Country Operations Director
Lilongwe, Malawi
Full Time
AgFinance
Senior Manager/Supervisor
The Country Operations Director for Opportunity International Malawi will be responsible for developing, leading, implementing and monitoring the day-to-day operational systems and processes to ensure the organisation meets its strategic goals, project deliverables, and national requirements. This role will direct and oversee the implementation of finance, compliance, HR, and regulatory policies at the company.
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Operations
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Operations
- Oversee the work plans for the Opportunity Staff, ensuring that team plans are in line with the organisation’s objectives, donor deliverables, budgets, and personal development goals.
- Monitor and improve processes that enable the team to work efficiently and effectively while maintaining costs.
- Ensure all staff are trained in policies and procedures and maintain staff training and coaching.
- Ensure that all procedures at the company accommodate the required compliance and regulatory requirements for government, donors, and Opportunity.
- Participate in and facilitate audits, monitoring visits, or other requests from funders, donor visits, or other leadership trips to Malawi.
- Lead Project Management and execution of current and new projects and activities.
- Facilitate agreements with partner organisations and subrecipients of funded projects.
- Administer and account for current and prospective highly restricted awards from ISF, BMZ, the Government of Malawi, and other government/foundations.
- Oversee and facilitate the generation of both narrative and financial reports, per agreed-upon schedules.
- Develop and monitor the operational budget, tracking donor expenditures, cash flows, and overall compliance with Opportunity finance policies.
- Supervise the finance manager responsible for petty cash, managing cash advance requests and liquidation, office inventory management, and donor financial reporting. Ensure tax and audit requirements are met.
- Ensure that the team has access to the necessary funds to complete planned activities on time and that accurate records are maintained for all expenditures.
- Oversee the leasing of office spaces, management of utilities and other cleaning contracts, and ensure that the office is adequately furnished and supplied for the team.
- Oversee inventory management, including tracking all company assets and donor registers for goods as required by funders.
- Support recruitment, hiring, performance management, and development plans for the team.
- Develop succession planning and development tracks for the team and ensure that the staff have opportunities to learn and grow.
- Programmes Manager
- Finance Manager
- Office Administrator
- Digital Project Officer
- Master’s degree in administration, finance or another relevant field.
- 8-12 years of proven experience in donor finance or operations management positions.
- Experience in developing and managing budgets and work plans
- Proven track record of executing delivery of highly technical government awards, including but not limited to BMZ, USAID and GAC activities.
- Excellent communication skills, for both internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong working knowledge of data analysis, performance metrics and using customer management software.
- Passionate about Opportunity’s mission. Able to promote and communicate the organization’s goals and objectives to external and internal stakeholders.
- Written and verbal fluency in English and Chichewa required. Additional 1 or 2 local languages is desirable. Must be able to attend & fully participate in meetings conducted in English.
- Occasional (5%) international travel within Africa, primarily for team meetings and learning trips with other Opportunity country offices.
- Occasional (15%) domestic travel within Malawi, primarily for team and project monitoring throughout the country.
Opportunity International is a global non-profit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. We respond to Jesus Christ's call to love and serve people living in poverty. We seek to emulate the Good Samaritan, whose compassion crossed ethnic groups and religions. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
CHILD PROTECTION COMMITMENT
Opportunity believes that all children have a right to protection from any form of abuse regardless of gender, culture, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, or ability. Opportunity operates in line with international best practices for child protection and recognizes its responsibility to ensure that all employees. This policy applies to anyone acting on behalf of Opportunity or is involved in its programs in any capacity. All employees are subject to background checks, which include criminal checks and sex offender list checks, as allowed by local law.
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