ABOUT YLABS

YLabs is a leading global design and research organization working to improve health and economic opportunity for young people 10–24 years old. Founded in 2014 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs partners with young people in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and North and Central America to design, test, and advocate for youth-driven solutions that address key challenges to young people’s health and economic opportunity worldwide. YLabs’ desired global impact for youth is improved health and wellness, climate resilience, and increased economic opportunity. Our global teams have worked in 18 countries to date on projects spanning topics including mental health, sexual and reproductive health, HIV, youth entrepreneurship, and climate action. Find out more about our projects here: https://www.ylabsglobal.org/work

Our team of physicians, designers, economists, public health professionals, and educators bring a unique mix of human-centered design, adolescent health, evaluation, economic and health outcome evaluation, behavioral science, and implementation know-how to the global problems facing youth. 

We are currently a fully remote organization.

JOB SUMMARY

YLabs is seeking a Senior Operations Manager (Human Resources) to join our global Operations and Finance team and support our wider organization on administrative, talent, and compliance management.

A successful candidate has experience in business operations, human resources, recruiting, and/or customer service and is highly organized, an excellent communicator, and able to successfully demonstrate how they balance competing priorities for our small and growing organization. 

The person in this role will be involved in supporting the Operations & Finance team across multiple functions, including, but not limited to, talent acquisition and onboarding, facilities and tools management, the development and implementation of organizational policies, and employee experience. A strong attention to detail, advanced technological fluency, and a curious roll-up-your-sleeves attitude are all key requirements of the role.

The role will be supervised by our Director of Finance and Operations, working closely with our Senior Operations Manager (Employee Experience), and be supported by our wider Operations & Finance team.

JOB TYPE

This is a full-time position, which requires the ability to legally work in the US or Rwanda.

This job involves significant collaboration with our global Finance & Operations Team members, who are located across different time zones. The role will require the ability to conduct meetings until 7pm CAT multiple times per week.

ABOUT YLABS’ COMPENSATION

YLabs adheres to Project Fair’s principles and standards to establish equity in pay with the overriding principle of “equal pay for work of equal value” outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. All salary ranges are based on level within the organization and are competitive to regional and national salary benchmarks, based on the respective office location. 

PAY RATE

The pay range for this position is gross $23,000 - $50,000 or the equivalent in Rwandan Francs per year, and is commensurate with experience and regional location of the candidate.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

People Operations (25%)

• Lead human resources activities for YLabs, including preparation of personnel records, execution of payroll, management of bi-annual performance management processes, and appropriate handling & escalation of sensitive personnel issues
• Lead the annual enrollment of Staff and implementation of YLabs’ benefits packages, including, but not limited to, ensuring that the packages are competitive, comprehensive, compliant, and support YLabs’ goals around staff retention.
• Oversee the management and maintenance of YLabs’ HRIS System (Bamboo HR) 
• Lead the organization-wide revision and implementation of our Skills Matrix, in line with industry standards and YLabs stage of growth & strategic priorities

Legal & Compliance (25%):

•  Ensure YLabs is in full legal compliance with established regulations relevant to the geographies where we work
• Co-lead, with the Employee Experience Manager, the development, adaptation and monitoring of policies to ensure they are properly implemented for the Organisation.
• Revise and/or formulate compliant policies in line with YLabs’ culture, vision, and work, and promote their global implementation
• Advise and train managers and supervisors in best employee relations practices and strategies for managing supervisor problems and employee grievances 
• Participate in and support the documentation of investigations of workplace complaints and allegations such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, hostile work environment, and policy violations in accordance with set policies and relevant legislation.
• Manage all business registrations and other business matters related to the Rwandan entity, to ensure that tax compliance requirements are up-to-date

Learning and Org Development (25%)

• Work with senior management on establishing and overseeing the strategic direction of the organization’s learning and development efforts
• Develop and implement a succession plan for key positions in the organization, including identifying future leaders and creating development plans for them
• Provide leadership in creating an organizational culture that promotes lifelong learning
• Create or lead the development of training topics, materials, and content for staff onboarding sessions.

Vendor and Inventory Management (15%)

• Manage and maintain all team equipment, supplies, and organizational technology requests
• Manage access to YLabs’ organizational software and tools
• Serve as the liaison between our Kigali-based vendors and YLabs, managing all correspondence and our overall relationship 
• Ensure all our Kigali-based vendor contracts are updated and stored accordingly
• Actively troubleshoot and resolve any staff-identified issues across YLabs’ tools & platforms

Financial Administration (10%)

• Approve all payments processed from the Rwanda office
• Support with developing & managing the organizational indirect budget

YOU ARE:

• Highly detail-oriented
• Well-organized with strong demonstrated internal systems of organization
• An excellent oral and written communicator with strong interpersonal skills to represent YLabs in external and internal settings
• An efficient prioritizer who can effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities
• A pro at independently balancing recurring and ad-hoc responsibilities
• Always seeking feedback and input from others to incorporate into your work product
• Willing to do the unglamorous work to keep our organization well-oiled and running smoothly
• A quick learner, and willing to incorporate feedback from a variety of stakeholders to improve your work product
• Excited by the opportunity to work in a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary, diverse global team 
• Curious and creative in exploring, testing and iterating on new ideas to improving existing processes

YOU HAVE:

• Five to eight years of experience in similar roles, including, but not limited to Operations, Human Resources, Recruitment, Customer Experience, though we will consider those with less experience and the right skills
• Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and unwavering commitment to YLabs’ mission
• Strong technological fluency to learn and utilize tools and software to support our primarily remote environment
• Experience in the organizational policy development life-cycle, including researching of best practices, developing content, and successful implementation
• Demonstrated ability to develop processes from ambiguous spaces. You enjoy rolling up your sleeves to learn a new program, research a new policy, develop a process, and train other staff
• Unwavering integrity navigating confidential people operations initiatives and issues, as they arise

DESIRABLE:

• Experience working with a global organization
• Experience in a customer-facing environment
• Experience in managing recruitment and hiring processes
• Experience in a communications-focused role
• Knowledge of general regulatory compliance 

APPLICATION PROCESS

This posting will be open from July 28, 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by our Hiring Committee. YLabs recognizes the effort that goes into submitting an application; all applications received during the posting period will be reviewed, and all candidates will be notified of their application status once the hiring process begins.

All YLabs offers of employment are conditional on satisfactory background check and criminal record clearances.
interested candidate can apply here to this link:https://ylabs.bamboohr.com/careers/37