Office Operations Associate

Acumen is seeking an Office Operations Associate based out of our New York Office to manage day-to-day office operations.  The role will report to the Director of Talent (People Operations). The incumbent must be available to work from the office at least three days a week (ideally Tuesdays – Thursdays) and have flexibility to occasional work non-traditional hours. The NYC-based teams work in the office three days a week.

About Acumen  
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services are enabling the poor to transform their lives. To date, Acumen has positively impacted more than 500 million lives by investing $164M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment isn’t only about capital–we’ve been investing in innovators for years, connecting with emerging leaders around the world and engaging them in collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building.

About the role
Operations is about designing and monitoring the processes and systems of production. What is “the production” that we would like you to steward? The systems, processes, vendors, and expenses associated with our NY Office with occasional support services to our regional offices (San Franciso, London, Nairobi, Lagos, Mumbai, & Bogota).

Accountabilities Include:

Facilities operations:

• Assess office use and needs during optional return to work phase and offer information up the line to ensure proper coordination.
• Coordinate property manager and vendors on security, lights, electrical, HVAC, cleaning…, and source new vendors as needed. Ensure space is compliant with regulations and any building-specific stipulations
• Be present to coordinate services, receive deliveries, send DHL (International) FedEx/USPS (Domestic) shipments
• Kitchen and office supply inventory, scheduling and organizing deliveries
• Maintain current office budgets with a current tally on incoming costs, track and submit all vendor and office invoices, follow up to make sure no payments fall through the cracks
• Receive and distribute inbound mail and packages to appropriate people; manage accounts with couriers
• Steward relationship with corporate travel agency, review and categorize expenses, report monthly spends and trends to Finance; point of contact for internal feedback. Occasionally handle air/ground/lodging travel logistics for guests and team leads. Assist in the creation of yearly per diem travel budgets.
• Attend building trainings in NYC; collaborate with Legal team to maintain updated business continuity plans
• Take inbound office requests from London for facilities, supplies, and travel
• Obtain COIs and required documentation for all vendors and file with the building property manager; ensure tax exemption documentation is filed with vendors
• Handle visitor registration for group visits and greet visitors, including New Hires.
• Receive incoming calls to the NY office, screen for sales calls.
• Manage employee requests through task-management platform for NY, SF, and UK teams.
• The role involves working non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and occasional holidays. Candidates should be comfortable with varying schedules that may not adhere to a standard Monday-to-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM timeframe. Flexibility and the ability to manage time effectively will be essential to success in this role.
• Plan, manage and execute events from team events (digital and in person), assist with leadership forums/ all hands/ team meetings and other celebrations and milestones.
• Mentor and assist with onboarding new team members (other Executive assistants, executives or cross-functional team members).
• Manage special projects: Lead specific operational projects that improve processes, implement new systems, or help expand business functions.
• Coordinate across departments: Work with other departments to ensure smooth execution of cross-functional projects.
• Implement best practices: Continuously look for ways to improve productivity and quality while reducing costs and waste.
• Recognize potential risks to the business (e.g., supply chain disruptions, operational delays) and create mitigation plans.
• Occasional travel may be required for meetings, site visits, or vendor engagements.; Including domestic and/or international trips.

Technology support:

• Ensure seamless technology support by liaising effectively with Acumen’s managed IT service provider.
• Participate in regular strategy and budget meetings with IT-managed service provider and Risk and Compliance Manager.
• Collaborate with other office administrators and assist managed IT service provider with org-wide IT projects (including country offices), implementations, and administration, such as coordinating firewall installations; Work coincide with our dedicated IT team and Talent team. - Ensure smooth transitions between onboarding and offboarding employees.
• Facilitate new IT equipment upgrades, leases, and purchases as necessary.
• Billing operations for global technology vendors and ensuring timely processing of invoices

Skills and Qualifications:

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in operations and good organizational skills, good planning skills, good project management skills
• Be able to lift up to 25-45 lbs.
• Proficient in customer service skills: What is needed? How can I help?
• Good budgeting skills
• Good stakeholder management skills and coordination with stakeholders toward a shared outcome.
• Ability to pay vendors in a timely and coordinated fashion sharing transparency with Finance
• Experience using technology; Mastery of Microsoft Office applications including G-Suite, Outlook, Excel, and Word. Ability to learn new applications, such as Slack, Netsuite or equivalent software.
• Utility skills are a plus.
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values
• Permanent work authorization in US, Based in New York City 

The salary range for this role is $60,000 to $64,000 USD plus a performance-based bonus. This range represents the present low and high end of pay range for our Associate band. Actual compensation will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience.    

Deadline
Candidates are encouraged to apply by February 21, 2025

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