Senior Operations Manager

Job title: Senior Operations Manager 

Department: Operations

Salary Grade: 10

Reports to: Country Manager

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

About CRS

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. 

Job Summary:

As a member of the Program Office (PO)’s Leadership Team, you will manage following operational functions – Human Resources, Procurement, Administration (Facilities, Properties/Assets, Travel), Fleet, ICT and Audit - in support of the Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) mission to serve the poor and vulnerable. You will also serve as Security Focal Point for CRS in Rwanda. You will promote stewardship of resources, help ensure principled compliance, proactively identify risk issues, and under supervision lead operational improvements.

Job Responsibilities:

• Manage or coordinate assigned operations functions– systems, processes and staffing – that meet CRS’ standards, donor requirements, and local regulations and support high-quality programming. Collaborate with programming leads to ensure appropriate project expenditures in line with financial plans and proper stewardship of material sources.
• Coordinate and monitor day-to-day operations to ensure support services are delivered with high-quality in an efficient manner. Identify and help address challenges that affect the proper stewardship and optimal utilization of program assets and resources (financial, human, and material).
• Proactively manage security and mitigate security risks.
• Effectively manage talent and supervise. Manage team dynamics and staff well-being.
• Provide coaching, strategically tailor individual development plans, and complete performance management for direct reports.
• Monitor and assess performance to ensure adequate capacity for successful support of high-quality programming.
• Provide guidance of internal processes for approving expenses, monitoring spending, and making budget adjustments in line with operational and programmatic needs and with donor requirements.
• Contribute to effective staffing of CP needs and adherence to HR systems, policies and practices that support a high-performance culture, staff development and retention. Help ensure quality personnel administration and a work environment that truly reflects the agency’s guiding principles.

• Coordinate compliance with agency and donor requirements and local laws and regulations through periodic systems checks, review and assessment of operations policies and procedures. Coordinate response to issues that emerge from internal and external audits and provide guidance to implement improvements.
• Help maintain the proper conditions for learning - a safe environment for the sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties and the capacity to detect, analyze and respond quickly to small deficiencies. Identify capacity strengthening needs and provide guidance for project teams and partners, which includes cross-departmental learning.
• Serve as Security Focal Point: maintain security information, procedures and plans updated and ensure appropriate dissemination;
• provide orientation to CRS visitors and new staff on the security context and security rules.

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Accounting, or another relevant field. Masters preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ work experience in at least two of the following backgrounds - finance, human resources, logistics, or administration positions with progressive and management responsibilities.
• Experience with an INGO preferred.
• Understanding of financial systems, including budgeting and budget/expense analysis experience preferred. Knowledge of major accounting software like Oracle or similar financial reporting software a plus.
• Knowledge of multiple institutional donors’ regulations a plus.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment a preferred. 
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

Personal Skills 

• Good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills and ability to make sound and timely judgments and decisions.
• Good relationship, management abilities. 
• Ability to work collaboratively and with agility
• Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Required/Desired Foreign Language: Fluent English and Kinyarwanda are required, French is desirable.

Travel Required: 25% 

Key Working Relationships: 

Supervisory: Human Resources Manager, Administration Manager, Procurement Officer 

Internal: Senior Management,Operations staff at Program Office, Regional, and HQ levels

External: Partners, vendors, donors, local government

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff): 

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results. 

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applications from women.

How to apply

Interested and qualified candidates should, Fill out form, the attached Self -Declaration Clause and submit them together with one page Cover letter plus updated CV (maximum three pages) all in/as one PDF document - via email only to: SrOpsManagerrecruitmentrwanda@crs.org not later than August 6th, 2026, at 5:00pm.

Also include your full names and title “Senior Operations Manager in the subject line. Due to anticipated high interest in this post and the expected number of applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Please, include the statement below in your cover letter:

“By applying to this job, I understand and acknowledge that CRS requires its staff to treat all people with dignity and respect and to actively prevent harassment, abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. Further, I understand that if I am a successful candidate, I will be subject to a comprehensive background check, and my personal/professional references will be asked to evaluate my behaviors related to the above safeguarding-related topics.”

Kigali, July 23rd, 2026