Operations Coordinator, Africa Team at Girls Not Brides

• The successful individual will report to the Head of Africa Engagement and will work closely with the Africa Team and the Global Operations Team to ensure the smooth running of team operations in the region. This includes multiple facets of operational, financial, and administrative coordination, including support to our National Partnerships and coalitions. The person will also work in close collaboration with the Africa team and the Global Safeguarding Manager in supporting Africa team members implement organisational safeguarding policy and will act the Africa team’s safeguarding point of contact to global secretariat.

About You

• We are looking for a passionate, talented, and solutions-minded professional, with demonstrable experience of strong administrative, operational, and financial coordination in the civil society sector. The successful candidate will ideally have previous work experience, effective and efficient administration, and logistical support such as running a smooth coordinated workspace for colleagues and with a background in business or finance administration.
• Reporting directly to the Head of Africa Engagement, the successful candidate will initially work remotely and be based in Kenya. The individual will work from home initially, with IT and communication equipment and support provided by Girls Not Brides. They must have the right to work in the country.

Job location

Nairobi, Kenya.

The successful candidate must already have the right to work in Kenya at the time of applying and for a minimum of two years.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Administrative and Logistics Coordination

• Manage the Africa Team calendar, including meetings and travel and logistics plans, visa applications and other travel documents.
• Coordinate the logistical arrangements relating to members, partners, national and regional meetings, and events, in the lead-up, during and after national, regional and global events.
• Coordinate scheduling, events and regional workshops/convenings logistics and other administrative tasks that may be required for these events.
• Coordinate any follow-up after meetings with members, including with national partnerships and coalitions members.
• Work closely with the Global Operations team to support the following areas: managing the workspace for the Africa Team in Kenya, payroll and tax, recruitment, onboarding and induction of new team members, including IT setup and other onboarding arrangements.
• Ensure the smooth running of team operations in Africa.
• Represent the Africa team in internal discussion groups relevant to operations.
• Any other administrative support to the Head of Africa Engagement, if and as required.

Financial Coordination

• Support the Head of Africa Engagement in financial and administrative coordination, as needed.
• Work closely with the Head of Africa Engagement to prepare the annual work plan and budget for the Africa team.
• Review expenditure and prepare forecast for each quarter along with the Head of Africa Engagement and various country focal points.
• Support the delivery of timely financial reports, that follow our policies and processes.
• Review financial reports and expense receipts submitted by members as per signed grant/service agreement.
• Manage the reimbursement process with members and other meeting participants.
• Follow up on payment schedule for members in region.
• Support the Senior Finance Officer (based in Kenya) and the Finance Team to support with due diligence and financial related matters.

Compliance Support

• Maintain filing systems online and offline and ensure easy accessibility and retrieval of records.
• Take accurate and relevant team meeting notes or minutes, disseminate key meeting information, and track follow through of action items from meetings.
• Ensure compliance with the procurement policy of Girls Not Brides.
• Support the Operations Manager (based in London) to manage procurement of consultants, insurance, operational matters and the assets inventory for The Africa team.

Supporting key cross-functional workstreams, including due diligence and safeguarding

• Represent the Africa Team in the Girls Not Brides’ Safeguarding secretariat group and act as the Safeguarding focal point for the region.
• Work closely with the Global Safeguarding Manager to deliver our policy, ensure that members requirements are communicated to the Global Safeguarding Manager and support country focal points to ensure that members’ capacity building on safeguarding is strengthened.
• Support country focal points and/or project managers in performing due diligence processes for granting processes.
• Engage in effective communication and collaboration with team members, management, and external stakeholders to foster a culture of safety and operational excellence.

Actively Contribute to the broader work of the Africa Team

• Contribute to larger Girls Not Brides projects and activities (e.g. support for member meetings, advocacy campaigns, etc.), as required.
• Participate in Secretariat-wide activities, such as committees, internal culture-building, trainings and strategic planning.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

• 4+ years of relevant administrative office management experience.
• A degree in Business Administration or another relevant field.
• Proven experience in finance, operations, and administrative coordination as well as experience of organisational-wide planning, coordination and/or project management, particularly working with diverse teams based in remote locations.
• Experience in managing work systems and external relations, including consultancy contracts and external service providers and suppliers.
• Experience in working with database maintenance and management (such as Salesforce).
• Experience with the maintenance and management of organisational processes and systems.

Essential skills and knowledge

• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent administration skills and an ability to meet tight deadlines and a strong ability to coordinate multiple priorities, time constraints and unanticipated events.
• Knowledge of safeguarding protocols, policies, and best practices.
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proficiency in recent versions of Microsoft Office suite, project management tools, monitoring and tracking systems, and use of databases.
• Strong interest in and fluency with applying innovative technologies to teamwork; excellent IT problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, networking and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships remotely.
• Ability to develop effective working relationships in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to work unsupervised, a motivated self-starter, with strong problem solving and multitasking skills.

Essential values and attributes

• Strong commitment to the mission and values of Girls Not Brides including understanding of gender-transformative approaches to empower girls and women and support gender equality.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Team player spirit, proactive and able to confidently take initiative and make appropriate decisions.
• Highly reliable, organised, and proactive.
• Willingness to work flexibly and regularly travel internationally, as necessary.

Desirable

• Experience of working with civil society and grassroots movements regionally or internationally.
• Experience or knowledge with working with Salesforce.
• Experience working with a membership organisation or member-based network.
• Experience in supporting grants processes.
• Programmatic experience of working on child marriage or broader work on empowerment of girls and women.
• Knowledge and experience of gender and its application in programme and network spaces.
• Knowledge of other relevant languages for the region such as French or Portuguese will be an added advantage.