Operations Manager (Abt Associates)

The USAID-funded PMI AIRS (Africa Indoor Residual Spraying 2) Project supports the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), as well as USAID Missions and Bureaus with malaria programs outside the PMI focus countries, in planning and implementing IRS programs with the overall goal of reducing the burden of malaria in Africa by enhancing USAID’s ability to implement IRS programs on the ground through cost-effective commodities procurement and logistics systems, access to technical expertise, and implementation of IRS in countries affected by malaria.

Under the supervision of the Chief of Party, the Technical Specialist 10/ Operations Manager provide operational and logistical management for the PMI AIRS Mozambique program.

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following

• Manages the overall planning and implementation of all project spray operations in Mozambique, including:
  • Developing annual operational plans and spray calendars;
  • Conducting geographic reconnaissance, and/or enumeration;
  • Identifying, and overseeing the preparation and renovation of, spray operation sites;
  • Organizing annual planning meetings with DPS, SDSMAS, NMCP, other local stakeholders, and spray districts;
  • Determining spray operation human resources requirements, and overseeing the recruitment of seasonal spray personnel;
  • Quantifying requirements for insecticides, PPE, and all other equipment and supplies;
  • Overseeing supply chain distributions;
  • Confirming specifications for PPE, and all other equipment and supplies procured locally and internationally;
  • Organizing macro and micro-planning meetings;
• Overall responsible for supervising and monitoring spray activities;
  • Ensuring that correct spray techniques are applied;
  • Ensuring quality and accuracy of primary data;
  • Ensuring that supervision and monitoring tools are implemented;
  • Troubleshooting and taking corrective action using technical judgement;

• Oversees the management of the central warehouse and stores;
  • Ensuring adherence to USAID/PMI BMP for IRS;
  • Ensuring that there are adequate stock levels of commodities, equipment and supplies, at all operation sites;
  • Ensuring that all store records are accurate and up-to-date throughout the spray campaign;
• Oversees information, education, and communication (IEC) activities and community mobilization;
  • Reviews the content of communications materials and key messages for technical accuracy;
  • Works in close collaboration with local stakeholders;
• Indirectly supervise the Procurement Manager to ensure that procurement actions are on time and meet operations technical and delivery needs for effective implementation of spray campaign. The Procurement Manager shall provide weekly written updates to the Operations Manager on progress being made (i.e. issuance of RFQ, internal approvals, order placement, delivery status, etc) on each procurement action pertaining to operations;
• Act as COP delegate when needed as determined by COP and/ Project Director to faciliate timely and effective implementation of spray operations;
• Ensures the transfer of technical skills to local institutions;
• Coordinates training-of-trainer (TOT) courses, and the trainings of the different categories of spray personnel;
• Recommends spray personnel performance targets, and tracks progress against spray campaign targets and timelines;
• Achieves operations-related Monitoring & Evaluation and Quality Control indicators;
• Develops the operations component of the country capacity-building plan to transfer skills to local institutions;
• Directly supervises the project’s District Coordinators, Logistics Coordinator and Communications Coordinator;
• Write significant sections of project reports and contractual deliverables, specifically the annual work plan and end of spray report. Operations Manager will be responsible for operations-related sections;
• Participate in program management meetings with various home office technical advisors e.g. RSL meetings, weekly TPM-COP meetings.

Qualification requirements include the following

• Masters Degree in Public Health, Environmental Health, or other relevant field;
• At least six (6) years of professional experience managing operations in an international development environment, with significant experience in vector control programs and IRS;
• Demonstrated ability to work with a minimum of direction and supervision;
• Demonstrated ability to work both as a member of a team and as a team leader, with the ability to accept the inputs of other team members;
• Demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams across cultures and countries;
• Strong management and planning skills of project tasks and budgets;
• Demonstrates leadership and team work and produces high quality work in a timely, cost effective manner and has excellent writing skills;
• Prior experience at USAID-funded programs, and knowledge of Federal and AID Acquisition Regulations (FARs and AIDARs), are highly desirable;
• Excellent writing, computer, and organizational skills;
• English and/ Portuguese language fluency.