Chief Operating Officer (COO), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

ABA ROLI is a non-profit program that implements legal reform programs in roughly 60 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 700 professional staff working abroad and in its Washington, D.C. office. ABA ROLI’s host country partners include judges, lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislatures, ministries of justice and a wide array of civil society organizations, including human rights groups.

Scope and purpose of the position:
ABA ROLI’s operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo are its largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Funded by several government and private donors, ABA ROLI’s operations in the DRC date back to 2008. Because of their scale and complexity, the COO position is essential for ROLI’s successful operations.

The COO position is a senior level position; it is second-in-command and responsible for the efficiency of the business and for securing the functionality of business operations to drive extensive and sustainable growth.

The COO oversees and supervises the Field Financial Manager (FFM), the logistics officer, and the human resources officer, and acts as principal verifying officer. The COO role is a key member of the senior management team in country, reporting directly to the Country Director, with a dotted line to Washington DC Operations and Finance staff.

COO duties include but are not limited to managing, overseeing, and streamlining general operations; ensuring compliance from all staff with policies and procedures regarding finances, logistics, transporation, procurement, and security; overseeing administrative and finance staff; ensuring sound management of materials and supplies from logistics officers; and contributing to effective budgeting and financial planning procedures. COO will also oversee coordination with sub-grantees to ensure compliance with subgrant rules and regulations and financial reporting.

1. Financial management, compliance, and oversight

• Under the supervision and direction of the Country Director, the COO oversees and supervises the Field Financial Manager (FFM). The COO is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the FFM performs the core functions of his role—reporting, forecasting, and reconciling—according to established timelines and in line with finance quality standards.
• Specifically, the COO reviews and approves monthly reconciliation of cash budget, wire request, monthly ledger submission, vendor and procurement payments and files, field advance payments, disbursement vouchers and invoices.
• COO backstops the FFM, and works directly with Finance department in Washington DC to ensure that financial procedures are observed.
• COO acts as principal verifying officer, and maintains the CD appraised of the quality and compliance of financial procedures.
• As principal verifying officer, COO ensures conducts checks to ensure that FFM and other finance staff: o Collect all field receipt forms andsupporting documents and input expenses in QuickBooks.
• Prepare Field Receipt Forms (FRF) are match the actual receipt amount o Record vendor names are correctly entered in Quickbooks. Attach all supporting documents for transactions and activities (participants list, contracts).
• Ensures subgrantees comply with financial requirements.

2.Operations

• The COO oversees the logistics and procurement officer.
• Under the guidance and supervision of the CD, the COO manages and oversees the day to day operations of ABA ROLI Programs, including staff and contractors.
• Supervises and monitors transportation, procurement, clearance of shipments, and operational logistics of programs.
• In consultation with the CD, manages the overall security of ABA ROLI staff. This includes ensuring security policies and procedures are updated regularly and communicated to staff. In emergencies, COO will work with CD to liaise with the DC-staff to coordinate International SOS, Inc. assistance and coordinating security with other actors.
• Manages ABA ROLI financial, transport, procurement and logistical staff to ensure appropriate discharge of their duties and execution of their performance and that of their subordinate staff.
• Verifies that ABA ROLI materials and supplies and financial resources are being used honestly, and that accounting for the dispensation of these resources, and their use for the intended purpose, in the right places and at the right times.
• Reviews annually ABA ROLI SOPs for the Financial, Operational, and Transportation staff.
• Ensure ABA ROLI programs maintain and update an inventory of commodities, materials, and vehicles.

3.Human resources management

• COO oversees human resources officer under the direction and reporting to the CD.
• As such, he/she ensures that HR practices are according to ABA standards and DRC law.
• This includes ensuring that a coherent performance appraisal system is put in place and used as the main tool to manage performance, staff salary progression, and career progression. Specifically, ensures that all supervisors conduct performance appraisals with a timing similar to the ABA headquarters.
• On the basis of performance appraisals, ensures that action is taken for staff performing below expected levels, including by putting staff in performance plans, providing warnings, and terminating staff that continue to perform below expected levels, and or/who do not observe rules and regulations.
• In consultation with outside counsel as needed, ensures that ABA ROLI’s human resources practices meet DRC law.
• Ensures that human resources officer maintains, updates, and regularly shares with Washington DC a database of staff contracts and status.
• Ensures that human resources officer udpates contracts and submits to Washington DC.

Please send your resume and cover letter to jobs@americanbar.org