Job Summary

The Senior Operations Associate will play a central role in coordinating and strengthening the internal operations of the RFE Unit by providing diverse operational, administrative, and strategic support. In this position, you will be responsible for ensuring that RFE's internal systems run smoothly, including staffing and recruitment, budget tracking, team coordination, knowledge management, communication, and logistical planning for major team events. You will help maintain and improve processes that allow RFE to work more effectively and efficiently as it continues to grow. You will be instrumental in addressing the challenges that come with being part of a fast-growing, global, geographically-dispersed organization, and will learn about the strategic decisions and processes required to enhance our impact.

This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about strengthening internal systems to improve efficiency and effectiveness in an international mission-driven organization. If you enjoy problem-solving, process improvement, and finding ways to enhance team operations, this position will be a great fit for you. We’re looking for someone who takes proactive initiative to identify and implement process improvements, who is solutions-focused, extremely organized, detail-oriented, dependable, has strong oral and written communication skills, and is capable of managing up.

About the RFE Unit

The RFE Unit within IPA is a global advisory team aimed at helping organizations make better use of data and evidence to learn and adapt their programs to increase their effectiveness. In close collaboration with IPA’s sector programs, research and policy teams, and country office teams worldwide, the RFE Unit advises NGOs, funders, social businesses, and governments on how to use data and evidence to create meaningful measurement systems and design more effective programs, as well as supporting them through the process with technical assistance services.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities in this job will be extremely diverse. On the same day you might be working on designing a tool to estimate our staffing needs, scheduling or helping to facilitate a team meeting, drafting a blog post, providing data analysis support, supporting recruitment, or organizing a team-building activity. We have divided the responsibilities for this role into two areas: (i) RFE internal systems, strategy, and team management support, and (ii) Event and logistics coordination. Below is a non-exhaustive list of what we expect someone in this position to work on:

RFE internal systems, strategy, and team management support (80-90%)

• Operational systems:
  • Implement and improve systems to streamline staffing, project management, and budgeting processes.
    Develop tools to improve knowledge management and organization of internal documents.
  • Support in building budgets and other types of projections (e.g., staffing) on Excel and other appropriate software, and support procurement.
  • Manage RFE project databases and update IPA’s customer relationship management (CRM) and satisfaction database records.
  • Collaborate across IPA teams to streamline administrative workflows, enhance process effectiveness, and identify solutions that improve overall organizational efficiency.
• Human resources & team development:
  • Oversee recruitment and onboarding processes for new RFE hires.
  • Coordinate agenda setting for team meetings (All-Team, Management, and Leadership meetings).
  • Organize team-building activities.
• Communications:
  • Draft social media posts and support public goods dissemination efforts to improve access to and uptake of evidence and learning-based approaches in international development.

Event & Logistics Coordination (10-20%)

• Lead coordination of in-person and virtual RFE events, including retreats, team offsites, and workshops.
• Coordinate travel logistics and scheduling for team members, ensuring smooth coordination of meetings, visas, and accommodations.
• Coordinate procurement processes, ensuring timely and efficient execution.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Management, Operations.
• Management strongly preferred; degrees in Social Sciences with relevant experience considered.
• 2-4 years of experience in operational positions in the non-profit sector, consulting, international development, startups, or other fast-paced environments.
• Superior organizational, time management, and multi-tasking skills, self-starter mindset.
• Ability to work under pressure and adhere to deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to high-quality work.
• Interest and ability to learn at a fast pace.
• Experience working effectively with diverse staff, senior management, and external clients.
• Demonstrated interest in the international development and research and evidence space.
  Strong command of MS Office suite.
• Fluency in English.
• Solid writing skills in English and ability to synthesize information in a clear, structured, and insightful way.
• Existing permanent work authorization in the country where the position is based.

Preferred

• Exposure to the international development space.
• Familiarity with statistics/econometrics and data analysis.
• Interest in content development and social media influence.
• Fluency in French and/or Spanish.

Reports to

Advisor, RFE

Location

Colombia (Bogotá) or Kenya (Nairobi)

Application Deadline

April 28th

Application Link

https://1.adp.com/23GKXVCYZMc

About IPA

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and advances what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of people living in poverty. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence of which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 1,000 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

Safeguarding at IPA

At Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), we are committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for all individuals, particularly children and vulnerable adults. As IPA adheres to strict safeguarding principles, selected candidates will be expected to adhere to the standards. By joining IPA, you become part of a team dedicated to ethical conduct, social responsibility, and meaningful impact in the fight against global poverty. Together, we work to create a better world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive with dignity and respect.