Operations Manager

ABOUT THE WHITE HELMETS

The Stichting White Helmets Foundation (SWHF) is an independent, international not for profit organisation that aims to provide aid to communities and persons recovering from conflicts and disasters; provide support and orientation to refugees and communities in hosting countries; and support justice and human rights efforts. The SWHF works in partnership with WH offices in Syria, Turkey and Canada. The Visual Documentation Team (VDT) is based in The Netherlands. The VDT project is a justice and accountability project that addresses relevant issues in Syria and aims at assisting transitional justice mechanisms and other research processes.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Operations Support Manager is responsible for the overall support in all administration and accounting functions and for providing a second layer of authority for checking and validation of all finance, human resources and logistics transactions in compliance with applicable laws and donors’ regulations. S/He provides leadership, direction and management of the SWHF support team, and provides strategic recommendations to the Board of Directors.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

• Duty station: The Netherlands
• Line manager: President of Stichting White Helmets Foundation
• Line management Responsibility: Administrative Officer / HR Coordinator / Finance Coordinator
• Full-time/Part-time: Full-time

Tasks and activities:

VDT Management – programmatic responsibilities:

• Provide leadership, direction and management of the SWHF support team.
• Provide strategic recommendations to the Board of Directors (BoD).
• Provide reports and briefing to the donors as required by SWHF management.
• Manage the processes for financial forecasting and budgets and oversee the preparation of all financial reporting.
• Advice on long-term business strategy, people management, and financial planning.
• Establish and develop relations with senior management and external partners and stakeholders.
• Develop, review, and approve all formal finance, procurement and HR-related procedures and policies.
• Supervise and resolve the organization’s day to day issues with suppliers and third parties.
• Ensure all procurement operations are completed according to SWHF policy and donor requirements.
• Verify, approve, and manage SWHF and projects specific monthly financial reports in a timely manner.
• Carry out team appraisals including identifying any training needs.
• Maintain an excellent understanding of all donors’ regulations/procedures in terms of procurement, administrations, HR, and finance.

Administrative Responsibilities:

• Lead coordination with external legal and accounting consultancy firms to obtain their support when needed.
• Prepare, update, collate, and maintain all necessary internal and administrative documents of the project.
• Coordinate with SWHF BoD and Supervisory Board to identify, develop and promote tools, guidelines and best practices for institutional development (strategies, internal policies, etc.).

Required qualifications: Education, Experience and Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree (MBA preferred) in Accounting, Finance, Management or related field.
• 5 years of demonstrated experience in financial management and accounting, ideally in the non-profit sector.
• 3 years in a supervisory role.
• Experience integrating IT Systems to improve accounting productivity and accuracy.
• Experience working with external auditors, compliance and regulatory oversight.
• Knowledge/understanding of reporting requirements for Dutch NGOs or experience in delivering high level financial reports to key stakeholders.
• Excellent IT skills, with specific competency with Microsoft Excel.
• Outstanding organizational and time-management abilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making aptitude.
• Able to manage multiple activities and identify priorities, meet deadlines and solve problems with shifting and competing needs in a complex environment.
• Cross-cultural communication and interpersonal skills, and able to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff and stakeholders.
• Very good command of English (spoken and written); Dutch and Arabic are a plus.
• Ability to perform clerical work with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• High standards of confidentiality, reliability, and discretion.
• Integrity and sharing of SWHF’s values and ethical standards.