Job Title: Operations Officer
Duration: 1 year, extendable
Report to: Country Program Manager
Duty Station: Kathmandu, Nepal

BACKGROUND

Issara Institute is an independent non-profit organization based in Asia, South Asia and the United States tackling human trafficking and forced labor from the lens of business and human rights. The Institute was established in 2014 by a team of anti-trafficking experts coming out of the United Nations who created an alliance of private sector, civil society, and government partners committed to transformational, sustainable, worker-driven approaches to labor issues, especially those occurring in global supply chains. It is staffed by leading regional and international experts in labor rights, business and human rights, and research and technology.

We believe that, together, we can transform the lives of tens of millions of workers through worker voice, partnership, and innovation - that sustainable systems driving more ethical labor recruitment and working conditions are vital to the future of workers individually and collectively, to equity and fairness across supply chains, and to sustainable poverty alleviation efforts.

OVERVIEW

The Operations Officer will play a critical role in ensuring that the work of the Institute is cost-effective, efficient, and in adherence to donor and partner policies, procedures, and regulations. The ideal candidate will have a background of office administration, human resources and logistics, be detail-oriented and able to work within our multi-national team.

SCOPE OFWORK

Specific aspects of the scope of work of the Operations Officer include:

1. HUMAN RESOURCES

• Responsible for Issara staff recruitment, closely following Issara recruitment policies and approaches, and both directly conducting recruitment and documentation as well as supporting hiring managers to conduct recruitment for their teams.
• Responsible for staff and consultant human resources including organizing new team member orientation (in collaboration with the hiring manager), the timely management of visas and work permits for foreign staff, compliance with all social security and tax requirements by the government, ensuring that all staff and consultant contracts are updated, and management and tracking of staff benefits such as annual leave and sick leave.
• Support the staff performance planning process, and expand team building and staff development efforts.

2. ADMINISTRATION

• Ensure that all organizational policies, as documented in the organization’s operations / staff manual, are always up to date and compliant with donor requirements. This includes human resources, procurement, all other related policies, etc.
• Track government reporting, legal compliance, and tax requirements required in Nepal, and work with the country team and global operations team to ensure timely compliance with all requirements.
• Draft, review, and/or approve correspondence to government and non-government partners as needed, to support daily operations and partnerships.
• Assist with vendor selection and vendor relationships, ensuring good value for money. Contact with vendors to provide good service for Issara and other support as needed to the team. Be accountable for vendor relationships, and in developing policies and relationships to streamline Issara procurement.
• Provide logistics support to program activities, including travel bookings, arrangement of transportation, venue bookings, and other details.
• Responsible for office administration, including office maintenance, inventory tracking of equipment and supplies, and other needs.
• Provide other support as needed to field teams, including support in the field on occasion.

3. FINANCE

• Ensure clear documentation and approval processes for all Issara Nepal team expenses. Coordinate closely with the global operations team on finance tracking sheets to ensure all expenses follow Issara procedures, and are recorded, paid on time and documented.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERTISE

We have a lean, dynamic, seasoned team that is committed to change, innovation, and impact. We are conscientious, we hold a high standard of care for our beneficiaries, and understand that we have to be able to work effectively with partners spanning the largest multinational corporations to the smallest grassroots CSOs. Our work ecosystem is multicultural, respectful, and energetic, whether we are working on tasks in teams, or working alone. We aim to ensure that there are many opportunities for sharing, learning, and growth on our team, and are looking for individuals who would flourish in our unique environment. The Officer should have:

• Bachelor degree in a relevant discipline such as public administration, international development, human resources or other relevant social science discipline required.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working related to administration, logistics, human resources or management, with preferred experience working with international NGO.
• Experience with visas and work permits, social security and tax processes.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel required, and in-depth familiarity with Microsoft Office and Google Suite products.
• Personal interest and sensitivity in working with local communities and ability to work in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Strong fluency in English required, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.