Operations Manager at FSD

Operations Manager 

Organization:   Financial Sector Deeping Trust, Tanzania

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Duration:    15-months renewable contract

About Financial Sector Deeping Trust (FSD), Tanzania

The Financial Sector Deepening Trust, Tanzania, aims to contribute towards having all Tanzanians derive value from regular use of financial services, which are delivered with dignity and fairness. The Trust achieves this through facilitating the financial markets to work and cater to the needs of its prioritized markets that are women, youth, rural dwellers, agriculture and enterprises.

The program delivers on four strategic outputs that are:

•  Advocating for an improved policy and institutional, legal and regulatory framework;
• Promoting more relevant market infrastructure and ways to reduce transaction costs between Financial Service Providers (FSPs) and potential clients;
• Stimulating improved access to financial products and services that respond to the needs of Micro- Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); and
• Stimulating improved access to financial products and services that respond to the needs of households and individuals.

For more information visit FSDT’s website: www.fsdt.or.tz

FSDT is seeking to recruit a self-motivated, dynamic individual with sound experience in managing program operations. Reporting to the Operations Director, the Operations Manager will contribute to the effective implementation of the investment life cycle, monitoring of financial performance, risk management and provision of administrative services.

Core responsibilities of this role include:

• Effective and efficient investment life cycle process management
• The Operations Manager will provide effective management support of projects throughout the project cycle, from gestation of an idea to completion and closure.   The specific duties in this area will encompass, but not be limited to, the following:
• Ensuring all contractual obligations are met following the approved policies and procedures (using correct templates, approved authorization as per governance structures etc.), matching contracts internally to the issuance of purchase orders, and tracking of this process;
• Providing support to the thematic staff and Finance Manager in setting up contracts and grant agreements for FSDT, including agreed performance targets with FSDT clients;
• Supporting with monitoring and evaluation issues pertaining to contractual obligations that have been established in all signed contracts (tracking of contractual conditions etc.) and issuing appropriate alerts to relevant themes, functions and/or management, copying in the monitoring and evaluation team and Operations Director;
• Adhering to turnaround times and service level agreements for all contractual documentation, project appraisal report facilitations and other related activities;
• Establishing and adhering to the contract management system.

Financial performance management:

The specific duties in this area will encompass the following:

• Supporting the Operations Director in the creation of the annual operating plans and budgeting process, including preparing, submitting, maintaining, reporting and coordinating audits and internal reviews;
• Working together with the Operations Director to develop and implement FSDT’s performance management system;
• Preparing and following-up on periodic thematic financial performance reports;
• Contributing to continuous process and policy improvements to support organization goals;
• Championing adherence to investment life cycle management policy and other relevant policies to support thematic performance;
• Managing the generation and analysis of financial information that will be used by management for decision making.

Risk Management and Fiduciary responsibilities:

The specific duties in this area will encompass the following:

• Supporting the Operations Director in managing FSDT’s exposure to risk, primarily by developing, updating, monitoring and managing the risk management framework to ensure compliance with the relevant organisational policies and procedures.
• Supporting the Operations Director in the custodianship of the risk register and coordinating implementation of agreed actions in the annual calendar;
• Implementing a programme that regularly engages with each pillar to ensure risks are monitored and the risk register is kept up to date;
• Reviewing organisational risks across all FSDT activities and ensuring that effective risk management strategies are in place and adhered to;
• Designing systems that will ensure that FSDT investment and grant management systems and reports are rigorous, of high quality and under constant assessment;
• Acting as a role model and holding the team accountable for effective risk management;
• Providing reports on a regular basis to keep the senior management team and other governance bodies informed of risk management efforts.

Administrative Support:

The specific duties in this area will encompass the following:

• Timely production and safekeeping of minutes for various governance meetings, including but not limited to senior management team and investment committee meetings;
• Establishing an effective and efficient archiving and retrieval system for proper recordkeeping of all documents under the custodianship of the operations department, including but not limited to agreements, contracts, governance meeting minutes etc.;
• Monitoring operating expenses and overseeing the preparation of detailed reports on expenditure in different departments;
• Carrying out other project specific tasks as assigned by management.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• A degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Public Administration, Project Management, or equivalent;
• At least 5 years’ experience in grant management function, financial management, or project management;
• Understanding of the financial management system (prior experience in designing and/or participating in continuous improvements of systems);
• Exposure and/or prior working experience in Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk management and compliance areas;
• A good track record for effective stakeholders management;
• Ability to work both independently and in teams, while meeting tight deadlines;

Excellent communication skills i.e. report writing, listening, and verbal in English and Kiswahili.
If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV, photocopies of academic certificates, and names of three referees with their contacts, quoting OM/FSDT/09/19 on the subject of your email. Application address: vacancy@fsdt.or.tz 

Applications deadline is 18th September 2019. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.