Operations Manager, Forest Legality Initiative

Job Summary:

As the Operation Manager, you will provide a variety of support functions to the FLI team, including budget management, vendor payments, contracts administration, and coordination. You will work with subgrantees on accounting and assist with donors requirements. In this position, you will assess and ensure compliance with donor reporting requirements. You will conduct administrative tasks, event organization, and proposal budget development. You will work closely with other teams at WRI including in the Food, Forest, Water, and Ocean Program, the Grants and Finance team, and the Accounting team.

This position is remote due to Covid-19, but you will be based at WRI’s office in Washington, DC once restriction have lifted with the possibility to be continued as remote.

Job Responsibilities:

Budget and expense management (40% of time required)

• Manage the Grants and Finance Specialist in ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of grants and contracts
• Monitor life of grant reporting requirements and ensure that progress reports are submitted in a timely manner
• Prepare detailed financial reports to funders as needed and gather transaction receipts
• Assist the project leads in tracking contract deliverables to ensure that they are submitted within the period of performance and coordinate the submission of invoices
• Review the transactions and finances of the projects on a monthly basis
• Updating budgets quarterly and create budgets for upcoming proposals consistent with WRI’s requirements for budgeting costs
• Submit and track requests for payment in a timely manner and ensure that payments processed are consistent with WRI’s internal policies and grant requirements

Subgrant and contract management and oversight (40% of time required)

• Prepare and maintain subgrant and contract agreements with partners and contractors including follow-up needs to complete agreements on time
• Work with partners to help them understand and meet subgrant and contract requirements
• Monitor partners to ensure the timely and accurate submission of progress and financial reports
• Review subgrant financial reports and flag any issues to the project lead, including tracking compliance with donor requirements

Program coordination and support (20% of time required)

• Coordinate logistics of project events, including coordinating venue, catering, travel, and accommodation arrangements
• Coordinate and schedule team meetings, including taking turns in taking notes and communicating items for follow-up
• Organize and manage project documentation in shared drives
• Support project reporting (information collection, drafting, editing), including setting up reporting templates, sending instructions for completion and reminders about upcoming deadlines
• Support the project staff with other administrative duties, as needed, such as responding to public inquiries, drafting correspondence, and serving as point of contact for WRI operations and other core functions
• Other duties may be assigned based on need and interest

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field
• Minimum of 3 years of work experience in financial management and administration, preferably in a non-profit setting
• Interest in program operations, grant compliance, financial management, and budgeting
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills, including an ability to work constructively with a wide range of stakeholders located in different countries and within a team setting
• Strong writing, communication, and computer skills, including advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially MS Excel, and web-based communications (Zoom, Teams, etc.)
• Familiarity with database software and management (such as Raiser’s Edge, Concur, Cognos, TM1, etc.) a plus
• Administrative and events planning experience
• Able to adapt to changing priorities and able to manage multiple projects with varying deadlines, with a high level of accountability and reliability
• Patience and perseverance in understanding and explaining issues to partners and contractors
• Experience with building financial and management capacity of local partners would be a bonus
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to work well in a team
• Commitment to WRI’s mission and institutional values
• US work authorization is required for this position

Potential Salary:

$59,600 – $77,500 if based in United States. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.

How to Apply:

Please submit a resume with cover letter. Applicants must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered. 

Program Overview:

The Forest Legality Initiative (FLI) is designed to increase the demand for legal forest products and to mitigate the trade of illegal timber. To this end, FLI pursues a series of activities including: (a) evaluating, promoting, and developing tools and technologies used by industry and stakeholders to practice due care and to deter the entry of illegal forest products into supply chains; (b) strengthening and building capacity of civil society and independent monitors to increase accountability for and to eradicate illegal logging; and (c) convening a wide range of stakeholders to discuss, share knowledge, and collaborate on ideas and projects aimed at exercising due care and eliminating the illegal timber trade.

WRI Overview:

World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade in order to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean.

We are passionate. We value our diversity of interests, skills and backgrounds. We have a flexible work environment. And we share a common goal to catalyze change that will improve the lives of people. Our shared ideals are at the core of our approach. They include: integrity, innovation, urgency, independence and respect.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

We have been growing rapidly: our staff has doubled in size over the past 5 years and our operating budget is now $150 million. Founded in 1982, WRI has a global staff of 1,000+ people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.  

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices.