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ABOUT SPARK MICROGRANTS

Spark MicroGrants believes in a world where everyone lives with dignity and determines their own positive future. For nearly ten years, Spark MicroGrants has been pioneering a new approach to international aid. We believe in local solutions and catalyzing rural villages facing poverty into action.

At the heart of Spark’s model, the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP), are ‘town-hall’ style meetings, in which women and men plan together for their community’s future. Each village democratically elects a leadership committee, establishes a village savings account, and launches a project of their choice. Members receive training on financial management and transparency, accountable leadership, village planning, and advocacy. Each village receives US$8,000 in seed funds to turn project ideas into reality and receives additional management support.

Spark is now active in 320+ villages in 6 countries, benefiting over 230,000 lives. In the next three years, we seek to accelerate the growth of this approach, through i) establishing a global Community of Practice based on cutting edge facilitation and training design, and ii) establishing a national scale program in Rwanda - our flagship program - in partnership with the Government of Rwanda.

Our team of 50+ people is spread across 4 countries in East Africa and the US, sharing a common vision and value system. These are:

1. Facilitators. We don’t impose; we enable others to generate impact.
2. Community-driven. We are motivated by what is best for the community.
3. Process-centered. The how of what we do is just as important as the what.
4. Authentic. Our vision and values live in everything we do.
5. Dynamic. We seek opportunities and are willing to take risks to serve our community partners better

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Operations Director plays a crucial role in achieving operational excellence and strategic growth. The Operations Director will oversee global operations and ensure efficiency, productivity, and compliance with organizational policies and procedures. Reporting directly to the CFO, the Operations Director will liaise with the senior management team to improve operations and strengthen systems.

Operations

• Ensure effective operational policies and procedures that support rapid program expansion, cost-efficiency, adoption of best practices and compliance with donor regulations.
• Provide training to staff and partners on policy and procedures.
• Oversee the facilities and asset management in Spark’s offices including vehicle usage.

Information Technology

• Ensure that IT systems used by Spark are well managed with clear administrator roles, timely onboarding and offboarding of users, data security and risk management protocols in place.

Procurement

• Oversee procurement function through the entire lifecycle from procurement planning, vendor identification and selection, contract negotiations, and contract management.

Partner Management

• Serve on a team with finance and program teams to conduct pre-award and risk management assessments of local NGO partners.

Risk Management

• Continuously evaluate and improve the organization's processes, policies, and procedures. Identify lessons learned from past incidents or near misses and implement corrective actions to strengthen risk management practices.
• Conduct risk assessments and develop risk mitigation plans and strategies.
• Serve on a case management team that investigates allegations of misconduct or abuse.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 10 years of related experience in an international non-profit organization.
• Familiarity with World Bank and USAID regulations and compliance policies.
• Excellent communication skills. Strong facilitation and presentation skills. Ability to concisely and clearly convey complex topics to all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail for assessing and evaluating risks.
• Able to maintain a high level of confidentiality in handling sensitive information.
• Possess problem-solving skills, be a self-starter and a team player
• Able and willing to travel to various Spark office locations as needed
• Ability to work effectively in a team and collaborate with other departments.

OTHER INFORMATION

Reporting to: CFO

Job Location: Kampala, Uganda or Kigali, Rwanda

Application closing Date: On a rolling basis, we reserve the right to close this recruitment process at any time

TO APPLY

Follow the Link to apply: https://sparkmicrogrants.bamboohr.com/careers/103

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Spark Microgrants provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions at Spark are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Spark does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by the law. Spark will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship to daily operations.