Office Manager

Supporting an AIDS-Free Era

Position Description

Background

John Snow, Inc. (JSI) seeks highly qualified and accomplished public health leaders and providers for the recently awarded United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/PEPFAR-funded Supporting an AIDS-Free Era (SAFE) Project in Zambia. The five year project which will be led by JSI in partnership with Abt Associates,mothers2mothers, and the Catholic Medical Mission Board, will work to reduce HIV mortality, morbidity and transmission, while improving nutrition outcomes and family planning integration in three provinces: Central, Copperbelt, and North-Western. USAID/PEPFAR SAFE will work with the GRZ, private sector and civil society institutions at the national, provincial, and district level to increase access to ART for HIV positive adults and children, reduce the incidence of new infections, improve Nutritional Assessment, Counseling and Services (NACS) and family planning services, and increase the capacity of local health institutions to better serve affected populations.

Position Title:  Office Manager
Position Type: Full-time
Location: Lusaka

Job Summary:

The Zambia SAFE Office Manager will organize the office set up and will be in charge of daily operations, supervise administrative and office assistants and will report to the Deputy Director, Finance and Operations. S/he will assist with administrative services and will assist the entire project staff and visiting consultants. S/he will serve as head of administration and will ensure the smooth flow of the day to day office work.

Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

• Ensure that all USAID regulations and JSI’s policies are implemented and in place;
• Coordinate the procurement of materials, supplies and equipment for the office;
• Ensure that staff are well set up and comfortable in the office and surrounding premises;
• Manage the office storage system including detailed record keeping of inventory levels, and monitoring of use by staff as appropriately required;
• Coordinate all logistical support for staff and consultants including office setup, hotel accommodations and conference bookings;
• Liaise with travel agents to obtain reservations and tickets for all project related in – country and international travel;
• Coordinate with Administrative Assistant and other staff to create and maintain administrative files for the office, keeping consistent and in an orderly manner;
• Serve as the direct supervisor of the administrative assistant and other administrative staff as assigned;
• Oversee office upkeep in terms of needed repairs and daily cleaning;
• Work with the senior management to ensure safety and daily security of office premises;
• Produce and track all Mission travel concurrence requests and approvals;
• Oversee maintenance of all office supplies and equipment, including the scheduling of routine maintenance, and oversight of outside services providers (except IT);
• Serve as a liaison with office landlord, assisted by the Director of Finance & Administration and/or the Chief of Party, when necessary;
• Manage various service contracts in coordination with the Director of Finance & Administration for both the office and expatriate staff residences including security, drinking water supply, generator maintenance, etc.;
• Maintain the field office equipment inventory and provide support on annual reconciliations, as well as monthly updates;
• Responsible for communicating with appropriate authorities regarding obtaining the VAT tax exemption certificate;
• Maintain the expatriate staff residence visa and work permit up to date and ensure they are renewed on time; and
• Undertake any other responsibilities, tasks or activities as required by the Deputy Director, Finance & Operations.

Desired Qualifications:

• First degree in business administration, public administration or related field, with at least 7 years of office management experience in an international organization or multinational company;
• Demonstrated experience in supervision of support staff;
• Experience in inventory management;
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving and supervisory skills;
• Excellent written and verbal English skills;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
• Experience working with an international NGO preferred; and
• Ability to deal appropriately with sensitive issues and maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times.

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