Head of Operations

Objective

The Head of Operations will consolidate and lead our day-to-day operations, ensuring we’re building a sustainable, highly effective and efficient organisation through our people, processes and planning. You will refine, oversee and embed the robust systems and processes required to take us through phase 2 of our organisational development, shifting from early startup mode to a more established, impactful organisation with capacity to further scale. You’ll manage our dynamic leadership team, consistently seeking to optimise and improve how we do things, being hands-on when required. You will play a central role in building a thriving culture to ensure we continue to respond effectively to the evolving needs of the community we serve - Hosts and displaced Ukrainians.

Responsibilities

Project Management & Planning

• Develop, oversee and support delivery of organisational Master Plan; keeping us on track to deliver on our mission, vision and strategic priorities

• Ensure clear, effective cross functional communication; leading meetings, agreeing milestones and priorities, following up on actions agreed, ensuring project learnings are shared, understood and integrated into the Master Plan

• Manage our key partnership and projects with the Irish Red Cross, driving efficiency and impact; negotiating revisions to the Service Level Agreement with the CEO, ensuring timely reporting and invoicing, agreeing workflow, anticipating challenges and identifying solutions, delegating effectively to relevant team members and being hands on when required

• Provide regular status reports to the Board and make recommendations for business development, informed by facts and data

Organisational Development & HR

• Review and identify roles and responsibilities, with the CEO; adapting the Organisational Structure to meet evolving needs of the business, recruiting accordingly

• Provide leadership and direction to the cross functional Team Leads; Matching, Host Support, Host Support Comms, Volunteer, Finance & Volunteer Coordinator

• Schedule and lead team meeting and development days

• Establish and implement an effective, meaningful Performance Management system to deliver growth in keeping with our values and supporting behaviours

• Onboard new hires and volunteers so they are up and running as soon as possible, in collaboration with Team Leads, Business Support & Volunteer Coordinator

Systems, Processes & Insights

• Analyse data from Matching, Host Support & Finance teams to make informed and proactive critical decisions for the organisation, with and reporting to the CEO

• Maintain and promote best practice around database management and GDPR requirements for organisational data, with the Matching and Host Support Leads

• Maintain and promote best practice around financial management for the organisation, with the Finance Lead

• Develop and maintain systems and processes that support operational excellence

• Develop and maintain core internal and external documentation, Staff Handbook, policies and procedures, ensuring processes and procedures reflect the needs of the team and are communicated, understood and followed in practice

  
  

Key Attributes:

Knowledge and skills

You will be:

• A proven team leader with excellent communication skills

• Comfortable working in situations of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity

• A self starter, able to lead with courage, confidence, common sense and compassion

• Highly organised, known for operational rigour, strategic and Project Management experience

• Highly proficient in technology especially Microsoft Excel & Google Workspace (Sheets) and Salesforce (or similar) CRM

• Highly proficient in accounting principles including budgeting, balance sheets, income statements, cash flow, and financial management

• Able to work collaboratively to identify gaps, find and run with solutions

• Able to use and understand data to forecast trends, adapt processes and implement improvements

• A believer in our mission, with a desire to make an impact in a humanitarian crisis

• Fluent English essential

Desirable extras

• Experience being part of or leading a Start Up organisation

• Proven ability to scale an organisation

Relationships

Reporting to the CEO, managing the organisation’s Leadership Team, you’ll build and nurture strong relationships with everyone across the organisation, from staff to volunteers, to hosts and external stakeholders. You will work closely with the Matching, Host Comms & Finance Leads and provide regular reports to the Board.

CONTRACT TYPE

• Full time, fixed term contract (6 months with scope to extend)

• €55 - 60,000 pa

• Hybrid - work from home and at shared offices in The Tara Building

Closing date Friday 31st March 2023

ABOUT HIH

Helping Irish Hosts (HIH) is a limited company formed by a group of hosts, working together with displaced and Irish based Ukrainians, to get people into Irish homes – quickly – to give them a soft landing, while avoiding Direct Provision and long term hotel / government accommodation stays. 

We arose in direct response to the Ukraine crisis, to empower and support individuals and communities in Ireland to host Ukrainians in their homes, safely and sustainably. We’ve done an excellent job so far, with over 1,300 Ukrainians in more than 520 homes, a vibrant, trusted support network for hosts and presenting a strong voice in advocacy for hosts at all levels.

It takes years of expertise to develop a safe, rewarding hosting programme. We've only had 9 months! We are working in close partnership and collaboration with The Irish Red Cross, The Irish Refugee Council, Doras, Nasc and The Open Community, organisations who have led the way in refugee resettlement and what's called the "Community Sponsorship" model in Ireland for over 30 years. We are part of the Irish Ukraine NGO & Civil Society Response Group and we are deeply engaged with the Ukrainian community in Ireland.

We are funded by The One Foundation, The Sunflower Foundation and The Community Foundation and via our Service Level Agreement with the Irish Red Cross. We are supported by a wide variety of corporate and state partners. We are registered as a CLG (717469, April 13, 2022).

Our hosts are motivated by a desire to help people fleeing Ukraine and this is our focus. Our belief is that this response has the potential to transform Ireland’s ongoing refugee response, to finally move away from Direct Provision towards a system Ireland can be proud of.

We are hosts, helping hosts. Together, we are playing our part in this historic, unprecedented, global emergency humanitarian response. We believe that this is the best way forward. We are building a team to deliver on this commitment. We’d love to hear from you if you want to be part of it.