Operations Coordinator

Job Posting Organization:
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, established to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote humanitarian activities by National Societies. With a network of 191 member National Societies, the IFRC aims to prevent and alleviate human suffering, contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace globally. The organization operates through five regional offices across Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas, along with country cluster delegations and country delegations worldwide. The IFRC Secretariat comprises the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure, which includes regional, cluster, and country offices. The organization is guided by fundamental principles such as humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, ensuring that its operations are aligned with these values.

Job Overview:
The Operations Coordinator plays a vital role within the IFRC’s Global Fleet business unit, based in Dubai. This position is responsible for overseeing and coordinating daily operations related to fleet management and warehouse services. The Operations Coordinator ensures the effective delivery of services, client satisfaction, and compliance with global logistics and quality standards. This role involves close collaboration with internal teams and external stakeholders, acting as the primary point of contact for operational coordination. The Operations Coordinator is tasked with managing workflows, tracking performance indicators, and addressing operational challenges, which are essential for maintaining high service delivery levels and improving operational efficiency. The position requires a proactive approach to ensure that both internal clients (IFRC departments and National Societies) and external partners receive timely, reliable, and quality services, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the organization’s humanitarian efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Operations Coordinator's duties encompass a wide range of responsibilities, including:

• Operational Coordination: Leading the daily coordination of the Dubai-based Fleet and Warehouse units, ensuring effective allocation of staff, equipment, and resources to meet operational demands. Translating strategic goals into actionable operational plans with clear KPIs, timelines, and measurable outcomes. Monitoring and reporting on unit performance, identifying risks or bottlenecks, and proposing corrective actions. Contributing to annual planning, budgeting, and operational reviews to align with the IFRC Global Fleet strategy and supply chain objectives. Maintaining accurate fleet data and contributing to global fleet dashboards and reporting.
• Fleet Coordination: Overseeing the implementation of global fleet policies and procedures in Dubai, ensuring maintenance plans and cost recovery models are applied. Coordinating the Vehicle Rental Programme (VRP) by forecasting demand, managing vehicle availability, and ensuring timely delivery to IFRC units and National Societies. Supporting vehicle procurement, allocation, rotation, and disposal planning to optimize lifecycle management and fleet cost-effectiveness. Liaising with local authorities and third-party service providers to ensure legal and efficient vehicle operations in the UAE.
• Warehouse & Logistics Coordination: Coordinating all warehouse activities, including reception, storage, inventory, and dispatch of humanitarian goods. Ensuring warehouse readiness for emergency mobilization with appropriate stock levels, documentation, and infrastructure. Implementing and monitoring safety and security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security standards, infrastructure maintenance, and environmental controls in line with IFRC requirements. Supervising and supporting warehouse staff in daily operations, performance tracking, and compliance with SOPs.
• Procurement, Administration & Finance Coordination: Coordinating procurement processes with procurement staff in line with IFRC policies, ensuring timely and compliant delivery. Liaising with procurement, logistics, and program teams to consolidate procurement plans and ensure alignment with operational needs. Visiting suppliers and maintaining strong relationships. Coordinating administrative functions such as facilities and office supplies, and working with finance to validate invoices, support reconciliations, and maintain internal control standards.
• Team Coordination & Development: Facilitating regular planning and coordination meetings with fleet, warehouse, and support teams to align efforts and solve operational challenges. Fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture, encouraging shared responsibility and cross-functional support. Supporting training and professional development for team members to enhance skills and operational readiness. Regularly liaising with the IFRC cluster team and Dubai HC on resources and coordination. Serving as the operational liaison with IFRC clients, National Societies, and partners, ensuring high-quality customer service and alignment of services with user needs.
• Compliance & Reporting Coordination: Ensuring coordinated compliance with IFRC policies, procedures, and donor requirements. Contributing to global reporting through KPIs, dashboards, and supply chain data. Coordinating validation of local invoices and timely processing with finance.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a university degree or equivalent experience in logistics, fleet management, supply chain, business administration, or other relevant fields. Preferred qualifications include additional certifications in fleet management, humanitarian logistics (e.g., CILT, HELP, Fritz Institute), warehouse management, or project management (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP).

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a university degree or equivalent experience in logistics, fleet management, supply chain, business administration, or other relevant fields. Additional certifications in fleet management, humanitarian logistics, warehouse management, or project management are considered assets and enhance the candidate's profile.

Experience:
The ideal candidate should have 5–7 years of progressive experience in logistics, supply chain, or operations management, with at least 2 years in a coordination or supervisory role. Proven experience in fleet and transport management, including maintenance, vehicle dispatch, and legal compliance, is essential, ideally within a humanitarian or international context. Strong knowledge of vehicle fleet operations and humanitarian supply chain practices is required, along with experience in annual planning in a global organization. Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional teams, work across departments, and manage diverse stakeholders is preferred.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory. A good command of another IFRC official language, such as French, Spanish, or Arabic, is considered advantageous and may enhance communication with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
This position is based in Dubai, UAE, and is part of the Global Humanitarian Services & Supply Chain Management department. The role is full-time and involves significant interaction with various internal and external stakeholders. The IFRC promotes equal employment opportunities and values diversity within its workforce.