Operations Officer

About The Elders

The Elders was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 as an independent group of global leaders working for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. There are 12 active Elders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The group has been chaired since 2018 by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Previous chairs were Desmond Tutu and Kofi Annan.

The Elders operate through private diplomacy and public advocacy; they use their experience, influence and access to heads of state and government to engage politically, and their connections to civil society to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable people and communities.

 

Role Overview

Working closely with the Deputy Director (Operations) [DDO] and line managed by the Operations Manager [OM], the Operations Officer contributes to the work of the Operations team, sitting within the larger Corporate Services team. This role involves supporting the planning, and organisation of all operational and logistical elements of Elders’ meetings, trips and events, as well as supporting the secretariat’s information technology infrastructure, system security and technical capacity, and the facilitation of knowledge management.

 

Person Specification

Experience

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365. Experience in managing IT and telecoms systems is desirable.

• Experience with providing logistical support for events and/or individuals desirable.
• High level of organisational and administrative skills, attention to detail, ability to problem solve and adapt quickly.

Person Qualities

· Flexible, happy to work in a dynamic environment where priorities and plans may change unexpectedly, and able to remain calm under pressure.

· Initiative, confidence and willingness to accept responsibility.

Behavioural

· A strong personal commitment to the mission and values of The Elders.

· A flexible style and willingness to work in a small, collaborative team.

· Ability to develop effective working relationships with sensitivity and respect. 

· This role may require some international travel, in exceptional circumstances.  You may be required to attend staff or Elders events in the UK from time to time.

 

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Logistics and Events

In consultation with the DDO and OM:

· Assist with practical and logistical support to the Elders, Advisory Council, team members and others for Elders’ meetings, travel and events.

· Supporting external communication in preparation of logistics/travel for meetings, international visits, events and online meetings, where required.

· Support research, including site visits, in preparation for The Elders’ visits, meetings and events, create reports and make recommendations to the DDO and SMT.

· Assist with the production of necessary health, security and travel briefings and/or protocols for staff, Elders and Advisory Council for all meetings, visits and events.

· Support post-event work including recording contact details and sending formal correspondence, as required.

· Occasional engagement with international entities including embassies, government offices and external partners to arrange appropriate logistics/protocol/security measures for Elders travel, where required.

· Assist with the preparation of necessary insurance, health, security, and safety measures and precautions during Elders’ meetings, visits and events, where required

Information Technology

In consultation with the DDO and OM:

· Support the organisational management of technology including: systems architecture, asset and CRM databases, ensuring adequate IT systems, polices and protocols to ensure the various organisational archiving policies and protocols are adhered to.

· Work with the IT support companies and other suppliers, consultants, and partner organisations as required to fulfil the management of day-to-day operations;

· Provide day-to-day IT and systems support to the London Secretariat office.

· Encourage and facilitate team wide usage of knowledge-based tools and applications, providing instructional training where required.

Executive Support

· Provide some diary support for the CEO to schedule external meetings once a meeting has been agreed in principle.

Other

· Other duties as required.

 

Working at The Elders

We operate a hybrid working policy, with a high degree of flexibility for staff. We ask staff to attend the office based on need, not a quota of days. We believe there are certain activities that are best conducted in person and also hold monthly “in days” when the whole team comes together. Additionally, some roles involve international travel, the timing of which is usually decided by Elders’ commitments. Aside from these obligations, staff are free to choose the balance between working remotely and working in the office that suits them best. We are based close to Green Park station in London, in a newly refurbished office.

 

Salary will be in the £29,600 -32,000 per annum range, depending on experience.

In addition to a competitive salary we offer the following benefits:

• Private pension scheme with 10% employer contributions

• Optional private medical and dental insurance

• Group life assurance equivalent to 5 x annual salary

• 28 days of paid annual leave (with 3 of these days on stipulated dates between the Christmas/New Year holidays) plus all UK bank holidays and public holidays

•  Enhanced parental leave