Operations Officer VVOB Education for Development

ABOUT VVOB

VVOB is an international NGO with programmes and projects in 10 countries worldwide. Our head office is based in Brussels, Belgium.

When you join VVOB, you become a key player in VVOB’s mission to ensure quality education as a key enabler for achieving the sustainable development goals. We implement our programmes and projects with one shared passion: to ensure the improvement of quality education. Our teams of national and international experts achieve this by providing technical assistance to governmental and other education actors. In doing so, worldwide we ensure capacity building of governmental and other education actors.

Do you share our ambition to ensure that learners around the world can enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception? Are you also convinced that quality education guarantees equal opportunities for everyone and is the key to a better world?

We are looking for an Operations Officer who will operate from our office in Lusaka, Zambia. Do you want to take on this challenge? Then continue reading!

We’re excited to see you found your way to this job opening. That must mean you share our ambition to ensure learners around the world enjoy their fundamental human right to quality education, without exception. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Drawing on the great mystery behind our name, since our establishment in 1982, ‘VVOB’ has evolved from a complex (Dutch) acronym to a stand-alone concept meaning education for development:

• VVOB stands for ‘commitment’ – to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
• VVOB stands for ‘integrity’ and ‘mutual respect’ – in working with our partner organisations across 10 countries / 3 continents.
• VVOB stands for ‘quality’ and ‘innovation’ – of everything we do in our effort to improve education worldwide.

Do you still feel like you’re in the right place? Great, because we’re hiring an Operations Officer to support our VVOB country team in Zambia.

In Zambia, VVOB is working in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE). We are building capacity on Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). Our key focus points in ECE are ‘Learning through Play’ and ‘Emergent Literacy’.

Responsibilities of the Operations Officer

The Operations Officer is, in consultation with the operations manager, responsible for all procurement procedures of all VVOB in-country projects. As Operations Officer you contribute to VVOB’s ambitions and values by being taking initiative whenever necessary to ensure the implementation of a high-quality administering of procurement resources at the VVOB country office.

The Operations officer is reporting into the operations manager & thus a part of the operations procurement team.

You will: 

• You provide administrative and logistical support to the projects, including travel arrangements, arranging meeting venues and other related tasks and you indicate areas for improvement where relevant.
• You ensure good office management, including managing office supplies, database management, arranging messenger services and other related tasks and you indicate areas for improvement where relevant.
• Ensure You support in the logistical and administrative capacity building of partners.
• Administrative support to the projects.
• Facilitating continuous improvement, knowledge building sharing on procurement operations.

If you’re our Operations Officer, your workweek at the office will include the following highlights:

• Together with the Operations Advisor, you discuss updates, on procurement guidelines, on the Zambian procurement handbook to verify if the updates are fully in line with the VVOB global guidelines.
• You handle all procurement and payment requests for all projects in collaboration with project coordinators.
• Lunch! A perfect time to nurture informal relationships with the other team members in Zambia and hear how everyone is doing.
• The Zambia projects teams discusses project procurement needs planning. You are part of the team, providing guidance in the planning process.
• You discuss the progress you made with the operations advisor, and finetune the procurement plans afterwards.
• VVOB Management has approved a procurement plan. As Operations team member, you start the process to ensure that there are funds available to support the planned procurement.
• In the monthly team meeting of the operations team, you share with your manager and team members the status on the currently relevant operations topics.

Who are you?

This is a national position, open to Zambian Nationals.

Your expertise and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Purchasing and Supply, Business management or other relevant field or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years’ experience in Operations, specifically in procurement.
• Excellent computer skills in MS Office, Excel, Power point and Teams  and Other Operations systems.
• Fluent in English + based on Country needs.

Matching competences

VVOB core competences:

• Results orientation
• Continuous improvement
• Cooperation

Function specific competencies:

• Communication skills
• Accuracy
• Planning and Organization
• Reliability
• Problem analysis and judgement

What we’re offering:

• A full-time contract with the possibility to extend depending on funding.
• 25% gratuity at year’s end
• In-patient and out-patient medical package for you and your legal dependents (as proven by marriage certificate and birth certificate(s))
• Education allowance for your legal children
• Transport allowance and housing allowance in line with the Zambian employment legislation
• Supportive environment, enabling continuous professional development.

What’s next?   

Your motivation letter and a detailed CV are expected to be sent by e-mail no later than 7th August 2023 to Recruitmentzambia@vvob.org

Shortlisted candidates will take a written test and go through an interview process before a final offer.

VVOB firmly believes that quality education can only be achieved if equity is ensured. Qualities of people prevail, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or disability.

Is this not exactly the job you are looking for? Please have a look at our other vacancies at:
www.zambia.vvob.org