IFES is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization. As the global leader in democracy promotion, IFES advances good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials; empowering the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and applying field-based research to improve the electoral cycle. Since 1987, IFES has worked in over 145 countries, from developing democracies to mature democracies.

Since 1994, IFES has played a significant role in promoting electoral, administrative and legal reform in Ukraine.  In cooperation with partners in Ukrainian civil society and the Central Election Commission (CEC), IFES is working to foster dialogue on electoral reform, build the capacity of local NGOs, institutionalize best practices in training election officials, and ensure more equal representation in the electoral process for disadvantaged populations, especially women and persons with disabilities.

IFES is seeking a Head of Operations to ensure sound oversight of all IFES Ukraine operations. Reporting to the IFES Ukraine Deputy Country Director, the Head of Operations will provide management of all reporting, administration, procurement, financial management, HR, and operations functions of the IFES Ukraine program.

Location: Kyiv

Job Responsibilities:

Leadership & Strategy

• • Contribute to strategic planning, work planning, and budgeting processes.
• • Drive strategic operational initiatives, including coordination and collaboration with internal stakeholders, to ensure timely and accurate completion and delivery of outcomes.
• • Provide senior leadership with operational input and advice.
• • Provide overall operational support for program activities implementation and facilitate coordination, supervision and monitoring of support activities designed to assist in fulfilling program objectives.
• • Be creative in looking for better efficiencies of the operations departments including through new systems or technologies.
• • Maintain strong internal controls to ensure compliance to the policies, tools, processes, control systems, and standard operating procedures to facilitate the effective delivery of results;
• • Establish a dynamic work environment that promotes team empowerment and shared accountability for design and delivery;
• • Establish and maintain coordination mechanisms, including trainings, to strengthen collaboration and exchanges between operations and program teams and ensure the latter understands procedures, rules and regulations.
• • Represent IFES Ukraine in contributing to IFES’ global operational ambitions and updates;
• • Oversee and provide guidance for internal and external audit preparations;
• • Coordinate closely with HQ on all operational matters and provide support to the operations team in liaising and responding to HQ and donor requests.

Financial and Reporting

• • Supervise all financial management to ensure best use of resources through sound budgeting, monitoring of project expenses, and timely preparation and review of financial reports, in compliance with IFES and donor rules and procedures;
• • With coordination between field and HQ-based program staff, ensure that donor-specified (USAID, Global Affairs Canada, UKAID, DRL) reporting requirements are met;
• • Ensure accurate and timely submission of field expense reports and wire transfer requests to HQ;
• • Monitor cash flow and maintain sufficient funds;
• • Develop and manage internal tools for budget and spending analysis;
• • Contribute to fiscal year-end and project close-out reporting requirements;
• • Supervise and provide guidance to finance staff to maintain accurate financial management and reporting.

Procurement

• • Supervise all procurement management including procurement actions, including commodities, service providers, consultants, and sub-grants, to ensure they meet donor and IFES rules and regulations and are processed in a timely fashion;
• • Seek to streamline and increase the efficiency of procurement procedures in accordance with donor and IFES regulations;
• • Supervise and provide guidance to procurement staff to ensure procurement processes are in line with IFES’ and donor policies, and processed effectively.

HR

• • Ensure effective manpower planning for operations management and program delivery.
• • With support of the HR team, ensure the effective implementation of contemporary practices across recruitment, induction, compensation and benefits, operations and compliance, employee retention, employee engagement, performance management, learning & development and grievance management;
• • Drive a culture of coaching and mentorship to facilitate capacity building of the team.
• • Seek out and operationalize opportunities that will strengthen internal communications and morale within the office;
• • Ensure that IFES internal records and regulations/policies are up to date and in line with local legislation, IFES, and donor policies;
• • Develop and ensure compliance with standard operating procedures for recruitment of new staff and onboarding;
• • Supervise and provide guidance to HR staff

 Admin

• • Ensure proper oversight of administrative functions, including the office space and maintenance;
• • With the assistance of the Sr Administrative Manager, ensure that the admin team maintains accurate and well-organized records, administrative functions run smoothly and are in compliance with local, IFES and donor policies and procedures;
• • With the assistance of the IT Manager, ensure that all IFES Ukraine IT systems and processes are functioning properly and provide high-level security protection for all IFES Ukraine electronic data.

Risk management

• • Oversee financial risk management by ensuring financial transparency and accountability through robust internal controls;
• • Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans to mitigate any identified risks;
• • Ensure adherence to donor requirements, to relevant IFES and local laws and regulations;
• • Coordinate security and contingency plans, the implementation of safety trainings, and ensure staff and office safety.

Requirements: 

Skills and specifications

• • Excellent organizational and leadership abilities, and time management skills;
• • Ability to complete tasks with limited supervision;
• • Excellent attention to detail and deadlines;
• • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• • Ability to implement new approaches and problem solve in complex, time-sensitive matters;
• • Confident in senior level decision-making, with an ability to identify risks and issues, conduct applicable analysis, identify and weigh solutions;
• • Ability to appropriately plan, prioritize and manage multiple competing demands;
• • Willingness to adhere to all principles of confidentiality.

Education and qualifications

• • Bachelor’s Degree or higher in a relevant subject;
• • Minimum ten (10) years of relevant experience;
• • Experience in optimizing and overseeing financial and procurement systems;
• • Strong background in financial administration, office management and procurement;
• • Excellent management skills, experience in grant and personnel management;
• • Previous experience working with a development project, NGO or International Organization;
• • Experience working on UK/USAID/Canada-funded programs is a plus;
• • Proficiency in Word, Powerpoint, Outlook and Excel.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Fluent in Ukrainian and English, written and spoken. 

TRAVEL: Travel may be required.

This position is based in Kyiv and the incumbent will be expected to work on-site. 

Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and letter of interest to [email protected] no later than November 26, 2023. We will review candidates on a rolling basis.

All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment/promotions and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. IFES encourages people with disabilities and from other diverse backgrounds to apply.