ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONS MANAGER

Job description

OVERVIEWGiveDirectly has delivered more than $1B in cash directly to 2+ million people living in poverty across 15 countries since 2011. We believe cash transfers are one of the most scalable, cost-effective, and dignified forms of aid, with the research to back it up. Our work has been covered by The Economist, NPR, TED, and The Washington Post. We are one of Time100's Most Influential Companies of 2026. We're now preparing to deliver billions of dollars a year to people in extreme poverty, if funding allows.Our culture is candid, analytical, and non-hierarchical. We support high ownership and real professional growth.GiveDirectly Malawi has grown steadily since its introduction in 2019 and in 2025 launched our most ambitious program and research agenda yet, delivering funds across an entire district alongside the largest-ever randomized trial on unconditional cash.The Admin. Operations Manager runs the administrative engine of the country office. They are accountable for the functions every team depends on but few see: vendor and casual labour payments, petty cash, office premises and security oversight, field and office assets management, transport and logistics, visitor coordination, and regulatory compliance. When these work, programs move. When they slip, the cost lands on recipients, staff and vendors alike.The Admin. Operations Manager is a people manager first. They lead a cross-site team of associates and support staff, and they are expected to build capability, not just allocate tasks. They work in close partnership with the Procurement & Warehousing Manager, with Finance on payments and reconciliations, and with the Programs team on the logistics that field operations require. They advise the Operations Director and Country Director on administrative planning, budget and process improvement.Application Deadline: Friday, 16th October 2026POSITION: ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONS MANAGERJOB TYPE: Full TimeKEY REQUIREMENTSDesired Qualifications:5-7 years of work experience in office administration, operations or business support roles, including experience owning a payments or financial administration function.Bachelors/Masters in business administration, management or a relevant field.Strong alignment with GD values, and active demonstration of our core competencies: emotional intelligence, problem solving, project management, follow-through, and fostering inclusivity.Experienced people manager with demonstrated ability to deliver results through others and set up strong management processes, ideally across multiple sites.Sound working knowledge of payment processing, invoice validation, statutory tax treatment and basic financial controls.Exceptional ability to logic through complex operational questions & run robust analyses to inform management and programming decisions.Exceptional written & verbal communication skills to be deployed for a range of audiences (field teams, local and global leadership teams, regulatory authorities, service providers etc.).Excellent interpersonal skills and a collaborative management style.Enthusiasm for fast-paced environments, which may lack a pre-defined playbook for success and involve significant "learning by doing".Fluency in English and Chichewa, and willingness to travel to field sites within Malawi.RESPONSIBILITIESPayments, petty cash and expense management:Own the end-to-end payment cycle for vendors, contractors and casual labour: validate invoice and timesheet authenticity, match each to goods or services actually received, assemble the full documentation pack, check the ledger for duplicates, and submit through the agreed payment request workflow.Hold the team to a standing target of no overdue supplier invoices.Apply the correct withholding and statutory tax treatment to each payment, and share filing proof with the payments team.Follow payments through to settlement with Finance, maintain the payables tracker, and reconcile vendor accounts and payment discrepancies.Run the petty cash cycle end to end — float request, retirement with receipts and memo, review and complete documentation — and produce the month-end cash count certificate.Train staff across the country office on the payment and expense systems and on documenting expenditure correctly.Office premises, facilities and security:Oversee upkeep of the country and field offices, liaising with landlords on maintenance, and maintain the utilities, connectivity and supplies the office needs to operate without interruption.Scope and secure field office locations as programs require, furnish them to standard within the agreed lead time, and manage relocation and closure.Manage office access and guard services, holding providers to the agreed scope of service.Act as the office focal point for day-to-day safety and security practice, and escalate incidents in line with policy.Provide and maintain a safe work environment, including adequate first aid facilities and protective equipment for field