Operations Associate

Work Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (with some travel to Malawi and Zambia)

Organizational Summary

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, with offices worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance, and agriculture.

Position Summary

The Operations Associate is responsible for coordinating operational, security, compliance, procurement, logistics, and selected human resources functions across IPA Country Offices in Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi. This role focuses on ensuring efficient, compliant, and high-quality operational systems that enable strong research and program delivery across the three-country portfolio.

The Operations Associate reports to the Country Director in Tanzania and works closely with Country Office Finance and Research teams, and the IPA Global Operations Team. The role supervises and works closely with staff in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Operational & Management:
  1. Support the Country Director in the implementation of approved strategic and operational plans.
  2. Assist in the development, documentation, and application of policies, procedures, and systems to strengthen financial and operational management across country offices.
  3. Support compliance with IPA global policies and help adapt operational systems to meet local regulatory and operational requirements.
  4. Provide day-to-day support in capacity-building activities for staff on Human Resources, procurement, security, and general operational procedures.
• Compliance, Legal & Regulatory Support:
  1. Support coordination with local legal counsel in Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi to help ensure compliance with applicable national laws, labor regulations, tax requirements, and relevant standards.
  2. Assist in tracking country office registrations, permits, and statutory obligations, and help compile compliance updates for the Regional Director.
  3. Support the implementation and monitoring of health and safety compliance requirements across country offices.
• Safety and Security:
  1. Support the implementation of safety and security procedures in line with IPA Local and Global Security Policies and guidelines.
  2. Assist in maintaining security contact lists, communication trees, and country-specific security documentation.
  3. Help ensure security protocols are incorporated into operational systems and project procedures.
  4. Support the collection and sharing of security-related information and incident reports with supervisors and relevant teams.
• Human Resources & Administration Support:
  1. Support Country Office HR functions, including: Assisting with staff registration in payroll systems and with relevant government authorities; Supporting the timely preparation and processing of payroll documentation; Maintaining accurate and up-to-date staff information in HRIS; Ensuring staff files include signed contracts, valid insurance documentation, and acknowledgements of policies and procedures; Supporting onboarding, offboarding, and staff records management across Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi.
  2. Assist Country Offices HR and Administration teams in applying IPA policies and local labor law requirements consistently.
• Procurement, Logistics & Asset Management Support:
  1. Sourcing, managing, and maintaining relationships with competitive and reliable regional and country-level vendors for supplies, transport, insurance, and staff benefits.
  2. Ensuring all internal processes comply with IPA Human Resources, Safety and Security, finance and procurement policies and that complete documentation is maintained.
  3. Coordinating with clearing agents and logistics partners to ensure efficient and compliant import/export of goods within and across the three Countries.
  4. Ensuring all country offices and projects maintain accurate asset inventories and that all assets are appropriately insured.
• Government & Stakeholder Coordination:
  1. Support working relationships with relevant government institutions, regulators, NGOs, and research bodies as required for project implementation and compliance.
  2. Assist Country Directors and Research Managers in preparing documentation for research permits and operational approvals.
• Operations Governance & Reporting Support:
  1. Assisting in the preparation of operational reports, compliance documentation, and audit support materials.
  2. Coordinating with the IPA Global Operations Team to support alignment with global operational policies and reporting requirements.
  3. Assisting in tracking and preparing monthly and annual statutory filings in line with local requirements.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Master’s Degree in Management, Business Administration, or related fields
• At least 4-10 years of experience in a non-profit required
• Enthusiasm for developing systems in a growing organization at start-up phase
• Strong understanding of financial and tax regulations is preferred
• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy in preparing and entering information
• Analytical and problem-solving skills; decision-making skills
• Effective written, verbal and listening communication skills in English and Swahili
• Attention to detail; good planning and organizational skills
• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills; high degree of professionalism
• Computer literacy, specifically MS Excel for Windows
• Ability to manage staff (supervisory experience)
• Experience working within a complex organizational structure and managing work across multiple offices or field sites, spread across large geographic distances.