Senior Associate, Operations

About Evidence Action

Our organization was founded in 2013 to address a big gap in the fight against global poverty–many of the most promising interventions are either implemented at a very small scale, or not at all. We set out to address this gap by building programs that would scale evidence-based and cost-effective interventions, leading to significant improvements in quality of life for hundreds of millions of people.

Our model worked. In less than a decade, our two flagship programs, the Deworm the World Initiative and Dispensers for Safe Water, have grown to measurably impact over 280 million people each year. This success is achieved through the dedication and talent of our staff, the hard work of our partners, and the commitment of our supporters.

By 2024, we seek to double our impact. We are strengthening and expanding our existing programs, and working to identify a new generation of evidence-based and cost-effective interventions that we can scale to reach millions more.

Job purpose

• This position will have primary responsibility in the oversight of the country operations function for Evidence Action in Malawi. This will include providing direction to the IT team and liaising with the country leadership to coordinate the administrative/operations staff across the country. Many organization locations are field offices whose varied challenges and distinct locations will require creative problem-solving.
• From a country leadership position, the position will be responsible for ensuring alignment, coordination, and compliance with the operations policies, processes, and systems.
• The Senior Associate, Operations will act as a resource and/or coordinate resources between country office and program field offices and perform other duties as defined by the country lead/leadership.

Duties and responsibilities

Team Management - 30% of the role

• Responsible for developing/refining and regularly reporting on Key Performance Indicators and Metrics to management concerning the regional operations support activities and capacity/gaps.
• Provide leadership, direction and functional guidance to the operations team, setting team and individual objectives to team members;
• Promote a culture of high performance, high quality and continuous improvement that values learning and feedback;
• Work in close coordination with the country and program leadership and, being responsive to their requirements;
• Foster a culture that encourages creativity, proactive solutions and accountability to actions, results and people;
• Ensure team and individual recognition;
• Training the country and field office operations teams to be up to date with best practices of the industry and adherence to company policies and procedures;
• Timely inputs to senior management on team performance and highlighting challenges with the team member(s) if any.

Office Administration and Logistics management - 30% of the role

• Coordinate Office Administration: supervise the Administrative Officers/Assistants at the country administrative office and coordinate with programs/department leads in other offices to ensure that Evidence Action’s offices are managed efficiently. This will include but is not limited to: overseeing adherence to office budgets, determining solutions to concerns raised by projects/programs.
• Office management: Ensure that office management is consistent and compliance to processes, include: ensure the maintenance of an asset register, ensure facilities are managed properly, and ensure proper and cost-effective maintenance of insurance policies.
• Vehicles and Transportation: lead creation and maintenance of vehicle pools, working with a team to ensure competitive, reliable drivers.
• Manage other Evidence Action Administrative Services: ensure core administrative services provided by Evidence Action to projects, managed through Admin Officers, are carried out effectively and efficiently. Examples include travel and visitors’ logistics, events planning/coordination and the maintenance of internal Evidence Action communication systems.
• Responsible for workplace safety and security in the region and be the point person on emergency management and security updates.

Lease agreements management and service contract oversite - 15% of the role

• Coordinate negotiations/relationships with landlords on all lease agreements entered by Evidence Action in the Country. Keep track of all renewal dates and terms of the lease agreement on termination or rent increases.
• Lead in SLA negotiations and management of all service agreements for Evidence Action in the country.

ICT support and Coordination - 15% of the role

• In close collaboration with the Sub-region IT manager, initiate and support processes for formulating information and communication technology (ICT) policies, regulations and procedures at the country offices, and monitor the implementation.
• Coordinate the provision of Provide ICT support in the development and maintenance of the Evidence Action databases and website as guided by Sub-region IT manager.
• Ensure all IT equipment are serviced and maintained as per the IT policy of Evidence Action.

Project Management - 10% of the role

• Collaborate with the Sub-region Operations Lead on and lead the development of operations systems for use by staff at the various offices.
• Proactively identify, evaluate, recommend and participate in projects to improve organizational operations processes efficiency. Provide project management leadership support for operations related projects as needed and directed by the Country director or country-specific work plans.
• Develop and provide training to staff across offices on existing and evolving operational systems, functionality, and processes in use by Evidence Action.

Skills:

• Strategic and tactical critical thinker with good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A confident decision-maker who can communicate directions and solutions clearly to both technical and non-technical staff.
• Understanding of the business role of operations functions within the programs and organization, and to set objectives based on that.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing others.
• Metrics-driven performance philosophy.
• Good English - written and verbal competence.

Key performance Indicators

The key results have an impact on the execution of the role in the Country Office:

• High quality, appropriate, and well-managed implementation of operations and country administration services across the country.

• Over 90% satisfaction rating from both internal and external partners on the efficiency of the operations unit in terms of management of partner relations at country level.

• Demonstrated Cost-effectiveness in all lease engagements and logistics management in the region.

Qualifications

Education:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field.

Experience:

• 3 years of experience working with NGO or large multi-national organizations, managing a mid-size team of experienced operations teams across locations;
• Self-directed and self-motivating personality, with proven ability to manage demands from multiple clients while adhering to deadlines and priorities;
• Experience with creating budgets, budget management and understanding of local laws related to the subject and best practices;
• High level of competency in computer skills, MS Office including Excel and PowerPoint is essential;
• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels of the organization;

Preferred Product Knowledge

• Windows 7, 10
• Microsoft Office 2013-16
• Google Enterprise Apps
• Box cloud storage

Working conditions

• Primary work hours are (8:00 am-5:00 pm), Monday to Friday.
• Off-hour work may be required as necessary for overseeing/completing planned maintenance, participating in international conference calls across time-zones, or responding to technical emergency response.
• Some travel. The Snr. Associate, Operations will visit offices across the country of operation for the purposes of oversight, training, project management, and meetings of program and country staff.

Equal Opportunity Statement
Evidence Action does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.