This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, hands-on operations manager.

Location: While we’re a fully remote team, this role requires close collaboration with an Operations and Finance team based on UTC +/- 3 hours. Therefore, candidates must be based within this timezone. Periodic travel is required.

Start date: ASAP

Application Deadline: 31 January 2025

About Caribou

Caribou is an impact consulting company on a mission to create more inclusive economies and societies in an increasingly digital world. We support clients to use their funds and resources more effectively to maximize their social and environmental impact. Our partners are leading corporations, government agencies, international financial institutions, and private foundations worldwide. We provide end-to-end fund management, advisory, research, and measurement and impact services to enable organizations to tackle some of the world’s most complex challenges.

About the role

Caribou is a leading consulting company at a pivotal moment in its growth, making this a very dynamic and varied role. Caribou has existed for a decade and is in the midst of a period of rapid change as it transitions to a larger, more structured and more mature organization. In this position, you will play a critical role in developing and rolling out new operational processes and systems, as well as supporting business-as-usual operational processes.

Responsibilities will include: internal and donor reporting, budget management, supplier management, contracting, and implementing the new operations strategy. Each program will be at a different stage in its lifecycle, requiring the Operations Manager to adapt to evolving needs and proactively identify areas to add value. This is a role for someone who has high attention to detail, is process orientated, and has excellent stakeholder management skills and emotional intelligence.

The Operations Manager will report to the Operations Director, and work closely with the Program and Finance teams.

What it’s like working with us

We have always been a remote-first company. We have no physical office and use digital tools for collaboration. We have over 50 staff in 20 countries across 5 continents.

There are team and regional meetups several times per year, and an annual all-company retreat (in 2024 we went to Kenya). This time together is important, to get to know each other, and discuss broader company strategy, plans, and priorities.

Core to our culture is supporting our staff to have autonomy over where, how, and (within reason) when they work. We trust and empower everyone to work in a way that achieves successful outcomes while providing flexibility to manage other aspects of their lives. We are passionate about professional development and do our best to create opportunities for growth, as our company grows too.

We hire people because they are the best at what they do, so we’re pretty sure that our team is some of the smartest and most interesting people you’ll meet. Join us!

Key Responsibilities

Operations:

Working with the Program Directors and Program teams, manage the day-to-day effective running of a sub-set of programs. This will vary between programs, but could include: creating and maintaining program plans, reporting, tracking KPIs, maintaining risk registers, travel trackers, budgets and invoices, due diligence, file management, contracting and supplier management.
Work with the Operations Director to implement the Operations Strategy at an organizational level and embed it within programs.
Champion the new processes and systems across the organization and within programs, fielding questions and providing team training as required.
Ensure internal policies are embedded and adhered to across the organization and within programs.

Annual Business planning and reporting:

Working with the Operations Director and Leadership team, coordinate the annual planning cycle, including managing timelines, creating templates and supporting program teams where required.
Coordinate internal and external quarterly reporting, track and report on deliverables and KPIs, ensuring they are delivered to a high standard and in a timely manner.

Finance and budgeting:

Working closely with the Program and Finance teams, providing budget management support, including forecasting, reconciling budget vs actuals, invoice management, and preparing financial reports for program donors and internal stakeholders.
Support audits as required.

Procurement and Contracting:

Manage end-to-end procurement including leading negotiations with suppliers, developing milestones and deliverables, contracting, signature and file management.
Complete due diligence for sub-grants, incoming grants and suppliers as required.

Governance:

Organise shareholder/board meetings, including working with the Operations Director and Leadership team to prepare paperwork, conflicts of interest, take minutes and follow up actions.
Maintain the risk register
Coordinate program-level updates for board packs as required

Any other duties commensurate with the level as requested by the Operations Director.

Experience

Demonstrable operations and project management experience
Experience in managing donor-funded programs
Experience in managing procurement processes and budgets
Ability to communicate effectively at all levels to both expert and non-expert audiences, including shareholders/board members
Proficiency using G-Suite and Notion

Skills and attributes

Demonstrable emotional intelligence and influencing skills
Self-motivated, team player, detail-oriented and well-organized
Can-do attitude, able to identify problems and find solutions
Demonstrable experience in stakeholder management, including managing upwards
Strong ability to drive collaboration through identifying a common objective
Ability to manage overlapping activities and prioritise
Proven ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, across multiple programs
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
Good presentation and speaking skills are desirable
Experience working internationally and in cross-cultural environments
Experience working remotely by oneself
Based in a time zone +/- 3 hours from UTC