Job Title: Director of Operations
Hours: Full-time
Location : Kampala, Uganda
Salary : Commensurate with required experience and qualifications
University Research Co., LLC (URC)
URC is a global company dedicated to improving the quality of health care, social services, and health education worldwide. With a non-profit affiliate, the Center for Human Services (CHS), URC manages projects in over 45 countries, including the United States.
Established in 1965, URC offers a range of technical assistance to strengthen health and social systems and service quality by empowering communities and health workers to identify and scale up locally appropriate solutions to critical problems. Internationally, we expand access to and improve the quality of services addressing maternal, newborn, and child health; infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria; reproductive health and family planning; food and nutrition; and vulnerable children and families. In the US, we focus on improving communication related to issues like substance abuse, with a particular focus on reaching underserved populations.
URC's mission is to provide innovative, evidence-based solutions to health and social challenges worldwide. Please join us in carrying out our mission ( http://www.urc-chs.com/ ).
Division & Project Overview
The URC Quality & Performance Institute (QPI) is a division of URC which serves as an organizing force to bring together best practices, staff experience, partnerships, and documentation on improving health care at URC. The USAID Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems ( ASSIST) Project is URC's flagship project in quality improvement.
ASSIST is managed by URC's Quality and Performance Institute, (QPI), which has implemented quality improvement and operations research programs in health care since 1981 and continues to be at the cutting edge of health care improvement work in countries around the world.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Directly supervise the administrative team and ensure that the team efficiently and effectively supports the technical program. The team currently consists of a Finance Manager, an HR Officer, an Admin Officer, a Procurement Office along with their subordinate support staff, and the successful applicant will be responsible for maintaining appropriate staffing levels to the scope and scale of the project.
Plan and implement systems for financial operations in cooperation with the Chief of Party in accordance with the URC's Field Operations Manual and donor regulations, including systems for cash flow management, budgeting, consolidation of accounting information, internal controls, financial reporting, and financial record-keeping.
Develop and maintain local office financial policies and procedures in cooperation with the Chief of Party and supervise, train, and mentor other finance, administration, HR and procurement staff.
Develop financial and management reporting framework for the project, in collaboration with the Chief of Party.
Oversee contractual negotiations and agreements with local consultants, vendors and service providers.
Ensure financial and administrative compliance with USAID rules and regulations.
Work closely with the Procurement Specialist to manage logistics, procurement, and inventories for the project.
Oversee payroll and HR procedures for USAID ASSIST Country office staff.
Perform internal audits and reviews, as required, to ensure compliance with URC standards, donor requirements, and internationally accepted accounting practices.
Stay abreast of donor policies, procedures, rules and regulations; compile and update applicable local policies; and train URC's program staff in these policies.
Oversee banking relations and monitor country cash flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of URC programs.
Develop annual fiscal year budgets with the Chief of Party and URC Headquarters and forecasting systems with project technical advisors.
Review routine financial reports, including expenditures, account reconciliation, and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
Responsible for overseeing the project inventory management, transport, human resource, security, stores, procurement, IT, communications and other operations functions.
Working with COP to ensure efficient functioning of administrative and logistics processes and maintaining adequate internal control;
Communicating with HQ on operations matters on a regular basis. This includes, working with the project coordinator, contracts department and other departments on the review and timely approval of various procurement documentation.
Contributing to ongoing URC administrative process improvements, representing the Uganda office in policy development while implementing company policies.
Maintain contact with USAID, key counterparts, and other stakeholders as delegated by the Chief of Party
Minimum Qualifications:
Required Experience & Qualifications
Master's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or other relevant field. CPA or equivalent preferred.
Ten (10) years' experience in administrative and financial management of large international projects including experience in management of USG funded projects.
Knowledge and experience working with USAID and other major donors is required. Demonstrated experience and skill with large budget preparation and analysis, financial reporting, preparation, and presentation, and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
Strong accounting skills and experience, including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet. Experience with QuickBooks accounting software highly preferred.
Desired Experience & Qualifications
Familiarity with compliance to Federal Acquisition Regulations.
Proficient in relevant computer applications and databases.
Strong analytical, oral and written communication skills.
Excellent past performance references (contacts should be provided at time of application).
To Apply:
For immediate consideration, please visit URC's Career Opportunities page at www.urc-chs.com/careers.
Please cut and paste your cover letter and upload your CV where indicated. Also, please complete your application form and attach a completed USAID Form 1420 Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet as well.
Due to the large number of inquiries we receive, only candidates who have met the required experience & qualifications for this position will be contacted. No phone calls please. However, since we are active around the world in the field of public health, we may wish to retain your CV in our database for other/future opportunities, unless you direct us otherwise. Thank you very much for your interest.
URC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Deadline: 06/ 07 /2013
