Operations Coordinator Job in Nairobi Kenya - Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Busara Center for Behavioral Economics
 

Position: Operations Coordinator
 

Deadline to Apply: December 19, 2014
 

Start Date: January 19, 2015
 

Location: Nairobi
 

Job Description: Operations Coordinator    

Summary: The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics is seeking a qualified person for the position of Operations Coordinator.  Busara serves two primary goals:

(1) to develop, test, implement cutting edge behavioral science research, and

(2) to rigorously apply behavioral insights to policy-making and program design to enhance organizational outcomes and effectiveness.
 

To serve the first goal, Busara conducts behavioral experiments, both in our physical lab setting housed in Nairobi, as well as through our “mobile lab”, which can be deployed to any location in Kenya. 

Busara has established a professional lab setting as a resource for researchers to implement dynamic decision making experiments with a unique subject pool. 

Respondents are recruited from the informal settlements of Nairobi and then randomly selected and invited for sessions at the center.  Experiments range from simple decision-making tasks to complex political role-playing games.
 

To pursue the second goal, Busara also engages directly with partners to enhance program outcomes by integrating insights from the behavioral evidence base. In this capacity, Busara can work on larger scale client-based experiments, high-level policy advising, and capacity building efforts.
 

Duties:
 

Procurement and Sourcing

• Supervise procurement of goods and services required by Busara in line with Busara’s procurement policy
• Oversee the general implementation and continuous refinement of Busara’s procurement systems
• Coordinate with Busara’s clearing agents to ensure proper and expedient import and export from overseas and within East Africa
• Manage relationships with Busara’s suppliers overseas and within Kenya, including quality control of all goods purchased (on-site in Kenya and remotely overseas)

Administration:

• Coordinate Office Administration: supervise the Administrative Officers and Assistants to ensure that Busara’s office is managed efficiently. This will include, but is not limited to: overseeing adherence to office budgets, determining solutions to concerns raised by projects, and leading negotiations/relationships with landlords.
• Office management: Oversee the maintenance of an asset register, ensure the facility is managed properly, and ensure proper and cost effective maintenance of insurance policies.
• Field office set-up and supervision: lead the process of setting up new field offices as required by projects. This will include: selection of appropriate sites, lease negotiations and landlord relationships management, office security management.
• Vehicles and Transportation: lead creation and maintenance of vehicle pools, working with a team to ensure reliable drivers; work closely with administrative staff to ensure smooth billing for vehicles; support quality control and insurance audits for the vehicle pool
• Manage other Busara’s administrative services, examples include travel and visitors’ logistics, events planning/coordination and the maintenance of internal Busara-K communication systems.

ICT support and Coordination

• Work with the IT services provider to coordinate, update, and monitor the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) policies, regulations and procedures at Busara Kenya Office.
• Coordinate the provision of ICT support in the development and maintenance of the Busara databases and website as guided by Busara HQ
• Ensure all IT equipment are serviced and maintained as per the IT policy of Busara.
• Continually assess ICT needs at Busara Kenya Office and develop appropriate plans and budgets for addressing gaps

Work, IRB, and Research Permitting

• Work with the Managing Director to manage the acquisition of ethical approvals and research permits for projects
• Maintain relationship with internal and external ethical approval boards, and help identify new review boards as necessary
• Support projects to secure research permits and maintain a working relationship with the National Commission for Science , Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI)
• Support with filing and following-up with work permits applications for international staff as needed and ensure that an up-to-date database is maintained

Qualifications and Experience:
 

Required Qualifications:    

• Minimum of Bachelor’s level degree in Business Administration or related field with at least 5 years of steadily progressing management experience; Diploma in supply chain management is an added advantage.

Relevant Experience and Key skills

• Experience managing the procurement lifecycle
• Experience in fleet management, warehouse management, local and international procurement and supply chain management, transport and security.
• Significant supervisory management experience, including managing direct reports
• Experience working within a complex organizational structure and managing work across multiple offices or field sites, spread across large geographic distances
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and delegate effectively, including to remote staff
• Strong computer skills required – particularly in terms of using, creating, editing, and manipulating excel files
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Personal Attributes

• Exceptional analytical and organizational skills, detail-oriented
• Team leader but collaborative
• Proven skills in negotiation and managing complex relationships
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent networking skills
• Willingness to travel within Kenya for up to 40% of the time

To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter to jobs@busaracenter.org and ensure that the subject line reads: “Operations Coordinator REF NO: BU-2014-11-12”

Deadline to apply is December 19, 2014.