Operations Associate

Who We Are! 

🌍 Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. By 2035, the continent is poised to contribute more people to the global workforce each year than the rest of the world combined. At Educate! we're obsessed with impact. We leverage iterative learning to build highly scalable youth employment solutions aimed at unlocking the potential of the world’s youngest continent. 

Educate! prepares youth in Africa to learn, earn and thrive in today’s economy by: 

1. Introducing an employment-focused school subject into secondary and 
2. Delivering livelihood Boot Camps for out-of-school youth, with a focus on marginalized rural girls and young women.

So far, we’ve impacted over 250,000 youth across Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya—and the largest youth employment and skills provider in East Africa. Our team of over 250 largely African staff and 300 volunteer mentors is passionate about creating meaningful change. Plus, 50% of our top 30 leaders have been with us for over five years! 🎉10+ alumni have started their organizations and 6 current or former team members were Acumen Fund East Africa fellows. 

Global organizations like  Imaginable Futures, Big Bang Philanthropy,  #startsmall, Generation Unlimited, CIFF and Echidna Giving have backed us and support our mission! In 2022, we received a catalytic investment from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott to scale our systems change work.

Educate!'s long-term vision is to design solutions that measurably impact millions of youth across Africa each year. By 2025, we’re on track to quadruple our reach and impact 400,000 youth annually. Want to join us on this journey?

Position Overview:

Educate!, an industry-leading non-profit that provides critical skills-training and other educational services for youth in East Africa, is seeking an Operations Associate to join our dynamic team. This role is pivotal in ensuring that the human resources, administration, and accounting functions operate smoothly for the US/Europe Team. The ideal candidate will be highly detail-oriented, agile, and have strong project management and organizational skills. Responsibilities include supporting HR, assisting with accounts payable and other finance tasks, and providing general operational support. This role would be a great fit for someone hyper-organized who takes pleasure in providing leverage to others, and who wants to play a role in delivering true change to some of those who need it most.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations and Admin:

• Assist in the implementation and maintenance of systems and tools to enhance operational efficiency, e.g. Google Drive creation / maintenance.
• Support in the management of vendor relationships and procurement activities.
• Assist in project management and coordination of cross-functional initiatives.
• Help maintain Educate! website, including keeping job postings and staff profiles up to date.  
• Assist with conference registration and other logistics.
• Coordinate international travel arrangements for various team members.
• Assist with scheduling of All Hands calls.
• Handle general office management tasks, including purchasing and tracking laptops for the team.

HR:

• Handle various HR administrative tasks, including onboarding and offboarding of employees, contract creation, and maintaining employee records and databases.
• Assist in the implementation and maintenance of US/Global HR policies and procedures.
• Maintain tracker for monthly European payrolls; ensure all payroll was approved and fully processed.
• Draft and send monthly report of all US / Europe HR happenings (e.g. new onboardings, offboardings, benefit changes, etc.). 

Accounting:

• Assist in some financial operations, including accounts payable and budget tracking.
• Assist the Controller with preparing basic reports and analyses.
• Support the Controller in monitoring financial transactions and ensuring compliance with internal policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with the Controller, Bookkeeper, and Financial Analyst to streamline operational processes and procedures i.e. payment processing flow.

Qualifications:

• 2-5 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent organizational skills and natural sense of how to prioritize a wide range of important tasks. 
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow through and follow up.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with team members at all levels.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite and other relevant software applications – you are adept at learning new tools and technologies.   
• Self-directed and nimble – you don’t need daily direction from a manager to know how to spend your time. You are an “expert learner” and are naturally curious and good at figuring things out.
• A positive attitude and healthy dose of humility – you know your value and find serving in a supportive role rewarding.

Requirements:

• Since the Operations Associate will have a great deal of exposure to people and partners both inside and outside the organization, it is critical that they understand our programs and operations intimately. As such, travel from the US or UK to one or more of our East African offices (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania) is required: (2) ~week-long trips in the first year, (1) per year thereafter.   

Salary and Benefits:

• The target salary for this role is $45,000-$50,000 (£35,600-£39,600). The final offer will factor in the candidate’s location and experience. 
• Benefits include:
• Health insurance with global coverage covered at 100% for employees and 50% for dependents. 
• Flexible work hours and ability to work remotely.
• 403(b) retirement savings account with 3% match after 3rd anniversary.   
• Generous paid leave including one week of office closure over the winter holidays.

What We Offer 💼

• A vibrant, mission-driven environment with a supportive and fun team.
• Flexibility— Hybrid work environment with at least 3 days in our awesome Nairobi office (If working from the Nairobi office)!
• Competitive salary based on experience.
• Healthcare coverage for you and your dependents, work laptop, Internet & call stipend
• Learning & growth opportunities
• This is a Fixed term  contract with a possibility of extension based on performance

Application Process: Rolling basis, interviews happening soon!

Our Culture & Tenets(Values) 🌱

We’re ambitious. Are you? Educate! is growing fast, so new opportunities are opening up and expanding all the time. We’re inspired by people with drive, and we love to help them reach their full potential. We expect everyone at Educate! to contribute above and beyond their job description, grow their skills, and advance their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey of their careers, and we are committed to supporting our staff members on that journey. 

1. We put Youth First, Impact-Obsessed - We are purpose-driven, focused on impact, and prioritize what truly matters. We listen to youth, design our efforts around their needs, and ensure every dollar creates transformative experiences they value.
2. We Exceed Expectations - We take pride in going above and beyond to achieve the best results—proactively identifying problems and seeking solutions without waiting or stopping at what's requested.
3. We Are Always Learning - We are committed to seeking and applying new knowledge and ideas. We stay open-minded and continuously try new things, experiment, grow, and improve. We invest in learning for ourselves and our teams.
4. We are One Team, Many Views - We value all individuals, believe diverse ideas and open dialogue drive excellence, foster a supportive and respectful environment where everyone can freely express themselves. We work as one team and prioritize the organization's mission over personal or team interests.
5. We have the Startup Mindset - We innovate relentlessly to grow our impact, we never think “we have arrived” or “we’re done.”We constantly challenge the status quo, embrace change, and move quickly toward our vision. Unafraid of failure, we question anything that hinders progress.

Every person at Educate! — from interns to the executive director — is evaluated by how they live up to these five cultural tenets. They are at the core of how we achieve our mission and why we work as well as we do.  Educate is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all who interact in our community. In creating this environment, we encourage people from a variety of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences to join our diverse team. 

We’re committed to ensuring all candidates are screened for child and youth safety. As part of the process, you’ll need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct. Educate! reserves the right to withdraw employment offers if any risks to youth are identified.