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Operations Associate

Are you passionate about transforming the economic system? Are you a skilled operations professional? Help us grow the capacity of our vibrant global team working for a rights-based economy.

We are an international non-governmental organization that works to harness the power of human rights to inspire fairer and more sustainable economies. Our vision is of a world in which a just distribution of resources and power enables current and future generations to live with dignity, in full enjoyment of their economic and social rights. With a budget of US$1.5m and a 14-strong staff team of human rights and economic justice advocates across four continents, we are currently embarked on a multi-year strategy aimed at envisioning a human rights-based economy and catalyzing collective action towards it.

Role Summary

CESR is seeking a dynamic Operations Associate with a passion for human rights and social justice to enable us to deliver on this goal by supporting with the effective oversight of CESR’s finances and operations. The Operations Associate will be a key part of CESR’s organizational fabric, supporting the upkeep and maintenance of the CESR’s virtual workplace by identifying and helping resolve operational,  logistical and/or other issues that may arise on a daily basis. The associate will be responsible for administrative tasks such as filing, drafting, and organizing paperwork, liaising with vendors for general and contract-related inquiries, monitoring CESR’s general email accounts, supporting with making travel arrangements, and other tasks as requested by the directors. They will also be familiar with all the inventory and supplies to assess the needs of our virtual office. The position will be responsible for light bookkeeping, contract management, and HR-related duties and need to be highly organized and efficient.

Specific responsibilities include:

  • Supporting CESR’s transition to a global virtual workspace as well as monitoring and overseeing the maintenance of our virtual office environment. Liaise with CESR’s consultants and vendors.

  • Support with processing monthly invoices, as well as preparing requests for payments and reimbursements.

  • Provide support to CESR staff for their virtual office infrastructure needs and supplies.

  • Support with light bookkeeping duties including management of petty cash and credit card expenses, assisting with the upkeep of general ledger, as well as processing accounting payables and purchase orders.

  • Provide basic management of computer hardware and software, and other CESR equipment.

  • Provide day-to-day administration, such as managing and organizing CESR’s virtual filing system, responding to general inquiries as well as maintenance of  CESR listserv, websites, and accounts (e.g., Dropbox, Zoom, Asana).

  • Support with HR duties such as: assisting with recruitment efforts (e.g., posting job openings, processing applicants, and coordinating schedules for interviews, etc), benefits administration (e.g., enrollment, offboarding), new hire onboarding, and paperwork (e.g., employment paperwork I-9, W-2),  tracking leave, drafting and renewing independent consultant contracts etc. 

  • Liaise with external IT support company to provide general tech support to employees, ensure general cyber safety, manage the upkeep of our laptops and software as well as create portal access to hardware and software during onboarding.

  • Support Development and Operations team with researching global operational and HR policies, protocols, and potential funding sources.

  • Assist with logistical support for travel arrangements, meetings, and virtual/in-person event organization.

Person profile:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college.

  • 2-3 years of experience in an operational or administrative support role. Non-profit experience is a plus.

  • Strong interpersonal, organizational, verbal, and written communication skills. 

  • Oral and written fluency in English is essential; working proficiency in other languages (especially Spanish) is a plus.

  • IT fluency, including knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel skills preferred) and G-Suite.

  • Proven professional integrity and commitment to human rights, equity, and social justice.

  • Experience of working in diverse, multicultural, and/or international environments; experience working in virtual environments is highly desirable. 

Location and terms

CESR is registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the state of New York, and currently retains an office in New York City. However, since 2020, its international staff team (based in the US, Latin America, South Africa, and India) is currently working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the responsibilities of the position require familiarity with finance and accounting regulations in the US, the location is flexible, preferably within the United States.

We believe that our current economic model disproportionately hurts the most disadvantaged people in our societies, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQI people, and those from working-class backgrounds. In line with our commitment to embodying equity and justice in our work and workplace, we aim to center these communities in the work we do, and therefore strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other disadvantaged communities.

This is a part-time position with estimated weekly engagement of up to 28 hours.  The hourly range for this position is between $20-24 per hour if based in New York City, taking into account experience. If the successful candidate is based elsewhere, salary will be adjusted to account for the relative cost of living, so as to ensure equity and comparability within the team. 

How to apply? 

Prospective candidates should send a CV and a short cover letter explaining their suitability for the position to jobs@cesr.org. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2022. Due to the volume of expected applications, we will likely be unable to respond to individual queries, but we expect to be in touch with shortlisted candidates by mid-March.