Operations Assistant Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

TBI continues to rapidly grow its team in Zambia. To support our work, we are recruiting an outstanding candidate to provide effective and efficient support to the TBI team in Zambia and to ensure smooth administrative and operational delivery. This includes administrative, operational and business setup support to the TBI management and other staff members.The role reports to the Country Director, will also work closely with central teams, including the Global Security and Operations Team and Finance Team, and will be part of a wider cohort of Operations Assistants. The postholder will deliver excellent logistical, operational and administrative support to our people and work closely with our teams on the ground.Key ResponsibilitiesThe Operations Assistant will be either directly responsible for implementing the tasks below or will provide oversight of staff and departments that perform these functions.Business setup support

• Support business set-up in Zambia, including financial management; support with problem solving issues that arise, supporting setting up bank accounts and management of cash in-country. Ensure we maintain minimum cash levels in case of security evacuation
• Support in setting up appropriate office locations and relocated staff accommodations, and support maintenance of TBI managed properties. Conduct and document security assessments of new buildings. Ensure a facilities list is kept up to date for your area of responsibility
• Liase with Legal and Finance teams to ensure adequate documentation and support with ad-hoc requests related to the setup of the TBI entity in Zambia

Ongoing Business Support Functions

• IT: liase with central IT support and HR onboarding teams, to ensure that all staff have adequate IT equipment
• HR and staffing: liase with central HR teams to manage onboarding of new staff, advise country staff on HR and staffing policies, ensure team members in country have the correct right to work permit/visas
• Admin: support the Country Director and country leadership team with logistics support
• Travel: Ensure the consistent use of and adherence to the TBI travel management system and procedures
• Coordinate in country moves outside of core locations
• Support visa applications and arrival procedures of international staff and visitors to the programme
• Ensure that all international staff and visitors have a working means of communication within 24 hours of arrival in country

Office operations

• Onboard and oversee local vendors including cleaners, local IT etc.
• Ensure local government and company policies are being followed regarding protocols and procedures
• Liase with the Global Security and Operations Team to ensure protols are followed and identify and flag operational risks to the Country Director
• Support projects with leadership visits and events as needed in the region with the logistics coordination between the teams involved
• Monitor and send country security updates to the Global Security and Operations Team
• Participate in the crisis management team in the event of a medical or security emergency

Finance

• Maintain location monthly finance tracker and petty cash
• Manage financial activities in compliance with TBI policy and procedures
• Support the Country Director and team in central financial management including preparing requests for advance of funds and/or direct payments; monitoring budget expenditures and maintaining a proper record of budgets and spendin

Safety, security and access

• With support from the Global Operations and Security team, develop country level security SOPs that are contextually appropriate to the risk to TBI staff and activities in country
• Maintain an active network with other agencies as well as key interlocutors to ensure that TBI understands the security context. Notify the Country Director and Global and Security and Operations Team when the political or security situation may impact TBI’s staff or activities
• Ensure that any violation of safety and security rules as well as security incidents are reported to the Country Director and Global Operations and Security team
• Work with the Country Director to enable safe access for TBI staff to new areas and identify key stakeholders and interlocutors relevant to the area of operation
• Ensure that all TBI locations are compliant with fire regulations and equipped with firefighting equipment where necessary
• Act as the point of contact in country to carry our security tasks as directed by the Global Security and Operations team
• Maintain an up to date country Flap sheet and communications tree

It is also expected that the postholder will cover any other duties as required where capacity and availability permits. These duties will be communicated in advance and agreed with the Country Director where possible.Person SpecificationThe individual should work to the highest standard with a keen attention to detail delivering workable solutions to various teams with competing priorities.They should proactively enagage with the business and be bold in their approach, working to make change for the better and improve operational efficiency and reduce the threat to our people, assets and reputation. Be an ambassador for the team and build trust with those with whom they engage. As well as being solution orientated.In addition, the postholder should be able to demonstrate more than three years’ of experience of:

• Programme management
• Security, operations, logistics and administration in Zambia

Fluency in written and spoken English is required. The successful candidate will be a citizen of Zambia.Please note that due to the upcoming holiday period we will not be able to advise on the success of your application until January 2023.About The InstituteThe Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a mission-driven not for profit organisation. We exist to equip political leaders and governments to build open, inclusive and prosperous societies. We work hard, every day, to make a difference. When governments work well they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We work relentlessly to support leader and governments with the challenges they face. Giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their peopleWe do this within two connected divisions: Government Advisory Our Government Advisory teams work directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It works with a variety of partners and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. Policy Futures Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas:

• Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics;
• Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and
• Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world.

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are:

• Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork
• Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity
• Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work. It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you\’re successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.