Operations Officer

Organisation Background:

The International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international charity that supports the safety of aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO services help NGOs with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation has grown from innovative start-up to become a globally recognised charity and a highly valued component in the humanitarian safety coordination system. With operations in 16 countries, INSO has revolutionized the humanitarian safety coordination sector by introducing a robust and high-quality field safety platform model that has been deployed in some of the world’s most high-risk settings.

The strong focus on humanitarian principles and exclusive NGO-only membership criteria have meant that INSO is now accepted as a standard component of modern humanitarian response offering independent frontline reporting and coordination services that save lives, strengthen operational practice and enable humanitarian access.

Today the organisation provides daily support to more than 1000 NGOs in 16 of the world’s most insecure countries and has earned a strong reputation for performance, principles & professionalism.

INSO Iraq launched in 2014 and currently serves more than 220 international and national NGOs. INSO Iraq supports partners from its country office in Erbil. Our partners rely on INSO analysis and advice to deliver services to people in need. Humanitarian organisations in Iraq continue to face safety and access challenges across the country. Working with INSO Iraq will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of humanitarian programming in a country affected by protracted instability and conflict.

INSO Iraq is now seeking an experienced professional to join our team as Operations Officer in Erbil Office.

 

Overall Purpose of Role:

Acting as the primary assistant to the Operations Manager (OM), the Operations Officer will support in carrying out INSO operations including (but not limited to) HR, logistics, procurement, admin tasks, and functions. The position will as part of the Operations team.

 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Logistics & Procurement:

• Assist supervisor in procurement activities, in collaboration with Operations and Program teams
• Ensure the procurement process is as per the SOPs, with proper documentation supporting all the purchases
• Assist with identification of suitable vendors, collection of price quotes, documentation of procurement process, and management of electronic and paper procurement files
• Responsible for circulating RFQs, preparing bid analysis, and issuing purchase orders
• Coordinate all logistical arrangements for project-related events, workshops, seminars, and other training activities
• Responsible for managing & preparing service level agreements for the smooth running of project activities
• Help manage and administer office resources, including office space, assets including laptops, other related office systems and equipment.
• Maintain and update CO inventory list as per INSO requirements and submit quarterly reports.
• Ensure all assets are tagged and keep record of movement of assets.
• Ensure physical verification is done on a bi-annual basis.
• Monitoring of vehicle movement through vehicle log sheet
• Premise (office(s)) maintenance and supplies.

 

Administration:

• Manage travel arrangements, including staff air tickets, transport, and accommodation for business purposes.
• Support the organization of team events (meetings, workshops, etc.).
• Maintains a central filing system for required documents and forms.
• Support the development and systematic management of internal policies and their implementation across INSO operations.
• Organize and process purchase requests, quotations, purchase orders, and goods received notes and submit to finance for payment.
• Help conduct compliance checks, donor due diligence, and other regulatory responsibilities.
• Fulfill other administrative functions as required.

• Organize flight bookings for all staff and goods, and ensure all staff and goods have proper documentation before travelling.
• Have good working relationship with flight partners such as UNHAS and local travel agents for Commercial Flights
• Ensure all invoices are sent on time for payment from our flight partners.
• Has a good understanding of country laws especially labour law, NGOs law,
• Liaison and compliance reporting and follow; staff permits, official letters, building relationships.

 

 

Human Resource:

• Assist with long-term and short-term recruitment needs for INSO.
• Assist with preparing staff contracts.
• Ensure all payroll changes are recorded monthly.
• Ensure all staff files are maintained.
• Ensure all trackers and databases are up-to-date and readily available for management information.
• Assist with the identification, selection, recruitment, training, and orientation of new staff members.
• Support with Cezanne where needed.
• Ensure timesheets are up to date.

 

Liaison:

• Communicate with country government offices on behalf of INSO Iraq,
• Follow up, report, communicate, provide documentations and necessary approvals to renew INSO Iraq’s administration order or certificates,
• Act as a point of contact with Asayesh, and partners.
• Identify communication issues across the organisation and with partners by providing solutions and taking the initiative to develop and improve communication.
• Liaison and compliance reporting and follow; staff permits, official letters, building relationships.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential:

• A Degree in Business Administration, Supply chain, HR, Logistics, or relevant field.
• Excellent English, Kurdish, and Arabic, both written and verbal.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience, preferably with NGOs.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools.
• Attention to detail and ability to multitask.

 

Nice to Have:

• Open-mindedness and self-confidence.
• Acceptance and understanding of humanitarian principles.
• Strong ethics, with ability to manage confidential data.
• High degree of autonomy.

 

Personal Attributes

• Confidentiality, integrity, and a sense of conflict-of-interest prevention.
• Self-motivation, courtesy, and humility.
• Team spirit and good management of interpersonal relationships.
• Know how to plan, take notes, and organize your work.
• Be flexible, dynamic, know how to propose initiatives.
• Be able to work under pressure.
• Effective communicator.
• Capacity to work in multicultural environments.

 

INSO’s Safeguarding Policy:

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process. As such, the following safe recruitment practices will be applied:

• All offers of employment will be conditional on receiving at least three satisfactory professional references.
• INSO will ask candidates about significant gaps in employment history or frequent changes of employer and address.
• All essential qualifications and relevant professional accreditations and memberships will be verified.
• The successful candidate will be required to provide a valid proof of identity (passport, ID card).
• All new hires will receive an orientation in INSO’s safeguarding policy and procedures and associated documents (Code of Conduct, Whistleblowing etc.).
• All new hires will be required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct as a condition of employment.

 

Terms & Conditions: 12 months contract with expected start date ASAP.

How to Apply

Interested applicants are invited to send a completed application (requirement below) to jobs@iraq.ngosafety.org, referencing “Operations Officer” in the subject line of the email.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for Interview.

Application requirements:

• Cover Letter specifying how you meet the mandatory requirements, how you intend to contribute to the main responsibilities, your motivation for applying, and what you hope to bring to INSO (1 page maximum).
• Updated CV (3 page maximum).
• Please do not send any additional information (such as copies of certificates, copies of diplomas, other writing samples, etc.) and keep the total size of your application under 2MB if possible.