Risk and Compliance Manager at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within the shelter, emergency food security, and water, sanitation and hygiene sectors.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Risk and Compliance Manager

Job Identification: 9262
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Job Schedule: Full time
Job Category: Risk Management
Reports to: Country Director
Grade: 9
Travel: 40%
Project number: NGFX0000
Duration of contract: Until December 31st 2023 - Renewable
Supervision of: Risk and Compliance Assistant and other staff to be recruited

Background

• Aiming at strengthening the organization's risk management capacity, in 2019 NRC decided to establish a Risk Management and Compliance (R&C) function across the organisation. This function is responsible for:
  • Enabling NRC to manage risks by supporting  organizational efforts to identify, assess, prepare for and respond to risks; 
  • Fostering a risk management culture by institutionalizing processes and systems that embed risk management into operations and build capacity and awareness on risk throughout NRC;
  • Improving organizational effectiveness by streamlining compliance practices and enabling better prioritization of support resources to highest-risk issues
• At Country Office (CO) level, the R&C function has been tasked with supporting risk owners, across both Programmes and Support functions, in their efforts to manage risks, providing assurance to the Country Management Group (CMG) on CO compliance within high risk areas/issues, promoting a risk management culture in the CO through training and communication, ensuring CO’s compliance with standards and regulations that fall outside the scope of existing CO functions (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), Data Protection (DPR), Code of Conduct, Securing Supporting Documentation, COTER and sanctions) and ensuring that complaints from external and internal stake holders are properly handled and responded to.
• In the Nigeria CO the Risk and Compliance Manager will work to support both Programme and Support Departments in managing high risk areas that fall under R&C responsibilities, as well as high risk areas under all departments.
• This function will aim to decrease risks within the organisation to ensure delivery of programme objectives in a compliant, timely, and accountable manner.  The ideal candidate will have broad experience across both Programming and Support functions, and will be open, flexible, and have the ability to build strong relationships.
• As a consultative member of the CMG and the leader of the risk and compliance function in the CO, the Risk and Compliance Manager is responsible for: leading the CO's efforts to effectively manage risks; promoting a risk management culture; ensuring the CO’s compliance within high-risk areas and with regulations not specific to a given function (i.e. SSD, COTER, sanctions); and responding to any issues or questions that arise relating to the CO’s work on PSEA, DPR, legal, Code of Conduct and complaints management.

Role and Responsibilities
Generic Responsibilities:

• Support the CMG and the Country Director (CD) by ensuring:
  • That risks in the CO’s operations are identified, assessed, and controlled effectively; and
  • CO’s compliance within high-risk areas/issues, by:
    • Identifying such high-risk areas/issues;
    • Conducting regular compliance checks on the said areas/issues (e.g. spot checks);
    • Reporting regularly to the CD and the CMG on compliance issues; and
• Leading the implementation of compliance improvement measures throughout the CO.
• Ensure that risk management and compliance related CO registers, namely the CO Risk Register, Waiver Register, Recommendations Tracker and Standards Operating Procedures (SOPs) Register are complete and up to date.
• Advise and support in-country function leaders (Head of Support, Area Managers, Head of Programmes, Health Safety and Security Manager) in implementing compliance improvement measures related to high-risk areas/issues.
• Ensure that SOPs in the CO are aligned with policies and regulations, are coherent with other SOPs throughout the CO and NRC and follow basic quality principles.
• Ensure that mechanisms to report, process and respond to complaints on staff behaviour from internal stakeholders (whistleblowing) are in place in the CO and in line with existing NRC requirements.
• Provide advice, training and support to CO staff on the following: i) Areas of expertise held by the R&C function at HO (Risk management, compliance, Anti-corruption, Data Protection, Code of Conduct, legal and complaints management) and ii) compliance with regulations not specific to a given function (e.g. SSD, COTER, sanctions).
• Contribute to the development of NRC’s RM framework by documenting lessons learned and best practices in the CO.
• Management of staff and resources of the R&C function at CO.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Support Management to oversee internal controls in place, effectively work and ensure NRCs policies and donor regulations are being followed across the country program, including by all program departments, support functions, partners etc.;
• Support Management in the Risk Management process, including regular trainings, updating the Risk Register, working with Risk Owners to develop and track mitigation measures, escalating ‘high’ risks, as necessary.
• Work as a focal person for Securing Supporting Document Initiatives (SSDI) in the country programme, which includes supporting archiving electronic documentation and supporting the reconciliation of finance reports and programmatic deliverables;
• Work, when assigned, as Audit focal point – which includes creating timeline and filing structure, communication with auditors, and liaising with departmental focal points;
• Work in collaboration with Support function managers on follow up of compliance to local laws e.g local Tax law, labor law both at federal and state level for different offices.
• Complete spot checks on high-risk issues under R&C function (ex: COTER, data protection, anti-corruption and PSEA, etc.), as well as supporting on spot checks on high risk issues within other departments, in coordination with the department heads. Reports outlining high risk issues will be provided to CMG, including providing recommendations related to NRC policies and procedures;
• Develop and roll out a Recommendations Tracker of internal and external recommendations (ex: from audit reports, investigations, evaluations, missions, etc.) and work with department heads to monitor follow up of recommendations;
• Serve as a support function to both Support Departments and Programme Department to ensure compliance across high risk areas to NRC policies and procedures to ensure delivery of project activities.
• In coordination with line manager, carry out trainings & refreshers for staff, Partners etc. about different NRC policies for example NRC Anti-Corruption policy, Securing Supporting Documentation Initiatives (SSDI), Compliance Awareness etc.
• Line Management of Risk and Compliance Assistant – including the performance management including objective setting, training and development, mid & end year performance review etc.
• May be asked to support in investigations, including through document reviews and ‘fact finding’ missions;
• Follow up on any other duties as assigned by line manager.

Critical Interfaces:
By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Function leaders at CO (HoS, HoP, HSS Manager, Advocacy Manager) for identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring of CO risks, development/adaptation of verification methods, development/revision of SOPs, implementing compliance improvement measures on high-risk areas and responding to complaints.
• Area Offices’ managers for implementing CO measures to improve compliance in high-risk issues.
• Donors and auditors in-country to coordinate donor-initiated audits; authorities for follow up on local legislation; etc.
• R&C unit at RO for i) ensuring that technical advice, support and training provided is in line with existing policies, ii) developing plans for driving the R&C function in the CO, iii) implementing all R&C activities across the function

Scale and Scope of Position

• Staff: R&C staff in the CO if more than one (Specify number and positions).
• Stakeholders: R&C or similar staff in peer organisations in CO (INGOs, UN), donors, lawyer firm, auditors, government entities
• Budgets: R&C budget in the CO
• Information: Risk Register, Recommendations Tracker, Agresso, HR files (for spot checks), Cycles, GORS, NRC Protect. Holder of CO registries related to R&C (see responsibility above) and CFM data base,
• Legal or compliance: Brief description of any legal or compliance responsibility the postholder has (term of employment, vendors, donors).

Competencies
Professional Competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance:
Generic Professional Competencies:

• Minimum of3 years of experience from working as a manager in compliance, auditing or risk management functions or from working as senior manager in the humanitarian sector. Relevant experience could include work in programme delivery, grants management, partnerships, audits, etc.
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge and skills in the international regulatory context applicable for INGOs
• Knowledge and skills in any of the following: safeguarding, accountability to affected populations or Code of Conduct related matters.
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.
• Valid driver’s license.

Context / Specific Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Strong understanding of humanitarian operations especially in North East Nigeria
• Knowledge of the regulatory context in Nigeria
• Excellent analytical & negotiation skills
• Fluency in local working language (if necessary)
• Knowledge and experience to work on web-based accounting & other system e.g Unit4, MS Office including word, excel, office 365 etc.

Behavioural Competencies:
These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. The following are essential for this position:

• Strategic Thinking - Developing appropriate strategies based on contextual and political understanding, assessments and NRC’s governing documents.
• Influencing - Promoting ideas, seeking consensus and balancing conflicting interests through careful consideration and discussion.
• Initiating action - Making decisions by analysing relevant information, developing appropriate solutions, providing reasons for decisions and taking action.
• Managing performance and development.
• Analysing - Having a strong capacity for absorbing large amounts of information, verifying critical elements and communicating conclusions rationally.
• Communicating with impact and respect - Presenting the actual situation by keeping superiors and teams informed about both positive and negative information, but always respecting confidentiality of sensitive information,

Performance Management
The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The Work and Development Plan
• The Mid-term/End-of-trial Period Performance Review Template
• The End-term Performance Review Template
• The NRC Competency Framework

What We Offer

• Contract ending in December 2023 - renewable based on funding & performance.
• Grade 9 in NRC scale
• An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
• A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields

Application Closing Date
27th January, 2023 (11:59 PM).

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility. At NRC we think outside the box.
• We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.
• Employment with NRC may lead to employment in or deployment to Regions, Countries, Areas or Offices that may be host to considerable health, safety and security risks. NRC takes this very seriously and we have procedures in place to reduce known risks, but will never be able to take away all risks.
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer and aims to have staffing diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, nationality and physical ability.