Operations Associate, Papua New Guinea

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy, and is an affiliate of the US Chamber of Commerce. Since 1983, CIPE has worked to build the political, market and civic institutions vital to a democratic societies and private sector led economies. CIPE’s key program areas include anti-corruption, public governance reform, support of civil society, property rights, economic empowerment of at-risk communities, and opening political space in closed societies.  

Position: Operations Associate, Papua New Guinea 

Reports To:  CIPE Country Director, Papua New Guinea 

In Papua New Guinea (PNG), CIPE is implementing a women’s economic empowerment project funded by the U.S. and Australian governments. The overarching mission of this CIPE project is to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem for women in Papua New Guinea through establishing a Women’s Business Resource Centre (WBRC), integrating entrepreneurship into the curriculum of Papua New Guinean universities, and providing technical assistance to women’s business organizations in PNG. The WBRC is housed at: 

Century 21 Haus, Suite 1(a) Ground Floor 

Lot 51, Section 35, Kunai Street, Hohola

NCD, Papua New Guinea

The WBRC serves as a resource hub for women of all backgrounds, from university-educated women with an interest in starting a business to women with limited formal education with a desire for basic skill development. The WBRC offers training and professional education workshops, access to information, mentorship programs, and coworking space so that women entrepreneurs can quickly access the resources needed to thrive, especially as they recover from the devastating impact of COVID-19. To meet WBRC members’ growing desire for more advanced content, CIPE envisions the WBRC to be a laboratory for innovative programming and tailored entrepreneurship content, organized into higher-level fee-based certificate courses, free basic entrepreneurship and learning courses, WBRC membership inclusive of events and services, and other revenue-raising services. 

Role Summary:          

The Operations Associate will provide day-to-day operations support and perform administrative tasks to support the daily operations of the CIPE PNG office and WBRC activities. The Operations Associate will perform various duties for different functions under the supervision of the PNG Country Director. The Operations Associate will be available up to 44 hours a week to support activities related to CIPE’s women’s empowerment programs and is required to be in Port Moresby and work in the WBRC.    

The Operations Associate will report to the CIPE Country Director in PNG, and the Manager of the WBRC. CIPE in-country staff will keep CIPE Asia Pacific Senior Program Officer in Washington, D.C. informed of any updates and status related to the Operations Associate.  

Primary Duties to be Performed: 

• Support the management of the day-to-day operations of CIPE PNG, including the WBRC, by but not limited to, providing support for WBRC events, answering phone calls, and providing general support to Centre visitors.  

• Provide administrative support for the WBRC as it relates to planning and operations management (preparing trainings, scheduling events, travel coordination, etc.) 
• Coordinate and collaborate with the PNG Country Director and WBRC Manager to enable, support, and improve day-to-day business operations. 
• Support the PNG Country Director in managing the WBRC ’s human capital – scheduling interviews and preparing for onboarding, professional development and evaluation, and offboarding. 
• Provide support for data collection and documentation practices, ranging from donor and DC reports to the WBRC app, as well as physical and electronic documentation storage.  

• Maintain the logistics and facilities of the WBRC to ensure the Centre is a welcoming and well-functioning space, including the maintenance and purchasing of office supplies. 
• Oversee all CIPE assets and equipment, especially technology devices, and maintain CIPE’s asset register.  
• Function as the lead in arranging transportation services for the office, including but not limited to pickup and drop-off for staff, ad hoc runs, and visitor transport.
• Interface with the CIPE security team
• Develop and suggest new or improved operations processes where necessary. 

At the discretion of the PNG Country Director and WBRC Manager, The Operations Associate may provide other office support functions as needed, such as: 

• Draft communications pieces to be published on social media platforms. 
• Plan and implement external communications with WBRC users. 
• Attend WBRC-associated and/or strategic outreach events for communications support. 
  • Support implementation of projects as necessary, including assisting the development of strategies and tactics for implementation, monitoring effectiveness, and making recommendations for improvements.
• Other office duties as needed. 

Qualifications: 

• A minimum of two years of administrative office experience. 
• At least two years of experience in business operations, logistics and procurement is required, and knowledge of and interest in women’s economic empowerment, international relations, economics, development, or related field is preferred. 
• Ability to handle multiple detail-oriented tasks in a fast-paced environment with limited supervision. 
• Strong organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, and ability to collaborate and work in a team environment.  
• Strong communication skills with both internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to vendors and contractors, beneficiaries and local partners.
• Fluency in Tok Pisin required, with excellence in English composition, writing and reporting.  
• Past experience in a start-up, small organization, or learning institution undergoing exponential growth is highly preferred.  
• Proficiency in MS-Office, specifically Word, Excel, Outlook, and One Drive are required. Additionally, internet research skills, familiarity with telecommunications platforms such as Skype and Zoom are also required.   
• Must be able and willing to travel domestically.  
• Must be eligible to work in PNG and based in Port Moresby. 
• Candidates with experience working on women’s empowerment, business advocacy, development, business and/or economics are strongly encouraged to apply.  

Duration: 

This is a full-time position following successful completion of a 6-month probationary period. 

To Apply:  

To apply for this exciting opportunity, please submit a resume, cover letter, and three (3) references for the Operations Associate position posted under “Opportunities” at www.cipe.org. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.