Operations Department

Equal Education is excited to fill the following vacancy!

About Equal Education

Equal Education is a movement of learners, parents, teachers and community members working for quality and equality in South African education, through analysis and activism. Equal Education is organised in five provinces: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and the Western Cape. Equal Education works by identifying systemic and localised problems affecting the quality of education, and addresses these problems through local and national campaigns, a commitment to robust political education and campaign building with members, as well as building a strong research base through primary and secondary research.

Equal Education aspires to be a place where all of our members become conscious and active participants in society who strive to uphold values of honesty, equality, and inclusivity Our principles for a safe and welcoming workplace aim to create an environment that enables growth, is inclusive and safe for all who pass through the organisation.

OFFICE MANAGER: 

REPORTS TO: OPERATIONS MANAGER 

LOCATION: KHAYELITSHA, WESTERN CAPE

SALARY RANGE: R180 000.00 – R215 000.00 CTC (pa)

CLOSING DATE: 8 JUNE 2022

Purpose 

The purpose of the Office Manager is to ensure the smooth running of an office on a day-to-day basis and may manage a team of administrative or support staff, organising meetings and managing databases, booking transport and accommodation.

Key responsibilities:  

Office Administration:

• Maintain a welcoming, safe, and conducive work environment.
• Ensure the office meets occupational health and safety standards, including but not limited to the display of necessary signage, removal of hazards, conducting periodic safety audits, communicating emergency procedures, accounting for all staff/members/visitors during an emergency, and reporting on incidents to HR.
• Promote accessibility in our offices for those with disabilities.
• Ensure appropriate and adequate resourcing of the offices, including but not limited to consumables (e.g. stationery, refreshments, cleaning supplies, etc), fixed/durable items (e.g. furniture, appliances, white boards, etc.), and telecommunications (e.g. laptops, printers, telephones, wifi, etc).
• Arrange for timely maintenance and attendance to issues arising in relation to damaged or missing items.
• Liaise with the landlord/building manager to ensure they meet their responsibilities towards occupation of their facilities, including but not limited to access control, occupational health and safety, as well as maintenance.
• Oversee effective access control to the offices by keeping records for all keys/access cards distributed.
• Supervise the receptionist to ensure that they effectively field calls, receive guests, coordinate use of the board rooms, and effectively administer petty cash.
• Supervise the housekeeping staff to ensure routine cleaning as well as periodic deep cleaning of the office.

Financial administration:

• Be responsible for, tracking expenditure and financial reporting for projects and events.
• Follow up the reconciliation of funds advanced through petty cash and EFT payments with the appropriate documentation from the relevant individuals.
• Provide preliminary financial reports to heads of departments at periodic intervals and where necessary identify risks such as overspending/under spending as well as implications for planned programmes..
• Assist junior staff in learning about and adhering to sound financial practices.
• Support the Financial Administrator in managing EE assets by maintaining accurate inventories and asset register for insurance purposes as well as proactively removing/replacing items as necessary.
• Assist with general financial administration, as needed, under the direction of the Finance Manager.

Programme Support:

• Participate in and support departmental planning and implementation processes.
• Develop systems to support the multiple teams which are based in the Western Cape office.
• Assist with operational communications, not limited to policy changes, planned activities, staff/department meetings, and emergency procedures.
• Provide administrative support to departments, task teams or working groups, including but not limited to scheduling, taking minutes and following up action items.
• Provide support to the Human Resources team when new staff are appointed or when existing staff leave in the form of providing or collecting EE property
• Promote safeguarding principles in the execution of all your duties through raising awareness, and making specific provisions in the planning of activities.

Logistics:

• Coordinate travel arrangements, not limited to flights, car hire, accommodation, and per diem, as requested in line with financial policy, programmatic needs and available budget.
• Coordinate event logistics, not limited to transport, catering, AV equipment and venue, as needed in line with the Event Planning Guide.
• Participate in task teams/working groups which are responsible for large scale provincial or national events.

Qualifications and skills 

• Diploma or degree in Human Resource Management, Industrial Psychology  or other related fields of studies 
• Minimum two years work experience in the same or a similar role;
• Advanced skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Gsuite;
• Very strong administration skills;
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills;
• Additional South African language skills are highly valued;
• Knowledge of the South African labor laws (BCEA, LRA, OHS); 
• Ability to work independently and give close attention to detail;
• High levels of integrity and confidentiality; and 
• Candidates must be willing to travel.