, managing and mitigating the organizational risks associated with our world-wide offices; including the health, safety and security of our staff. 

To be successful in the job, the Global Operations Director would ideally have substantive experience of working in international NGOs dealing with multiple donor funds, and leading initiatives related to compliance and capacity building. She/he will be required to progressively increase the capacity of our international field teams in the areas under his/her responsibility. Strong skills in capacity building, management by delegation and sensitivity to different working styles and capacities in different cultural environments are required for the role.  

Major Responsibilities: 

1. Strategy Development & Procurement Planning

  • Work collaboratively with the CFAO and controller to develop strategies that will effectively contribute towards achievement of NRGI's 2020-2025 strategy; leading on sections pertaining to office management, administrative support and procurement.
  • Liaise with the relevant country/regional managers or directors to understand the procurement and office-management requirements arising from the 2020-25 strategy and from the annual plans of individual regions/departments: ensuring full understanding of timelines and specifications. 
  • Facilitate NRGI’s Senior Management in developing a 3-year rolling procurement plan that responds effectively to the needs identified, including but not limited to:
    • Ensuring that the organization is equipped with the goods and services necessary to achieve the 2020-25 strategic plan
    • Liaising with the Finance team to clarify costings and budgets; supporting management to prioritize and make informed choices 
    • Ensuring that planned procurements are aligned with cash-flow forecasts for the whole organization and also at a project-level 
    • Assessing and monitoring the total cost and quality of NRGI’s purchases of goods and services; ensuring that optimum Value for Money (VfM) has been achieved
  • Work together with the CFAO and the other support services leads to develop a strategy and plan for the provision of effective support services to all offices worldwide; lead on the logistical aspects of opening offices in new locations, which may include liaising with local counsel.

2. Systems Development & Implementation

  • Develop policies, systems and procedures that will support effective resource management for NRGI worldwide; monitor and support effective implementation world-wide.
  • Regularly review and update NRGI’s Procurement policies and procedures to ensure alignment with legal updates (worldwide), ever-changing international understanding of good practice, as well as NRGI’s organizational values.
  • Ensure that systems, schedules & routines are in place to ensure high levels of service and implementation of good practice in the following areas:
    • Procurement of goods and services and comprehensive reporting in service levels, spend, and total cost analysis
    • Continuous improvement financial processes & systems to evaluate vendor performance, contract terms and periodic rationalizing of rates
    • End-to-end management of travel arrangements
    • Management of contracts related to procurement, office facilities and re-granting
    • Legal compliance of regional offices
    • Management, maintenance and disposal of assets
  • Collaborate with Development team in setting practices and policies that are centered in donor requirements; as needed, seek donor agreement or review of policy.  Look for opportunities to refine global procurement policy to harmonize across donor requirements, thus reducing administration with donors across NRGI.
  • Liaise closely with the Finance Team to ensure that financial systems are used effectively to ensure verification of expenses, purchase approvals and timely payment from donors.
  • Ensure the provision of training, briefings, internal communications and coaching to support NRGI’s wider staff and management in implementing policies, systems and procedures in accordance with good practice. 
  • Assist in reviewing and negotiating in country contracts; assist with the procurement of outsourced legal services as required (for instance, to support with exempt organizations law, employment law, corporate structure and governance, intellectual property, and insurance).

3. Procurement & Contract Management

  • Manage the procurement and purchasing process in a proactive and transparent manner which results in adding value to NRGI’s activities and has a positive impact on organizational performance.
  • Collaborate with key stakeholders (e.g. programs team, funders, prospective bidders etc.) to ensure clarity of tender documents (e.g. Terms of References/Requests for Proposals, Requests for Quotations etc.).  Ensure methods are in line with global best practices (e.g. requirements for bid process and frequency).
  • Recommend relevant and appropriate methodology of sourcing in-line with donor guidelines and threshold and will result in the identification of the most suitable supplier/ vendor.
  • Coordinate the receipt and evaluation of bids according to good practice (e.g. via a procurement committee for major purchases); communicating and negotiating with the best evaluated bidders.
    • Manage vendor contracting; ensuring that contracts and purchase orders are drawn up and signed in a timely manner.
  • Ensure that suppliers of goods and services are provided with the necessary briefings to support them in delivering according to NRGI’s expectations; act as primary point of contact in case of problems
  • Liaise with Regional Finance & Operations Officers to support them in playing their part in the procurement process; particularly conducting background checks of local vendors and managing local procurements in accordance with NRGI’s policies and procedures.

4. Financial & Administrative Support to Regional Offices

  • Support the Chief of Programs in ensuring the smooth operations of NRGI’s offices around the world, tracking legal and regulatory compliance, liaising with host institutions as required, and ensuring the provision of a supportive working environment to staff.
  • As delegated by the CFAO, provide technical support to the team of Finance and Administration Officers who support each country office; providing capacity-building support, time-saving systems and user-friendly tools to enable them to deliver quality support services.
  • Develop a tracker to monitor compliance of regional offices with local laws (including but not limited to labor laws, company law, health and safety etc.) and statutory requirements (e.g. regulatory reporting and filings, company registration requirements); provide coordination, practical support and advice to ensure full and timely compliance.
  • As requested by the CFAO, manage the logistics of setting up new offices for NRGI; especially by procuring local expertise and resources to manage the process.
  • Assure compliance with funding agency regulations in a timely manner. Prepare or oversee preparation of required reports to donors based on field expenditures and allowable indirect cost rates. This process will include the Grants closeout.
  • Oversee NRGI’s online outgoing grants management portal and support regional and thematic managers throughout the sub-granting process, including final report and due diligence checks at the outset and reporting at the end. 
  • In coordination with legal counsel be part of the Organization’s insurance portfolio management and renewals for all offices and staff around the globe (with the exception of Health Insurance which sits with HR).

5. Risk & Compliance Management

  • Oversee risk and compliance management for a delegated sub-set of NRGI's Organizational Risk Register; ensuring that risk-mitigation strategies are implemented in a timely and efficient manner.
  • In liaison with CFAO, review and analyze NRGI’s risk exposure as a result of the following:
    • Procurement
    • Re-granting
    • NRGI’s physical office facilities
    • NRGI’s logistical and administrative activities (e.g. travel)
    • Others as requested
    • Develop interventions to address key risks; ensure that risk management matrices are in place and adhered to. 
  • Lead on the development of a risk management framework for Health, Safety & Security; including ensuring that suitable emergency response protocols are in place and implemented when necessary.
  • Ensure there is a central and accessible repository for all health and safety matters from risk assessments, security assessments and workplace assessments.  Work with the HR lead to ensure NRGI's discharges its duty of care to staff.
  • Conduct compliance audits to identify, describe, quantify compliance issues, liaising with internal and external auditors as necessary; ensure swift corrective action is taken to address any issues pertaining to the services being managed.

The responsibilities of this role are subject to modifications as required by the needs of the organization.  

Job Requirements:  

Experience & Technical Skills Required 

  • At least 3-6 years post graduate experience as a procurement manager or head of procurement and a sound understanding of financial processes and reporting; ideally for an international NGO. 
  • Experience in contract negotiations; good legal understanding and experience in one or more of NRGI’s regional continents (Africa, Asia, and/or South America). 
  • Strong experience managing consulting and professional services contracts, balancing cost-effectiveness with quality service outcomes. 
  • Demonstrated track record of managing logistics and procurements effectively and managing compliance in a global setting. 
  • Familiarity with procurement and/or vendor management systems, principles and reporting. 
  • Excellent computer skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint. 
  • Excellent skills in spoken and written English are essential; other languages, especially French or Spanish are an advantage 

Education & Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s Degree; qualification in supply chain management, logistics, sourcing or procurement is beneficial.

Working Environment:  Standard office work environment; there may be occasional international travel, but not initially expected. 

Application deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis up to and including 31 May 2021.

Please note that we will only consider applications that consist of a detailed covering letter and CV/resume.

NRGI’s Values:  

NRGI seeks candidates who align with our values: 

  • Integrity: Maintaining our independence and credibility. Willing to speak truth to power.  Engaging with respect.  Practicing what we preach. Upholding the highest standards of excellence in all we do. 
  • Impact: Strategic and selective in approach.  Mindful of context, adapting to changing realities and seizing new opportunities.  Looking critically and openly at what works and what doesn’t, and why.  Integrating that learning into our forward-looking work.  Accountable to our mission, the actors with whom we work and each other.   
  • Collaboration: Partnering internally and externally to affect change.  Capitalizing on NRGI’s comparative advantage. Valuing teamwork, diversity and inclusion.  Working with different stakeholders and across different stakeholder groups.  Commitment to building the field and inspiring others to act. 
  • Passion: Commitment to social justice.  Prudently optimistic that we can and will shift entrenched power dynamics.  Dedication, creativity and resiliency in the fact of obstacles.  Investing in change makers and strengthening NRGI.  
  • Rigor: Technical competence, intellectual leadership and commitment to quality.  Generating and leveraging the evidence base.  Interrogating our work.  Innovation and initiative to push the boundaries of our field.