Operations Officer

About Resilient Societies

Resilient Societies (RS) is a Canadian nonprofit organization working to protect civic space and strengthen the agency and resilience of civil society actors and human rights defenders confronting repression, exclusion and democratic backsliding. RS works particularly with people from closed and closing civic spaces, including those continuing their work in exile. Through its unite, innovate and advocate pillars, RS connects frontline experience with research, policy influence, collaborative action and practical support.

The Opportunity

RS is seeking an organized and resourceful Operations Officer to help build and maintain the administrative processes that support its growing team and programs. This hands-on role combines day-to-day operations, process improvement, personnel administration, logistics and routine financial administration.

The role calls for someone who thrives in RS’s entrepreneurial, start-up environment, takes initiative and adapts to evolving priorities while helping build practical systems.

Working closely with the CEO and program team, the Officer will develop practical operational processes and standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintain reliable records and coordinate recurring activities. An initial priority will be providing operational and administrative support to RS’s Building Resilience to Transnational Repression in MENA initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada, alongside other programs and organization-wide activities.

The Officer will work alongside a fractional finance professional responsible for budgeting, cash-flow planning, accounting oversight, and formal financial reporting. The Officer will support this work through accurate transaction records, complete documentation and timely administrative coordination.

Key Responsibilities

Operational processes and administration

• Develop, document and implement practical operational processes and SOPs for procurement, expense claims, travel, onboarding, records management and other recurring administrative activities. Work with the CEO and relevant staff members to clarify responsibilities and approval steps.
• Develop user-friendly templates, checklists and administrative calendars; orient colleagues to their use; and review procedures periodically as RS grows.
• Coordinate day-to-day administration, including purchasing, office and remote-work arrangements, supplies and relationships with administrative service providers.
• Support procurement and contract administration by obtaining quotations, preparing documentation, maintaining supplier and contract records, and tracking deliverables, insurance renewals and other recurring deadlines.

People and logistics

• Support recruitment administration, interview scheduling, onboarding and offboarding, employment documentation and confidential personnel records.
• Coordinate payroll and benefits administration with external providers, including submitting approved payroll information, tracking leave and communicating changes.
• Coordinate travel, meetings, events and program logistics, including bookings, participant communications, supplier arrangements and supporting documentation.

Routine financial and project administration

• Maintain routine financial records, track accounts payable and receivable, organize invoices and receipts, and assist with bank and credit-card reconciliations under the guidance of the fractional finance professional.
• Review expense claims for completeness, follow up on missing documentation and prepare payments for approval in accordance with RS procedures.
• Maintain expenditure trackers using approved budgets and cost-allocation guidance; compile timesheets, transaction records and supporting documents for donor reports, year-end processes and audits; and flag discrepancies or potential overspending to the CEO and fractional finance professional.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least three years of relevant experience in operations, administration or office coordination, including responsibility for routine financial administration.
• Experience developing or improving administrative processes, documenting procedures and helping colleagues adopt consistent ways of working.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and reliable follow-through, with the ability to coordinate recurring processes and competing deadlines independently.
• Practical experience processing invoices and expense claims, maintaining financial records and working with spreadsheets. Familiarity with accounting software such as QuickBooks Online is an asset.
• Experience supporting personnel administration, payroll coordination, procurement, contracts, travel arrangements or event logistics.
• Experience in a nonprofit, charitable, international-development or other mission-driven organization is preferred. Familiarity with grant-funded projects and institutional donor documentation requirements, including those of Global Affairs Canada, is an asset.
• Confidence using common office, spreadsheet, document-management and collaboration tools.
• Sound judgement, discretion and integrity when handling financial, personnel, partner and participant information.
• A diploma, degree or relevant training in business administration, operations, accounting, nonprofit management or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Basic professional proficiency in French is required. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada.

How to Apply

Please submit a curriculum vitae of no more than three pages and a concise cover letter explaining your interest and relevant experience to careers@rsocieties.org. Please use “Operations Officer” as the subject line.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and early applications are encouraged. The position will remain open until filled. Only candidates selected for the next stage will be contacted.

Our Commitment

RS is committed to an inclusive, safe and respectful workplace. We value professional expertise alongside lived experience and strongly encourage applications from people with direct experience of closed or closing civic spaces, exile, transnational repression, human rights defence, as well as people from historically underrepresented communities. Accommodation is available throughout the recruitment process upon request.