Operations Director

Concern Worldwide is an international, humanitarian, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the elimination of extreme poverty and the reduction of suffering, primarily in fragile countries

Established in 1968, Concern Worldwide works in 25 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean with its headquarters in Ireland. Active in Malawi since 2002, our mission is to work with people living in extreme poverty to achieve major improvements in their lives which last and spread without ongoing support from Concern. Informed by the priorities of affected communities, we go where the needs are greatest, and work to save lives, protect and develop livelihoods, support recovery and build long-term resilience.

We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and to contribute to delivering on our mission.

Concern invites applications from interested candidates qualified for the following position:

Operations Director (1 Vacancy) 

Contract Type: Two (2) Years Fixed Term Contract  

Duty Station: Lilongwe, Malawi  

Job Summary  

The Operations Director will report to the Country Director and manage staff across HR, Logistics, IT, and Administration, while collaborating with programme and finance staff, partners and Dublin HQ teams. As a member of the Country Management Team, s/he will contribute to the overall development and management of Concern Malawi’s programme, ensuring efficient operations support in both development and emergency contexts whilst following Concern Worldwide and donor policies and standards. S/he will also hold operational responsibility for security management, lead the strategic development of the operations function in line with best practice and represent Concern to government, donors, NGOs and other stakeholders as relates to the role.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic leadership as part of the Country Management Team (CMT) 

• Participate in the strategic management of the country programme through active involvement in planning and decision-making.
• Participate in the development and implementation of Concern Malawi’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and other strategic frameworks (e.g. Preparing for Effective Emergency Response (PEER), Security Management Plan (SMP), Equality Action Plan etc.) in collaboration with all relevant staff and third parties as necessary.
• Support the Programme Director and Country Director in the analysis of potential new programme areas, including ensuring comprehensive analyses of logistical and security issues and appropriate mitigating measures.
• Produce strategic analysis and plans for all operations support areas to strengthen the control environment and compliance while delivering fast, effective and efficient support to programme implementation.
• Take a lead role in ensuring that Concern Malawi adhere to international minimum standards of accountability and quality, through the application and active promotion of relevant standards and internal documents relating to policies and procedures, in particular Concern’s Code of Conduct & Associated Po
• Ensure the country progamme follows national legislation and donor requirements as well as Concern’s global policies and procedures. Ensure all work is carried out in line with organisational policies including safeguarding and protection, the Core Humanitarian Standard and equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Demonstrate leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion and model positive safeguarding ethos.

Management of Operations/Programme Support Functions Logistics and Supply Chain:

• Ensure logistics systems including procurement, transportation, storage and warehouse and reporting are carried out in accordance with Concern and Donor procedures and policies.
• Ensure procurement plans are developed, implemented, and proactive measures taken to tackle changes in program and market context.
• Ensure that vendor/supplier lists are maintained with appropriate due diligence conducted on all suppliers.
• Lead (or ensure timely delivery) on all complex procurements, ensuring value-for-money and transparency.
• Manage imports into Malawi; ensure necessary customs documents including exemptions are obtained.
• Ensure a fleet maintenance and renewal plan is in place, with timely procurement and disposal of fleet.
• Provide leadership on the management of the logistics systems and tools such as the ERP, DiRTTrAC etc.
• Oversee implementation of an assets management system across sites including record keeping, inventories, and life cycle management, with effective fleet and asset management controls monitored on an ongoing basis.
• Provide guidance, training and monitoring of all logistical procedures and policies.

Human Resource Management:

• Overall responsibility for HR management of national staff, working closely with the HR Manager under the leadership of the Country Director.
• Ensure HR policies and procedures are devised, updated and implemented in line with organisational standards, the Labour Law and best practice.
• Advise the CMT on strategic HR issues and risks, lead key HR initiatives, and regularly update the Staff Handbook outlining staff terms and conditions.
• Lead completion and implementation of Concern Malawi’s Staff Retention & Development Plan.
• Contribute to salary review processes with Dublin HR, the Country Financial Controller and the Country Director.
• Support the Country Director on team structuring and recruitment plans for new programmes.
• Ensure staff comply with HR policies and procedures, including recruitment and performance management, and that managers receive training and support.
• Maintain and develop effective staff health, safety and wellbeing systems and protocols in line with Concern’s commitments.

 Administration:

• Oversee maintenance and running of Concern’s premises (offices, residences, stores), ensuring adequate supplies, staffing and support systems.
• Identify, assess and recommend new premises, managing lease contracting procedures and ensuring leases and insurance are proactively managed.
• Ensure all offices and residences meet security, health and safety standards.
• Lead on managing legal risks, ensuring compliance with Malawian law in contractual and taxation matters, liaising with Concern’s lawyer as needed.
• Ensure all issues related to government authorisations are managed proactively.
• Maintain clear procedures for national and international travels, ensuring staff compliance.
• Ensure timely processing and renewal of work permits and visas and maintaining updated tracking systems.
• Keep the Country’s Welcome Pack updated regularly, maintain updated visitor trackers and ensure weekly Staff Movement trackers are sent to Dublin HQ.

 Communication & IT:

• Supervise IT staff to ensure that IT systems remain effective and secure.
• Ensure that IT and communication needs of staff are addressed on a timely basis.
• Ensure that all staff understand and fully comply with IT policies and procedures.
• Ensure all internet and communications systems are functional and utilized in accordance with procedures
• Ensure the IT standards and guidelines, including data protection measures, are followed. This includes ensuring that data back-ups are functional, protected and regularly checked.
• Ensure electronic archiving on the Malawi working site of all operations department documentation.

Security Management:

• In conjunction with the Country Director, take overall responsibility for security management including acting as national Security Focal Point.
• Liaise with external bodies to remain aware of economic, political, humanitarian and security developments in Malawi and the wider South African Region.
• Coordinate and chair regular security meetings with Security Focal Groups (SFGs) to monitor incidents and trends across all programme locations, ensuring effective procedures and systems are maintained.
• Revise and implement the Security Management Plan (SMP), leading its roll-out and staff awareness of standard operating procedures. Develop event or location-specific SOPs and contingency plans as required.
• Ensure security incidents are promptly uploaded to the Security Incident Reporting Tool (SIRT) and contribute to ongoing security analysis.
• Act as a key member of the crisis management team during emergencies.

 Financial Management:

• Ensure that transport and administration budgets are complete, realistic and comply with Concern and donor requirements.
• Support the programme team in the preparation of proposals, ensuring that procurement plans are prepared at design and development stage, and that proposal budgets include complete and realistic programme-related supplies, equipment and logistics costs and support costs.
• Work with the Country Financial Controller and programme budget holders to ensure management of relevant operational costs in programme budgets and expenditure.
• In conjunction with the Country Director and Country Financial Controller set, manage and monitor the Transport and Administration budgets.
• Participate in regular reviews of management accounts and financial analysis.

 Team Management: 

• Manage the Operations staff, contributing to their capacity building and career development through thorough induction, technical support, on-the-job training and coaching and mentoring.
• Ensure that all members of the Operations team have accurate job descriptions, and that they fully understand expectations of them as part of performance management and by setting SMART objectives as part of their Performance Development Reviews.
• Ensure that all Operations staff are aware of and comply with all of Concern’s HR policies and procedures.
• Ensure that work within the Operations team is planned and organised in a way which will meet the organisation’s needs in the most cost-effective manner possible; ensuring that team members are given appropriate workloads and are working efficiently.

 Working with Partners

• Ensure timely completion of partner due diligence tasks required for operations teams, and timely sign-off, including ensuring capacity building plans are jointly agreed and signed off
• Ensure Operations teams provide adequate support to partner capacity building, engagement and oversight to ensure strong, compliant and impactful partnerships.
• Develop strong relationships with key national partner staff based on mutual respect and open communication.

 Other

• Lead in completion of carbon audit data and with the Country Director and other CMT colleagues, play a leading role in identifying and implementing measures to reduce our carbon footprint in our operations, protect our physical environment and contribute to addressing climate change.
• Undertaking other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Country Director.

Qualifications

• A Degree in Business Administration, HR, Supply Chain, Humanitarian Logistics or a relevant field.
• At least six years international experience in an International NGO, including 2–3 years at senior management. Proven ability to manage diverse, multi-operational teams in development and emergency contexts
• Familiarity with various donor rules and regulations and international best practices.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, with the ability to motivate and develop staff.
• Experience in team and capacity building and working with staff and partners in a participatory manner.
• Advanced IT and digital literacy, including Microsoft Office and ERP systems.
• Strong organisational, planning, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a strong commitment to model Concern’s core competencies.
• Willingness to frequently travel to programme locations.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to working in a changing environment.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines under pressure.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken.

 How To Apply

Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should send their CV (Maximum 3 pages and including three professional referees) and Cover Letter to malawi.hr@concern.net with the subject of the email as “Operations Director“. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 25^th March 2026. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Concern is an equal opportunities employer. Qualified women are particularly encouraged to apply. Concern does not charge for any kind of recruitment.