Operations Assistant

THE ROLE 

We are hiring an Operations Assistant to provide key administrative support with the day-to-day operations of the organization. The Operations Assistant, as part of the Operations Team, will provide support in the areas of general operations and administration, organizational knowledge management, IT, and human resources.

ABOUT WITNESS 

We are a global human rights organization, a collective of passionate human rights activists with remote team members all over the world. WITNESS’ mission is to help people use video and technology to protect and defend human rights. We are a 50 person multi-disciplinary team with staff based across 5 continents. We are registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit in the U.S, but with staff members (as well as consultants, interns, fellows and a vast community of partners and collaborators) based around the world and reflect a group of activists with diverse skills and backgrounds.

WHAT WE DO

WITNESS pairs grassroots community support with advocacy at a systems level. Our team works holistically on a global scale to understand how communities are using and want to use video and technology for human rights.  With a cellphone camera, anyone can become a human rights defender and expose injustice, making it harder for perpetrators to hide or for systems of oppression to remain invisible.  But using video for community organizing, justice and accountability can be dangerous – videos can put defenders (or those they film) at risk, can be used against communities in court or deceitfully discredited by tired old power narratives.  Filming is almost never enough – for videos to make a difference they need to work alongside strong advocacy or legal strategies; they also need to be created, preserved and shared in ways that avoid creating more harm or trauma. New threats to human rights are emerging at the intersection of artificial intelligence, misinformation and disinformation and a global wave of rising authoritarianism.

When it comes to systemic challenges we are on the watch for both existing problems – like how large amounts of critical human rights footage are lost because of the arbitrary decisions of platforms – but also emerging threats and opportunities, such as those posed by ‘deepfakes’, new ways to manipulate media to make it look like someone said or did something they never did.

WITNESS 2021 Year in Review 

ABOUT THE TEAM 

Committed to the organization’s mission and vision, you will be part of a dynamic, global team of activists who work across the world and in different time zones. The Operations Team works very closely with the HR/People Team and IT Teams and ensures effective collaboration across the organisation and supports the administration to help the organisation run smoothly.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Operations Support

• Support the management of vendor contracts and relationships that are pertinent to the day-to-day administrative operations, such as preparing invoices for payment and working with vendors and the finance team to submit any supporting documentation for payment processing.
• Train new and existing staff as needed in information systems, organizational policies and processes, as well as legal compliance.
• Respond to general information inquiries via phone or email, and/or direct more specific inquiries to appropriate staff members.
• Initial point of contact for general staff inquiries related to administrative and operational materials.
• Initial contact for some IT issues and resolve low level issues
• Support the Knowledge Management Coordinator in insurance renewals and maintaining legal compliance.

Knowledge Management Support

• Update and keep current the Operations Manual, as well as other relevant guidance and documentation.
• Support the Knowledge Management Coordinator in building and actively updating our shared intranet.
• Support the relocation and organization of institutional digital files from our existing shared server to cloud storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Support the Knowledge Management Coordinator and IT in effective implementation of internal systems and processes across the organization.

HR Support

• Coordinate and notify staff of office closings, and other important announcements.
• Support HR recruitment; job postings and scheduling interviews.
• Support internship program recruitment.
• Provide support in onboarding and offboarding of staff.

IT Support

• Support IT related vendor and invoice/payment processing
• Support researching, composing and organizing IT-related materials such as org-wide announcements or staff guides around tools and systems.
• Support IT team in ordering supplies and equipment as needed.

Meetings and Events

• Coordinate weekly staff meeting agendas and facilitators, as well as capture notes and recordings during meetings to later distribute to all staff.
• Provide logistical support for large organizational-wide events such as the WITNESS Global Team Retreat.
• Assist with travel arrangements and visas as needed.

Support of any other operational tasks and projects as they arise.

 

PRINCIPAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Director of People & Systems
• Knowledge Management & Operations Coordinator
• Senior Manager of IT
• HR team
• External vendors

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

Work Experience:  

• A minimum of 1-2 years of experience in administrative support.
• Experience performing data management related tasks such as capturing, organizing, storing, and the ongoing maintenance of information and documentation
• Experience with vendor management.
• Strong research skills.
• Experience in a nonprofit setting preferred.
• Experience in supporting and maintaining efficient, effective, consistent systems would be an added advantage.

Organizational and Interpersonal: 

• Demonstrated relationship-building and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Flexibility and strong multi-tasking skills.
• Strong organizational skills.
• High attention to detail and precision in all work.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, work under pressure and coordinate many details.

Systems & Technology:  

• We are a remote digital workforce and this role requires strong computer literacy and a comfort with digital communication and collaboration tools. 
• Comfort and familiarity with Apple hardware, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox would be a plus.

Communications:  

• Strong and thoughtful communication skills, both verbally and in writing
• Experience creating clear distinct content such as training materials and guidance to support cross-organizational implementation of knowledge sharing, policies, and processes within the organization.
• Experience working with remote teams and collaborating across geographic, and cultural boundaries would be a plus.

Languages:

• We are a global team who use English as our shared language, as such this role requires a high proficiency of written and spoken English.

Other Important Skills & Characteristics:  

• Previous experience in conducting staff training would be a plus.
• Previous experience supporting organizational legal compliance would also be a plus. 

JOB LOCATION: Remote

• We are a globally distributed remote workforce and this key role will involve working with staff across our whole team, to help facilitate this, a candidate based around the Eastern Atlantic regions of the Americas, Europe, or the Western / Southern Africa will have the most crossover and collaborative time with the majority of staff and with this role’s key collaborators;
• Ideally this means candidates will be between the timezones UTC/GMT-6 and UTC/GMT+1;
• At this time, our team members are working through hybrid office arrangements, combining remote at-home work with intermittent use of offices and/or co-working spaces;
• The successful candidate must have the legal right-to-work in the location in which they will be based.

COMPENSATION: 

• WITNESS operates a salary localization policy using a combination of regularly reviewed foreign exchange rates and location adjustment multipliers; 
• Based on current rates, gross salaries for some of our current locations are given as an example: 
  • USA – USD 46,000
  • Canada – CAD 46,800
  • Brazil – BRL 161,450
  • UK – GBP 35,950
  • South Africa – ZAR 518,900
• Note: Currency conversions of these salaries would not apply in different locations. If your location is not listed, and you are shortlisted we will be happy to confirm the local salary which will be applicable.

Duration:

• This is a full-time fixed term contract with a flexible start date and end date of October 31, 2024.

BENEFITS:

Health:

• WITNESS also offers competitive and robust medical benefits that cover an individual’s medical, dental and vision and covers a percentage of the individual’s dependents.

Life Insurance & AD&D: 

• WITNESS provides life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment cover while employed by the organization.

Remote Work Stipend: 

• WITNESS recognizes that flexible working arrangements are key to equity and inclusion in the workplace and we provide a $175 USD monthly remote work allowance, we are happy to talk about the type of flexible arrangements that might work best for you. This remote work stipend is provided to all staff members to pay for extra equipment, electricity, stationery, internet, wellness, or whatever an employee deems necessary in order to work remotely. Please note that a computer and basic accessories are provided to all employees at the time of hire.

Pension Contributions: 

• After 1 year of service at the organization, WITNESS will contribute 3% of an individual’s gross salary towards a global retirement fund.

Paid Time Off: 

WITNESS has a range of paid time off types that support our staff.

• Vacation leave: that meets local statutory levels or 15 days whichever is higher, in addition to staff’s local public holidays.
  • The vacation allowance increases by 5 days after 3 years of service.
• Personal / Wellness leave: 5 days staff can use at any time to recharge in recognition of the importance of supporting positive mental well being.
• End of Year closure: which usually is equivalent to a minimum of 5 days leave in addition to any public holidays across the last week of December and early January.
• Sick Leave: follows local statutory guidance however; 
  • WITNESS ensures a minimum of 10 days paid time off for occasional sickness and health related absences.
  • A minimum of 6 weeks of full pay in instances of longer term absence.
• Sabbatical Leave: At the 10 year mark we offer staff 10 weeks of paid time off in order to take a break, gain new insights and expand their horizons.

Work/ Life Balance: 

• WITNESS believes in creating a healthy work environment in which  flexible schedules are available, we also understand that sometimes an employee may just require a few hours to take care of personal issues in which case they can adjust their hours to make up for the time instead of taking a full day of leave. Both are allowable once agreed upon with the departmental supervisors.

Mental Health Policy: 

• WITNESS feels that all employees should feel supported both physically as well as mentally while they are at work and realizes that many times the issues that we deal with, the materials that we watch and the events surrounding some of the work that we do, can lead to feeling “unwell” and not in a “good space”. The organization looks to provide as supportive an environment as possible should staff find  themselves in need of additional time or support in relation to their mental health.

Professional Development: 

• In support of the growth and development of our staff, WITNESS regularly seeks opportunities for professional development, exposure to new skills and supports a culture of learning. 
• As part of this we offer staff Reading Days (1 day per month) where staff can take a day to read, study and connect more deeply with peers, partners and colleagues to further functional knowledge relevant to their role or deepen their general understanding and ability to support human rights work. 

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in joining the WITNESS team, please apply through BambooHR. You will need to attach your resume, cover letter, and contact information for 3 references.

In your cover letter, we are interested in hearing about what you’ve done, how you match the position requirements, and why you’d like to join WITNESS.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled; early applications encouraged. Please note that due to the volume anticipated, we will not be able to respond individually to each applicant.  We kindly ask that you do not send duplicate applications via mail or email, and no phone calls. 

WITNESS is a global human rights organization and aims to build an inclusive workforce that is reflective of the communities we work with. We are interested in building a talented team that brings their true selves with diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. We are interested in receiving applications from those who are marginalized and underrepresented. 

WITNESS is an equal opportunity employer. People of all ages, races, ethnicities, national origins, religions, genders, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and individuals protected by any other statuses under international federal, state or local laws, including but not limited to, disability, marital, domestic partnership, familial, caregiver, transgender, military or veteran statuses, are encouraged to apply.