Operations Coordinator

Job Advert 

CENTRE FOR DISASTER PROTECTION 

Operations Coordinator 

Background to the Centre 

The Centre for Disaster Protection (the Centre) works to ensure disaster financing delivers effective and equitable protection for people at risk. The Centre is a technical and policy advisory organisation focused on improving how the world plans and pays for disasters. Combining advisory, training and learning services with rigorous research and global influencing, we work to ensure disaster risk management and risk financing are more proactive, evidence-based, impactful and leave no one behind. The Centre has three strategic goals to achieve its vision and mission; 

• Supporting countries and organisation better plan and pay for disasters. 
• Encouraging significantly more international crisis financing is arranged ahead of disasters. 
• Promote international financing architecture that drives better protection for people at risk. 

Additionally, we are focused on building effective systems and processes for people and operations that support the Centre, ensuring our people to do their best work through safe challenge, promoting and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion. 

The Centre is funded with UK aid through the UK government.

The Role 

The Centre is seeking a self-organised, driven, and proactive individual looking for a role in a purposeful, mission-centred organisation. This position provides administrative and operational support to the Centre team and the management of the Centre’s platform and office, delivering high quality and time critical support to the Centre team (some remote) across a full spectrum of operations, finance and HR systems and processes. This role is intended to be classified within the Centre’s Job Family 5. 

The role will include supplier management, travel and bookings, organisation-wide meetings and training, IT coordination and asset management. The role is a central point of contact for Centre staff needing guidance on navigating systems and processes to ensure quality and timely delivery of the Centre’s projects and activities. As a frontline/customer facing role critical to enabling the smooth running of the Centre, it would suit someone with excellent planning and customer service skills who is able to anticipate needs and solve problems before they arise. The role reports to the Head of Operations. 

Key Responsibilities 

The role will be responsible for the following main duties: 

• Financial management: supporting the Head of Operations in key aspects of managing the core operations budget, including processing invoices and payments, and ensuring accurate record keeping. 
• Administration: supporting the Head of Operations and People Lead to review and update operational guidance documents and ensure processes and procedures are compliant with Managing agent and Centre policies; responding to and completing tasks for support requests for the team. 
• Human Resources: providing admin support to the HR team in learning and development activity, admin for recruitment of core staff such as setting up interviews and undertaking due diligence of successful applicants, supporting effective onboarding of new joiners and offboarding of leavers, and coordinating oversight of team leave, travel and training needs.  
• Travel: coordinating travel requests and organising logistics for travel (with support from Project Managers) and ensuring related guidance and policies are up-to-date and communicated to travellers. 
• Office Management: supporting the Head of Operations in managing our co-working space membership and project assets, acting as point of contact for resolving maintenance issues or IT/equipment needs, and ensuring compliance with office protocols. 
• Board Meeting support: provide meeting administration support to the Head of Operations who is also the Board Secretary. 
• Organisational administration: providing administrative support as needed for organisational activities, and the senior leadership team. 

Reasonable additional duties and tasks may be determined by the Senior Leadership Team and the Head of Operations, particularly during the planned transition of the Centre from one managing agent to another, expected end of 2026/earlier 2027. 

Skills and Experience 

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate: 

• Excellent organisational and planning skills with ability to multi-task, manage competing priorities and work independently when required. 
• Positive and collaborative approach with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders, internal and external, including comfort with working with senior stakeholders. 
• Commitment to maintaining high ethical standards and applying principles of equity, fairness and integrity in day-to-day work. 
• Proactive and action-oriented approach with the ability to respond effectively to emerging priorities. 
• An ability to communicate clearly and professionally across all forms of communication. 
• Sharp attention to detail with foresight to anticipate potential problems. 
• A good grasp of Microsoft Office. 

The Offer 

This role is expected to be offered on a fixed term contract basis, starting in November/December 2026 and running to June 2029, including an initial probation period of up to 4 months. The role will be contracted by DAI Global UK (or local partner/representative), who are the current Centre’s managing agent. 

The position is offered in the UK. Whilst the role is primarily remote, regular visits to the Centre’s office in the City of London will be required (UK based employees are encouraged to aim to be in the office for eight days per month). Flexible, part-time and remote working arrangements will be considered. Applicants for the role must already have the right to work in the UK as relevant.

A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered depending on experience. Indicative gross salary of £35,000 to £40,000 per annum depending on experience where the role is based in the UK. The proposed salary will be confirmed at the offer stage. 

The Centre is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and so we particularly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds that are typically under-represented in this sector and from citizens of countries affected by disasters. 

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the USA, the UK, the EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine, and project operations worldwide. DAI tackles fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability; it works on the frontlines of global development, transforming ideas into action—action into impact. DAI is committed to shaping a more liveable world.