Head of Support Services

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Head of Support is responsible for the overall strategy and compliance, through the management of Logistics, Human Resources (HR) and Finance department in the MdM Lebanon mission.  

S/He ensures the alignment of his/her support departments with MdM, donors’, national authorities’ strategies, frameworks and procedures along with relevant legislation. Under the line management of the General Coordinator, and the technical management of the Desk Manager, s/he works in close collaboration with the other departments – Program, Medical/MHPSS, Grants, Security-Safety-Access, MEAL. 

Close collaboration: 

Mission level: Emergency Coordinator for Programs; Medical Coordinator; MHPSS Coordinator, Humanitarian Access & Risk Advisor; Grants and Compliance Manager; MEAL Manager; Field Coordinators 

HQ level:  Logistics Referent; HR Referent; Finance Referent; Audit department; Legal department; IT department 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES 

Support services leadership and strategic planning 

Provides strong leadership and advice to the General Coordinator and the coordination team, with a support-related vision. 

Be proactive in producing key documents, in close collaboration with HQ where needed. 

Participate in the coordination of the strategic exercise as a member of the country management team and contribute to its translation into an annual action plan in accordance with MdM policies and guidelines. 

Coordinate the implementation of the mission's annual financial plan. 

Anticipate contingency plans to ensure continuity of the humanitarian response and oversee their implementation. 

Oversee support services planning in close collaboration with coordination and base teams. 

Facilitate programme departments' understanding of support-related issues and challenges. 

Development and Reporting 

Actively contribute to key project cycle moments such as go/no-go meetings, kick-off meetings and similar events. 

Ensure that the support teams are involved in a timely manner in proposal development, reporting and any other donor-related and authorities-related deliverables. 

Supervise the development by the support teams of all relevant analyses necessary for the development of proposals. 

Support services’ management and quality – Logistics, Human Resources, Finance 

Ensure the quality and consistency of support services in line with the MdM mandate, guiding principles, internal procedures, donor requirements and applicable local legislation. 

Ensure compliance with administrative, contractual, labour, legal and tax requirements, identifying potential risks and ensuring appropriate corrective measures. 

Ensure transparency and appropriate management of mission resources, in close collaboration with Support teams and relevant HQ departments. 

Coordinate the regular analysis of support services and identify, analyse and escalate significant discrepancies, risks and areas requiring corrective action. 

Develop and maintain appropriate tools and procedures to provide the mission with a clear overview of support services and facilitate informed decision-making. 

Ensure that Finance, HR and Logistics functions are consistent, technically sound and effectively integrated with one another and with programme activities. 

Has the lead for any legal matters, in close collaboration with the relevant support teams. 

Supervise and support the Support teams, ensuring effective technical guidance and support to field teams. 

Ensure that lessons learned, best practices, recommendations and corrective measures are integrated into current and future programming. 

Contribute to the implementation of a risk prevention and management system, the reporting of complaints and abuse of authority, and the implementation of anti-corruption and anti-fraud policies 

Ensure the implementation of resource control processes in the field, in close collaboration with the support teams and Field Coordinators. 

Ensure that the size of the teams allows for an appropriate segregation of duties and that all employees are aware of their respective roles and responsibilities in the proper management of the mission's resources. 

Identify financial and compliance risks within the mission and develop tools and policies to mitigate them. 

Identify potential risks of PSEAH, corruption and fraud at mission and base level, alert the General Coordinator and propose corrective measures. 

Lead, as HQ focal point, any potential investigations to be carried. 

Lead and/or coordinate support-services audits and ensure timely follow-up of audit recommendations– in close collaboration with the Grants and Compliance Manager. 

Team Management and capacity building 

Be responsible for the recruitment of the team under his/her direct supervision, throughout all phases of the recruitment cycle. 

Carry out appraisals in accordance with MdM standard requirements and procedures. 

Manage his/her team through coaching, support, information sharing, objective setting, monitoring key performance indicators and actions related to activities, annual appraisals, and HR development plans. 

Identify overall capacity-building needs among the support services and directly conduct trainings, refresher sessions and coaching where necessary. 

Refer the teams to available technical resources (human and methodological) online or at HQ level. 

Supervise the entire support team, ensure regular coordination and information sharing, develop a positive team dynamic, and take appropriate action in case of problems. 

Ensure that communication lines and responsibilities defined in the organizational structure are respected across the mission. 

Coordination and representation 

Actively participate in MdM coordination meetings and other ad hoc meetings decided by the General Coordinator. 

Establish effective coordination mechanisms between support, programme, base and coordination teams, including regular meetings and information-sharing processes. 

Ensure effective and timely dissemination of support information across bases, coordination and HQ, including contributions to the SITREP. 

Contribute to balancing support and operational considerations, in close collaboration with all relevant departments at base and coordination levels. 

In close collaboration with the General Coordinator, represent MdM and strengthen relationships with authorities, partners and other relevant stakeholders, and support donor visits and meetings where required. 

This list of activities is not exhaustive and may change depending on the situation. 

Skills: 

Education & Experience 

Master's degree in one of the related fields 

Support coordination profile (HR background favored), with experience in coordination of health projects. 

At least 5 years’ experience in the humanitarian sector, including in complex contexts 

At least 2 years of experience with a similar position 

Experience with an international NGO  

Experience with partnership 

Applicants should send their CVs to recruitment.lebanon@medecinsdumonde.net with the subject reference "SSCO/MDM" (CVs without this subject line will not be considered). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

MdM is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, religion, creed, citizenship, national origin, age, or disability unrelated to job requirements.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. MdM reserves the right to close this vacancy early if a suitable candidate is found, so early application is encouraged