Senior Administrative Manager

Job Posting Organization:
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Established to serve the poor and vulnerable, CRS operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. The organization is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need through various programs, including emergency response, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding. CRS is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation, ensuring that its processes and policies reflect this commitment. The organization welcomes individuals from all faiths and secular traditions who share its values and commitment to service. CRS has a collaborative, mission-driven work culture and offers a comprehensive benefits package to its staff, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and retirement savings plans. The agency prioritizes candidates who are citizens or permanent residents of the countries where it operates, reflecting its commitment to local engagement and support.

Job Overview:
The Senior Administrative Manager plays a crucial role in providing responsive, effective, and efficient administrative services that support the mission of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to serve the poor and vulnerable. This position involves promoting stewardship of resources, ensuring compliance with principles, proactively identifying risk issues, and leading operational improvements related to administrative services under supervision. The Senior Administrative Manager is expected to manage or coordinate administration functions that meet CRS standards, donor requirements, and local regulations while supporting high-quality programming. The role requires anticipating delivery challenges to ensure service continuity and collaborating with programming leads to manage project facility-related expenditures in line with financial plans. The Senior Administrative Manager will also coordinate day-to-day administrative services, ensuring high-quality travel and logistics support for staff and visitors, and address challenges affecting the stewardship and utilization of program assets and resources. Additionally, the position involves close collaboration with the security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security-manager" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security Manager to manage security risks related to facility management and to assume the duties of the Security Manager in their absence. The Senior Administrative Manager will effectively manage talent, supervise staff, and provide coaching and development plans for direct reports, ensuring adequate capacity for successful programming support.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Administrative Manager will be responsible for a wide range of duties, including managing or coordinating administration functions such as systems, processes, and staffing that align with CRS standards and donor requirements. The role involves anticipating delivery challenges to ensure service continuity and collaborating with programming leads to manage project facility-related expenditures. The Senior Administrative Manager will coordinate and monitor day-to-day administrative services, ensuring high-quality travel and logistics support for staff and visitors. They will identify and address challenges affecting the stewardship and optimal utilization of program assets and resources, collaborate with the Security Manager to manage security risks, and assume the Security Manager's duties in their absence. The position requires effective talent management, including supervising team dynamics, providing coaching, and conducting performance management for direct reports. The Senior Administrative Manager will also guide internal processes for approving facility-related expenses, monitor spending, and make budget adjustments in line with operational needs. They will ensure compliance with agency and donor requirements through periodic systems checks and coordinate responses to issues arising from audits. The role includes maintaining relationships with external stakeholders and acting as a liaison for various administrative matters with the Government of Nigeria.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Law, or a relevant field. Candidates must have a minimum of 8 years of work experience in an administrative support function with progressive responsibilities. Additional education may substitute for some experience, and additional experience may substitute for some education. Proficiency in MS Office packages, web conferencing applications, and information and budget management systems is essential. Candidates should possess good strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to make sound judgments and decisions. Strong relations management abilities, ethical conduct, and a proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented approach are also required. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with a strong customer service orientation, are essential for this role.

Educational Background:
Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Law, or another relevant field. A Master’s degree is preferred, along with office management experience and familiarity with NGO operations. Understanding of financial systems, including budgeting and budget/expense analysis, is also preferred. Knowledge of multiple public donors’ regulations, including USAID, is a plus, as is staff management experience conducive to a learning environment.

Experience:
The Senior Administrative Manager should have a minimum of 8 years of work experience in an administrative support function, with progressively increasing responsibilities. This experience should ideally include roles that involve managing administrative services, compliance with donor requirements, and coordination of logistics and travel support. Experience in an NGO setting is preferred, as is familiarity with financial systems and budgeting processes. Candidates should demonstrate a strong capacity for leadership and team management, with a focus on fostering a high-performance culture.

Languages:
The mandatory language for this position is English. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, particularly if they are relevant to the regions in which CRS operates. Candidates should possess strong communication skills in English, both written and verbal, to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The position is based in Abuja, Nigeria, and may require travel of up to 25%. The Senior Administrative Manager will supervise the Senior Admin Officer, Admin Officer, and Admin Assistants. CRS offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, life insurance, vision, and a generous retirement savings plan for U.S.-based staff. Benefits for successful candidates employed outside the U.S. will be based on the country of employment. The anticipated duration of the assignment for expatriates is informed by a term limit based on the job type and level, as well as the agency's needs. CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff, and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse, and the successful candidate is expected to adhere to CRS's Code of Conduct.