Zonal Operations Manager - 1

Zonal Operations Manager

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith. Come join our 33,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children's life stories!

Position Purpose

The Zonal Operations Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for World Vision Sudan's field operations in the assigned zone (Eastern, Western, or Northern). The role is responsible for ensuring the effective and timely implementation of humanitarian and development programs, particularly in response to emergencies. This includes oversight of programming, finance, logistics, human resources, security, coordination, and representation in the zone. The position ensures World Vision's programs are impactful, aligned with humanitarian principles and organizational goals, and are responsive to the evolving needs of affected communities—especially children and the most vulnerable.

Major Responsibilities

Leadership and Strategy Implementation

• Provide overall leadership and vision for zonal operations, aligned with World Vision Sudan's national strategy and humanitarian priorities.
• Lead the zone's operational planning process, translating strategy into clear, actionable, and time-sensitive implementation plans.
• Ensure the zone is adequately prepared for and responds promptly to humanitarian emergencies through proactive contingency planning, emergency preparedness, and rapid mobilization of teams and resources.
• Spearhead the scale-up of emergency interventions when required, ensuring alignment with humanitarian standards and donor requirements.
• Foster a culture of agility, accountability, and excellence across all teams and projects.
• Manage a portfolio of multi-sector grants to ensure they end on-time, on-target, within budget, and meet the highest quality reporting standards.
• Ensure proper coordination with support sectors and Programs unit to promote information sharing, effective implementation, and joint program design and planning.

Program and Project Management

• Oversee the implementation of multi-sector programs and projects across the zone, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
• Monitor project performance against plans and agreed indicators, ensuring timely corrective actions and adaptation to dynamic field contexts.
• Work closely with Technical Advisors and sector leads to ensure quality assurance across project components, particularly in food security, WASH, health, nutrition, education, child protection and safeguarding.
• Ensure integration of cross-cutting themes such as protection, gender, and resilience in all program activities.
• Working with the Programs Unit to ensure strong data collection, reporting, and feedback mechanisms are in place to monitor impact and ensure accountability to affected populations.
• Develop growth strategy detailing sectorial opportunities and geographical demarcations for future growth.
• Spearhead integrated programming and proposal development, developing and monitoring integration plans.
• Ensure strategic programmatic and operational plans are in place, operationalized and continuously improving (e.g. Strategy, Annual Budget, Integration Plan, GIK Plan, RDPP).
• Ensure adherence to key humanitarian standards and sector standards, actively following up on Technical Team Leads recommendations and monitoring uptake.
• Ensure National Office Strategy is contextualized, understood and implemented in conjunction with key stakeholders.

Emergency Response and Humanitarian Coordination

• Take a lead role in the zonal level coordination of humanitarian responses, acting as the focal point for inter-agency engagement and representation in cluster meetings, local government bodies, and community structures.
• Coordinate rapid assessments and facilitate timely mobilization of emergency response teams in crises such as conflict, displacement, flooding, or disease outbreaks.
• Ensure timely delivery of life-saving interventions in line with Sphere standards, Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), and organizational guidelines.
• Engage closely with local authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure coordination and avoid duplication of efforts.

Operational Oversight and Support Services

• Ensure effective and risk-sensitive operational support including logistics, procurement, fleet, security, and administration within the zone.
• Work with supply chain and finance teams to ensure the timely procurement and delivery of goods and services to program sites.
• Ensure robust systems are in place for financial management and compliance with internal and donor regulations.
• Champion responsible stewardship of financial and material resources, and ensure accountability, transparency, and value for money in all zonal operations.

Risks Management and Accountability to Affected Population

• Monitor contextual risks and ensure risk mitigation measures are in place to safeguard staff, assets, and programming.
• Liaise with security focal points and ensure field teams adhere to World Vision's safety and security protocols.
• Lead zonal-level crisis management and incident reporting, including ensuring business continuity plans are in place.
• In collaboration with the Programs Department, ensure that there is an effective community complaints and feedback mechanism to promote transparency, accountability, and responsiveness to affected populations.
• Ensure all projects within the assigned state maintain updated risk registers with periodic reviews in line with changing operational and financial contexts.
• Work closely with the Finance Department to identify, assess, and mitigate financial risks, including fraud, budget overruns, misappropriation, and cost inefficiencies.
• Ensure that financial risk controls and mitigation measures (e.g., segregation of duties, budget monitoring tools, compliance audits) are implemented and regularly monitored.
• Promote financial accountability by ensuring community members are informed about project budgets, expenditures, and fund utilization through appropriate communication channels.

Foster Internal and External Engagement

• Serve as the primary representative of World Vision Sudan in the zone, building strong relationships with UN agencies, NGOs, local government, and community leaders.
• Advocate for the needs of children and communities with stakeholders and donors.
• Ensure community engagement and accountability mechanisms are embedded in all programs.
• Strengthen existing WV information-sharing mechanism to promote coordination.
• Develop strategic networks enabling World Vision to leverage a collective voice in favor of children and their families, communities and partners.
• Foster formal government and community engagement and coordination.
• Ensure engagement with other agencies to promote better coordination, joint-action and partnership.

Ensure Systems are in Place to Promote Audit Compliance and Good Stewardship

• Ensure all key policies and procedures are in place and in use.
• Promote efficient use of ministry resources, developing and monitoring systems which promote good stewardship.
• Ensure awareness of, and full compliance with donor and Support Offices requirements, including the timely preparation and submission of quality narrative and financial reports.
• Working closely with the Finance unit, support Program teams to develop, manage and monitor project budgets, ensuring value for money and that project expenditure is within agreed budgets.
• Facilitate the implementation of audit recommendations.
• Spearhead risk planning and ensure control measures are in place and in use.
• Lead in the identification and resolution of challenges which impact audit compliance and/or contribute to risk.
• Cultivate an atmosphere of good stewardship and accountable ministry.
• Ensure that National offices systems, guidelines and strategic initiatives communicated and in use by staff.

Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Lead and manage diverse teams, ensuring staff performance, motivation, and professional development.
• Build the capacity of field-based teams to effectively manage humanitarian programs, respond to emergencies, and adhere to operational excellence.
• Promote a positive team culture grounded in World Vision's core values, ethical behavior, and commitment to serving the most vulnerable.
• Ensure there is a clear staff retention and succession plan in place especially for national staff.
• Effectively line manage and coach the project senior level staff, ensuring a shared vision, team work, effective communication and active engagement in decision-making and management approaches.
• Implement existing performance management mechanisms, ensuring good participation and quality results to promote staff engagement and a culture of excellence.
• Cultivate an atmosphere of local staff empowerment and motivation leading to their active participation in program initiatives.
• Foster a culture of trust and mutual respect, encouraging local staff engagement in planning, management and