Operations Coordinator - Latin America and Caribbean

INTRODUCTION TO GIRLS NOT BRIDES

Girls Not Brides is the only global organisation uniquely focused on creating and sustaining a worldwide movement to end child marriage and ensuring that this movement leads to tangible change for the girls at risk or affected by the practice. We are a network of over 1,600 civil society organisations in over 100 countries working in partnership to end child marriage.

Our vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Our vision challenges deeply embedded social norms that harm the lives of girls, women and their communities.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

Girls Not Brides is seeking an outstanding Operations Coordinator to join its team in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) based in Mexico City. The successful individual will report to the Head of LAC and will work closely with the LAC 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 National Partnerships and coalitions. The person will also work in close collaboration with the Head of LAC and the Global Impact Team to help monitoring and tracking data and indicators of regional work for reports.

We are looking for a passionate, talented and solutions-minded bilingual (Spanish and English) 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 related to girls, adolescents, and women’s rights, employing a feminist approach to deliver our mission.

Job Location

Mexico City. Mexico. The successful candidate must have the right to work in Mexico at the time of applying and for a period of minimum 2 years.

Working as a global team, all Girls Not Brides team members may from time to time be expected to work outside normal working hours (e.g., early morning or early evening) this is not a regular occurrence and is only to accommodate collaboration of teams across different time zones. The role may require regular international travel, as necessary.

Accountable to

Head of Latin America and the Caribbean

Salary Range

Market competitive based on a detailed survey by the Birches Group of comparable local NGO salaries in selected location. Payments will be made in local currency of where it is located.

Contract

2-year fixed term contract. The successful candidate will predominantly work from home, with IT and communication equipment and support provided by Girls Not Brides. Depending on the needs of the organisation there may also be a requirement to work from our Hub location (hybrid working with a potential of working three days a week on site). They must have the right to work in Mexico.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Coordination

• Support the Head of LAC in financial and administrative coordination, as needed.
• Work closely with the Head of LAC to prepare the annual work plan and budget for the LAC region.
• Review expenditure and prepare forecast for each quarter along with the Head of LAC.
• Support the delivery of timely financial reports, that follow our policies and processes.
• Working with the Global Operations and Finance team based in London, coordinate and review the Due Diligence process for all financial investments (grants) in the region, including quality safeguarding processes as well as financial compliance.
• Support National Partnerships (NP) and coalition leads to prepare quality budgets as per Girls Not Brides format and coordinate the grant making process.
• Prepare and manage budgets for national and regional meetings.
• Coordinate closely with budget holders to ensure the coordination of consultancy contracts in close collaboration with the Head of LAC and the Global Operations team.
• 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.
• Prepare expenses statements of cash and credit card receipts for the team.
• Represent the LAC Team in Girls Not Brides’ Safeguarding 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 Global Safeguarding Manager and members’ capacity building on safeguarding is strengthened.
• Manage any other operational support and coordination.

Administrative and Logistics Coordination

• Manage the LAC Team calendar, including meetings and travel plans.
• Coordinate the logistical arrangements relating to national and regional meetings and events, in the lead-up, during and after the event.
• Assist the team with visa applications and other travel documents.
• Coordinate visits of colleagues from other locations and other external participants.
• Coordinate logistical arrangements for member participation in meetings and events at the national, regional, and global level.
• Support logistics planning with member organisations in the region, as required.
• Coordinate any follow-up after meetings with members, including with national Partnership and coalitions Chairs.
• Work closely with the Global Operations team with recruitment, onboarding and induction of new team members, including IT setup and other onboarding arrangements.
• Ensure the smooth running of team operations in LAC.
• Maintain filing systems online and offline and ensure easy accessibility and retrieval of records.
• Take accurate and relevant meeting notes or minutes, disseminate key meeting information, and track follow through of action items from meetings.
• Ensure compliance with procurement policy of Girls Not Brides.
• Assets inventory management.
• Represent LAC team in internal discussion groups e.g., Operations, MEL
• Any other administrative support to the Head of LAC, if and as required

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordination

• Coordinates the LAC team contribution to quarterly and annual reports (board reports, Annual Impact report etc) working closely with the LAC team members.
• Track the implementation of activities and quarterly monitoring calls with members with relevant team members
• Supports the Senior Officer for the region and the MEAL for Impact Global Manager in the collection, compilation, tracking and analysis of indicators, outcomes and outputs accordingly.
• Completes the MEL tracker sheets and supports the Senior Officer with reviewing proposals and reports.

External Relationships Coordination

• Coordinate the outsourcing of services and liaise closely with relevant external consultants, as required.
• Maintain and update Girls Not Brides’ Salesforce database with details relating to members and partners in the region with the support of the membership lead within the LAC team and in close collaboration with the Global Partnership Team.
• Support with regional meetings and events.

Wider responsibilities of Girls Not Brides team members

• Commit to the mission and vision of Girls Not Brides, putting them at the forefront of all planning, work, and actions.
• Uphold the core values. of Girls Not Brides in all areas of work and interactions with colleagues, members, partners, and other stakeholders.
• Comply with Girls Not Brides policies and processes, with particular note for safeguarding, the code of conduct and data protection.
• Ensure that internal databases and monitoring information are kept fully up to date.
• Commit to ongoing personal development and learning.
• Fulfil any other reasonable requests for the advancement of the Girls Not Brides mission.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

• Proven experience in finance, operations and administrative coordination at a senior level, as well as experience of organisational-wide planning, coordination and/or project management, particularly working with diverse teams based in distinct locations.
• Relevant higher academic qualification/s or equivalent professional experience in finance or business administration.
• Experience in managing work systems and external relations, including consultancy contracts and external service providers and suppliers.
• Experience of 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 administration skills and an ability to meet tight deadlines and a strong ability to coordinate multiple priorities.
• Highly reliable, organised, and proactive.
• Fluency in written and spoken Spanish and 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 interpersonal skills, 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.
• Knowledge of the NGO and grassroots sector within international development.

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.
• Skilled team worker with an inclusive and collaborative approach, in line with Girls Not Brides’values.

Desirable

• Experience of working with civil society and grassroots organisations internationally.
• Experience working for a membership organisation.
• Understanding of monitoring and evaluation 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 are an advantage.

Safeguarding

Girls Not Brides is committed to safeguarding all children, young people, and adults at risk with whom our staff and representatives work and interface. Any employment with Girls Not Brides may be subject to the satisfactory completion of a background check and criminal records check which can include but is not limited to: an overseas police record check, a Disclosure and Barring Service Check (for those based in the UK) or an International Criminal Record Check (if applicable).

Diversity at Girls Not Brides

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

How to apply

The closing date for this role is 23:59 CDMX on 25 June 2023.

To apply, please submit your CV and a brief cover letter (in English) demonstrating how you meet the criteria via the online application portal. Please send your submissions in English.

We regret that due to the large number of applications anticipated, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.