Senior Operations and Administration Officer

We are excited to offer an excellent opportunity for a development professional with 2-4 years of experience in operations, administration or management to join SEED Madagascar (SEED) as our Senior Operations and Administration Officer.

SEED Madagascar is a UK charity dedicated to creating long-term, sustainable change in partnership with communities in the southeast of Madagascar. We integrate high-quality community health, WASH, education, rural livelihoods and conservation programmes, while contributing to international best practices through research and publications.

The role is office-based within a team of national and international staff in the small coastal town of Fort Dauphin in the southeast of Madagascar. In this post, you will be at the heart of our mission, coordinating and managing the Operations and Administration Officer and will provide oversight to onboarding and training international staff, day to day oversight and continual development of our process, systems and procedures and supporting our short-term conservation programme volunteers.

This position is ideal for someone with a background in operations, administration or management who is ready to step into a management role, leading a small team and providing high quality administrative support across the policies and procedures needed to run an international NGO. We are looking for candidates with a passion for operations and are eager to contribute to the growth and success of our programmes in Madagascar.

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar

Commitment: 2 years with potential to extend; Monday to Friday (40 hours a week)

Salary: a local stipend of 1,800,000 MGA per month, contribution of £650 towards insurance and £1,200 towards a return flight per year.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Line manage the Operations and Administration Officer, providing support and guidance and delegating tasks effectively to ensure alignment with departmental objectives, reporting deadlines and SEED’s organisational values and strategy
2. Provide pre-departure logistical oversight, support and advice with visas, hotels, flights, accommodation, medication etc to new international staff
3. Support international staff during their initial time with SEED including arrival, social inclusion, cultural understanding, housing and integration into the SEED team
4. Offer pastoral care, guidance, and act as a role model for a team of early-career professionals living and working in-country, supporting both their professional growth and personal well-being
5. Lead on the recruitment of international staff, including the advertisement of vacancies
6. Lead on the on-boarding and logistical support for short-term conservation volunteers
7. Manage the training schedule across the staff team, working closely with the Senior HR Officer to ensure that all staff are trained and confident in the roles
8. Work with national staff to increase their skills and capacity, providing mentoring or training and encouraging skill sharing across the team
9. Assist in the preparation of reports for internal and external audiences including Annual Reports and Malagasy Ministry reports
10. Work with the Director of Operations and Programmes, and the International Operations Manager in developing, updating and implementing organisational databases, systems, policies and procedures and health and safety culture across the NGO
11. Project manage our Cyber Security implementation and development alongside the IT Officer
12. Provide core support to the Director of Programmes & Operations in management and ensuring the support and security of all international staff, including acting as an intermediary of organisational priorities to the wider team
13. Work flexibly, including changing work priorities at short notice to meet short deadlines
14. Ensure all of SEED’s policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing and anti-corruption, and undertake continual training to ensure these are always promoted
15. Assist with administration tasks and any other tasks required by the International Operations Manager or Director of Programmes and Operations in line with the tasks of the post.

Required Skills & Experience/Person Specification

• Hold an undergraduate degree in or relating to Business or Development, or be able to demonstrate a passion for these areas
• Minimum of 2 years’ professional experience in Operations
• Be able to work independently and be proactively
• Have good all round computing skills and experience in Microsoft Office
• Have previous experience working to deadlines and have ability to successfully manage their time
• Communicate clearly and engagingly in written English across a range of media forms
• Be able to communicate verbally to encompass the range of cultures you will be working with
• To have a good level of written English and be able to proofread documents to a high standard
• To have a curious mind and a patient, problem solving attitude
• Ideally have previous experience living, working or travelling in a developing country, though is not essential
• Be fluent in English. A working knowledge of French is desirable but not essential
• Be capable and comfortable adapting to life in a least developed country with sometimes basic living conditions
• Be able to work and socialise within a small group of people and to be respectful and take personal responsibility for maintaining a good reputation for the NGO in the community
• Be able to adjust to life in another culture and a foreign language and be able to work at all times with cultural sensitivity
• Demonstrate the ability, social skills and confidence to give clear guidance and support to other members of the team in respect of the philosophy and procedures of SEED in order to protect both their safety and the reputation of the NGO.