Operations Associate Director/Director

About IDinsight We're a global data and evidence advisory, working with governments, philanthropies, and non-profits to improve lives at scale, using technology and AI where they can deliver the most impact. IDinsight is a global nonprofit that equips leaders with the data, evidence and technology to improve lives at scale. We partner with governments, NGOs, multilaterals, and funders to support decisions at every stage of their impact journey – from bold pilots to nationwide scale-ups. Our teams bring rigorous evidence and practical insights so leaders can make informed decisions that truly change lives. With our partners, we are pioneering the next frontier of social impact, where data and technology accelerate progress for millions. We help leaders overcome the three main barriers to impact:
• Figuring out what works
• Learning and improving
• Reaching and operating at scale We work in multiple countries across Asia and Africa. Our work spans a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, financial inclusion, and other areas. We have expertise in a variety of rigorous approaches and methodologies, which we tailor to each client depending on their needs and constraints. To achieve a positive social impact we:
• Support our partners with the full ‘data and evidence’ value chain – from primary data collection to data systems, monitoring evaluation and learning tools, and data science
• Inform funding decisions – toward high-impact initiatives and away from less effective programs or approaches
• Create cutting-edge AI-for-good products that make the delivery of social interventions and learning tools more cost-effective and scalable Our diverse, growing team of roughly 250 outstanding colleagues operate in nearly two dozen countries around the world. Learn more about our mission, values, and principles at www.
IDinsight.org. Joining IDinsight at this moment IDinsight is entering an exciting new phase of growth. As demand for rigorous evidence and AI-enabled solutions accelerates across the sectors and geographies we work in, we are actively investing in our teams, deepening our regional footprint, and expanding the frontier of what data and technology can do for social impact. This is a moment of real momentum for IDinsight. We're looking for people who want to use data and evidence to improve lives at scale; who are energized by taking on problems without a playbook; and who want a hand in shaping what IDinsight becomes as we grow. About The WNA Regional Operations Role As IDinsight's West and North Africa region grows, we are looking for an operations leader to provide the operating conditions needed for safe, compliant, cost-effective, and locally grounded client delivery across our Senegal and Morocco offices. This is the most senior operations role in the region and is responsible for owning the internal and operational domains end-to-end. The role holder is the Regional Director's primary partner in running the region, holding operations, compliance, risk, and internal systems with real autonomy so the Regional Director can focus on external growth, funders, and partnerships. As the region grows, three areas will matter most: driving and supporting people growth, scoping new geographies, and strengthening safety, security, and duty of care, and the role is weighted toward those. The role reports to the WNA Regional Director, who works closely with IDinsight's Global Operations team. It manages the WNA Operations Manager and the administrative team and partners with client-facing staff who dedicate a portion of their time to organization building. In the Regional Director's absence, this role deputizes for them on operational, financial, and organizational matters. When the region sets up a new office or legal entity, this role owns the operational coordination and governance of that build. The hands-on entity mechanics, such as registration, banking, and local filings, are handled by external providers or a dedicated launch resource, in partnership with Legal and Finance, while this role sequences the build, holds it to IDinsight's standards, and integrates the new entity into the region. We are looking for a self-starter who can run a wide range of autonomous workstreams independently, in a role that emphasizes execution, leadership, and people management. Role Responsibilities Strategy and Regional Integration
• Set the strategic direction for WNA Operations and make sure the region's operating model scales as new offices or workstreams come online.
• Lead the operational scoping of potential new geographies, assessing entity options, the legal and tax landscape, cost, risk, and operating models, so the region can make well-grounded expansion decisions before committing.
• Translate organizational and regional priorities into WNA-wide operating plans, service standards, and team workflows.
• Serve as the region's most senior operations voice in global and cross-regional leadership conversations, bringing WNA's operating realities into organization-wide planning and advocating for the resources the region needs.
• Anticipate structural risks and inefficiencies across the WNA footprint before they become crises, and build systems that make the function more resilient as the region grows. People growth and team development
• Partner with the Regional Director and People Operations to drive talent and people growth across WNA, building the region’s staffing strategy, career pathways, and the specialization and depth the growing team needs.
• Strengthen the execution and coordination layer beneath the management tier so that associates, managers, and client-facing staff do not absorb a disproportionate administrative load and that work is performed at the right level by the right role.
• Directly manage the WNA Operations Manager, coaching toward proactive, strategic ownership, and holding them accountable while protecting team well-being.
• Own operational responsibility for WNA recruitment coordination and onboarding, partnering with People Operations and hiring managers to bring capacity in ahead of need.
• Conduct performance reviews for the operations and administrative team and build a cohesive WNA Operations function that collaborates across offices rather than running as siloed country operations.
• Serve as the escalation point for sensitive or complex people matters, exercising judgment, discretion, and consistency with People Operations and leadership. Safety, security, and duty of care
• Owns WNA’s safety, security, and duty-of-care systems, including travel and location risk management, incident-response readiness, and coordination with Global Safety and Security, with particular attention to new and higher-risk operating environments as the region expands.
• Make sure duty-of-care standards are built into new offices and temporary locations from the day they open, so staff and travelers are protected across all WNA contexts. Standards, Systems, and Governance
• Oversee operational coordination across WNA's legal entities and country contexts (Senegal, Morocco, and any new entity), in partnership with local legal counsel, payroll and accounting providers, Finance, and Global Operations.
• Own regional statutory compliance and audit readiness, including local labor law, tax and social-contribution obligations, corporate governance filings, and registrations, and keep every entity in good standing.
• Own the coordination and governance of any new WNA office or legal-entity build, sequencing registration, banking, lease, local hiring, payroll, and compliance groundwork across Legal, Finance, and external providers or a dedicated launch resource as needed, so new locations meet IDinsight's standards for compliance, safety, and financial control from the day they open.
• Oversee procurement across WNA in accordance with IDinsight policies and donor-specific rules and requirements, liaising with Finance, Legal, and Global Operations to ensure grant and contract compliance.
• Own the administration and compliance of consultant contracts, short-term agreements, and any sub-grants or partner agreements, from contracting through close-out.
• Ensure donor operational, financial, and compliance reporting requirements are met across the WNA portfolio, in coordination with Finance and project teams.
• Lead WNA-wide risk management across the portfolio, including compliance, vendor dependency, business continuity, and audit readiness.
• Partner with Finance and Legal on WNA-wide budgeting, financial oversight, and cost-effective resource allocation, and own regional procurement and vendor management so sourcing is competitive, compliant, and well-documented. Organizational Leadership
• Apply a data-informed lens to assess performance across WNA, including service levels, escalation patterns, compliance risks, staffing bottlenecks, and cost drivers, and use those insights to drive improvement.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, challenge legacy systems where they no longer serve the region, and create space for the team to innovate and iterate.
• Synthesize complex operational information into clear recommendations for the Regional Director and global partners, and serve as a trusted thought partner to the Regional Director and Chief of Staff, bringing the operations lens to strategic decisions from design through execution.
• Deputize for the Regional Director in their absence on operational, financial, and organizational decisions, holding the region steady and serving as the team's escalation point.
• Represent WNA operations in internal cross-regional and global forums, and externally with regulators, legal counsel, banks, auditors, and operational partners on institutional and compliance matters, and support the Regional Director and client-facing leaders in the operational, staffing, budgetary, and compliance dimensions of donor and partner engagement.
• Support the Regional Director and client-facing leaders in donor and partner engagement on the operational, staffing, budgetary, and compliance dimensions, so the region speaks credibly to how it delivers, not only what it delivers.
• Model IDinsight's values of honesty, humility, and inclusivity and set the tone for how the function shows up internally and externally. Qualifications Must-Have
• 8+ years in operations, people operations, HR, or an adjacent function in international or multi-stakeholder environments, with 10+ years for candidates at the Director level.
• Experience managing managers, setting direction, coaching for ownership, and holding teams accountable.
• A track record of driving people growth, including staffing strategy, team development, and building specialization and depth in a growing team.
• Track record of building and improving systems at scale, not just running them.
• Strategic thinker who can hold the big picture while keeping execution on track and translating ambiguity into clear priorities.
• Strong financial judgment, including owning budgets and communicating trade-offs to senior leadership.
• Experience overseeing statutory compliance, external audits, and operational coordination across multiple legal entities or country contexts.
• Experience with procurement, consultant contracting, or grant and sub-grant compliance, ideally including donor-funded rules and requirements.
• Direct responsibility for safety, security, travel risk, or duty-of-care systems in complex or higher-risk operating environments.
• An established professional network across West and North Africa, with the ability to navigate government, legal, and vendor relationships effectively.
• Data-informed decision-maker who uses analysis to shape strategy, not just track activity.
• Executive presence in written and verbal communication, able to represent the operations function credibly in senior forums.
• Sound judgment and discretion in handling sensitive people and organizational matters.
• Ability to travel regularly across WNA offices and, where applicable, to any newly established office.
• Familiarity with MS Office, Google Docs, and ideally other relevant systems such as BambooHR, Asana, and Slack.
• Fluency in English and French required
• Based in Dakar or Rabat, with work authorization in Senegal or Morocco, or the ability to obtain it. Nice-to-Have
• Experience scoping or assessing new markets or geographies for operational expansion.
• Direct experience standing up or supporting a new country office or legal entity, including registration, banking, compliance, and early hiring, or overseeing such a setup led by external providers.
• Passion for global development and social impact.
• Working knowledge of compliance contexts in West and North Africa.
• Working proficiency in Arabic, Moroccan Darija, or Wolof. Behaviors and mindsets
• Strategic judgment, holding the big picture while keeping execution on track and turning ambiguity into clear priorities.
• Ownership and drive, anticipating needs rather than reacting to them, and moving work to completion in a fast-changing environment.
• People leadership, building trust, accountability, and inclusion across distributed, multicultural teams, and developing people toward greater ownership.
• Influence across functions and levels of seniority, without needing positional authority.
• Composure under ambiguity, staying calm and bringing structure to fast-moving environments.
• Low ego and high judgment, with a stewardship mindset and deep alignment with IDinsight's mission. Professional development Skill and career development are core to IDinsight's values and long-term impact strategy and have been highlighted in teammates' experiences. IDinsighters receive significant mentorship from IDinsight leadership, support from talented peers, and considerable autonomy when ready. They maintain professional development plans and are given stretch opportunities designed to strengthen a variety of skills. Real-time feedback is embedded in our culture, and a formal structure enables maximum professional growth. Teammates also have access to an annual professional development stipend, which they are encouraged to use to explore their career interests and develop their skills. Nuts & bolts Location This position would be based in Dakar or Rabat. Not eligible for remote work. Start date Q4 2026
- We expect a two-year minimum commitment, regular professional development conversations, and the potential for a long-term career at IDinsight. Compensation & Benefits Compensation and benefits are commensurate with the qualifications and experiences IDinsight is hiring for and are competitive within the global development sector. We are especially proud of our people-focused benefits, including comprehensive international health insurance, mental health coverage, paid vacation, sick and parental leave, relocation benefits, a travel stipend, technology and work-from-home stipends, a professional development budget, and more. Please note that, as a non-profit, we cannot provide compensation comparable to that of leading private-sector organizations. Work Authorization IDinsight will prioritize candidates who have work authorization in Senegal or Morocco. IDinsight's commitment to reducing power asymmetries IDinsight is committed to non-discrimination in our recruitment, employment practices, and organizational culture, regardless of people's age, disability, gender, gender identity, genetics, national origin, race, color, religion or belief, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.