Job Description

Chemonics seeks a Regional Office Manager (ROM) to be based in Harare, Zimbabwe for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) 8 Decision Support (DS) project. The ROM serves as the operational head of the Southern Africa regional office for all administrative and logistical matters related to the project in the region. FEWS NET DS also has offices in the following regions: West Africa; Middle East, North Africa, and Europe; Asia; and Latin America and the Caribbean. The ROM will also be responsible for providing guidance and support to project staff in the countries in the region and support the Regional Field Accountant (RFA) as needs arise. Interested applicants must currently, and in the future, have legal authorization to work in the country where their regional office of interest is located. We are looking for individuals who have a passion for making a difference in the lives of people around the world.
FEWS NET is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. The eighth phase of FEWS NET includes the Decision Support (DS) project which is charged with providing integrated monitoring and analyses of current and forecast acute food insecurity in countries worldwide to support the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) policy and programmatic decisions. Based on an in-depth understanding of local livelihoods, the FEWS NET DS Team members monitor information and data on factors that affect food security, such as conflict, weather conditions and climate, crops, pasture, markets and trade, and nutrition. The work of the FEWS NET DS Team relies on close collaboration with international, regional, and national partners on food security data and information gathering and analysis. Major activities include joint monitoring and assessments, data sharing and exchanges, collaborative analysis and reporting, and technical capacity strengthening.

Duties and Responsibilities

Procurement and Inventory
• Supervise all regional office procurements and ensure compliance with Chemonics and USAID policies. If necessary, remotely support procurements in project offices across the region. Periodically verify all inventory items to ensure they are properly labeled per USAID guidelines and support remote inventory audit if necessary. Ensure that the value of all items booked in Abacus under inventory accounts matches the total value indicated in the inventory report
• Coordinate with the Project Management Unit (PMU) on inventory disposition requests, large procurements, startup and closeout tasks, and additional inquiries
Vendor Accounts
• Maintain relationships with local vendors; negotiate rates and assess service quality
• Prepare procurement action requests for the regional office, and if necessary, remotely support the preparation of procurement action requests in project offices across the region, for PMU review and approval
• Verify vendor invoices and deliveries, and ensure supporting documents are complete and accurate before processing with the RFA
Personnel and Administration
• Prepare payroll for regional staff and specific country staff within the region and make disbursements in accordance with Chemonics policies and procedures
• Maintain up-to-date personnel files for the regional staff, and specific country staff within the region, monitor and track personnel benefits such as vacation, sick day and bonuses, and ensure all project files are securely archived in accordance with Chemonics policies and best practices
• Provide orientations for new staff and consultants on field office procedures, including take the lead on onboarding processes, employment agreements or their modifications, and Chemonics standard trainings
• Submit short-term technical assignment (STTA) expense reports and timesheets for regional staff and specific country staff within the region, to the Home Office (HO) for processing
• Provide administrative, logistical, and operational guidance and support to project staff within the region.
• Maintain the regional office filing system and required administrative office systems, and perform other tasks as assigned by either the supervisor or PMU. Liaise with regional staff to address administrative and logistical needs and serve as a link between field personnel and the PMU
Training and event planning
• Oversee the coordination of project workshops and training events in the region and ensure effective organization and adequate administrative support. Remotely support project workshops and training events as needed in project offices across the region
• Support project staff based across the region on training and event planning
Finance and Accounting
• Provide backstop support to the RFA as needed
• Process and submit required tax documentation to the accounting consulting firm and Chemonics office for the regional office and specific countries across the region, with the support of the RFA
• Ensure compliance with Chemonics policies, USAID regulations, and local laws, including everything related to taxes and other project responsibilities

Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in a related field is required; advanced university degree (master’s degree or higher) is desirable
• Minimum six years of relevant experience in accounting, financial, and procurement management is required
• Advanced computer skills, particularly in MS Office, word processing, and spreadsheets are required
• Proficiency in written and spoken English is required; other local language skills relevant to the region are desirable
• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity

How to Apply

Please apply using the following https://fewsnet.formstack.com/forms/regional_office_manager_c by October 30, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact short-listed candidates.
Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

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