Chief Operating Officer

What is Your Calling?

• Do you find yourself at a career crossroads?
• Are you searching for work with impact and meaning?
• · Would you like to use your people & operations skills to transform lives?

Good Return is a social purpose organisation working across the Asia Pacific region. We enable women and their families to access opportunity and build financial security.

Our focus is enabling local entrepreneurs to access responsible finance and extending education and business training opportunities to women and other excluded groups to build confidence and financial capability. The result is a growing generation of empowered entrepreneurs, taking control of their finances, their livelihoods and their futures.

Our supporters include Accenture, Visa, Macquarie Group, Clayton Utz and DFAT.

We are now in the market for a Chief Operations Officer who truly connects with our work and is highly motivated to build on our success. You will work alongside our CEO, leading our people, operations and IT functions to strengthen our organisational capacity and systems and enable Good Return’s continued growth.

You will be a strategic thinker with strong HR management experience and a passion for improving organisational processes. You will have led teams and driven change processes, and, like us, you’re energised by the idea of innovating for the greater good.

We encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds.

If this sounds like you, check out the position description.

SCOPE OF POSITION

Work alongside the CEO to provide strategic leadership to Good Return’s human resource management function, provide oversight and continuous improvement of operational systems and processes, support governance processes and ensure organisational compliance and effective risk management. Deputise to the CEO as required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic leadership of Good Return’s Human Resource Management function (25%)

• Guide and support the HR & Operations Coordinator and Officer to undertake recruitment, onboarding, offboarding and general HR management functions

• Ensure a comprehensive program is in place for staff training, development and performance management

• Lead diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the team in Australia and internationally

• Ensure workplace health and safety

• Drive a continuous focus on organisational culture, team engagement and satisfaction

KPIs

1. Onboarding surveys indicate high degree of satisfaction with process

2. All staff have personal development plans in place

3. Social Inclusion / DEI Action Plan targets met

2. Oversight and continuous improvement of operational systems and processes (25%)

• Guide the Technology Lead in managing IT and cybersecurity strategies, systems and processes

• Oversee the operational elements of the Good Return Loan program, including all back office processes in collaboration with the fundraising, finance and program teams

• Ensure the intranet (Good Return Hub) is fit for purpose and meets the team’s evolving needs

• Work collaboratively with the finance team to ensure staff are able to effectively engage with finance systems

• Ensure continuous improvement of organisational processes to improve efficiency, effectiveness and engagement, including exploring opportunities for use of AI, and lead change processes

• Lead the management and reporting of Good Return’s carbon footprint

• Manage and report against budget

KPIs

1. IT policies, processes and guidelines maintained and available on the Hub

2. High satisfaction rating with digital tools, resources, workflows and technical support

3. Technology Strategy and Information Security Management System actively maintained

3. Support organisational governance processes (25%)

• Coordinate the development of strategic plans, annual business plans and value for money assessments

• Manage organisational data collection and analytics, including management KPI dashboard

• Coordinate Board meetings, Board committee meetings and AGMs, including quality control of agenda, papers and minutes, timely circulation of minutes, and tracking of matters arising

KPIs

1. Annual business plans completed by 31 April each year

2. KPI dashboard updated monthly and generating meaningful insights

3. Board and committee papers and minutes circulated on time

4. Oversight of organisational compliance and risk management (20%)

• Ensure a full suite of up-to-date policies and procedures is in place, accessible and used
• Manage relationship with pro bono lawyers
• Ensure efficient contract documentation processes are in place, including templates, review, sign-off and storage
• Guide and work collaboratively with the Compliance Adviser volunteer to ensure organisational compliance is actively assessed and maintained in relation to: DFAT accreditation, ACFID Code of Conduct, ASIC AFSL, staff awards and Good Return policies
• Guide and work collaboratively with the Internal Audit volunteer to define internal audit processes, prioritise actions and drive enhancements
• Guide and work collaboratively with the Risk Adviser volunteer to ensure appropriate risk management at all times, and appropriate insurances are in place.

KPIs

1. Organisational policies reviewed and updated per policy review calendar

2. Processes support effective compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements

3. Risk management processes actively maintained

5. Other Duties (5%)

• Be a proactive leader, modelling Good Return’s values internally and externally and driving achievement of its mission
• Deputise to and support the CEO as required
• Take on other duties and functional/project oversight as required

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

• A commitment to Good Return’s vision of a world without poverty

• Proven leader who has demonstrated skills/experience nurturing high performing teams

• Strong understanding and experience of Human Resource Management

• A demonstrated passion for innovation and driving systems and process change

• Strong attention to detail

• Ability to set strategic goals, manage budgets and analyse results

• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), with high emotional intelligence

• Relevant qualifications e.g. human resources, business administration and/or significant experience in a similar role

ABOUT US

Good Return’s mission is to enable those living in poverty to achieve economic empowerment through responsible financial inclusion and capability development. We do this by engaging with partners across the Asia Pacific, where two-thirds of the world’s poor live. We help them deliver better financial services and economic opportunities to those living in poverty.

Our work focuses on promoting responsible inclusive finance, building financial capability & consumer empowerment, and providing access to credit through our micro lending platform and impact investment programming to support SMEs in the agricultural sector.

Good Return is the registered business name of World Education Australia, an Australian Aid accredited agency and member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). We hold Australia Financial Services License granted by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Visit goodreturn.org.au for more information.

ABOUT OUR PARTNERS

We have been working in partnership with various Financial Service Providers across the Asia Pacific Region since 2010. Our current partners are located in Cambodia, Indonesia, PNG, Nepal, Philippines, Myanmar, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, and Australia.

Our partnerships are based on a shared mission to provide responsible and inclusive financial services to people living in poverty as well as build the financial capability of consumers.

Our microfinance partners are committed to improving their social performance management systems, which include implementing the seven client protection principles.

Please visit our website for further information on our partners.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply please click “Apply Now” and provide a CV and a cover letter that addresses the selection criteria listed.

Applications close: Please apply as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed continuously.

Location: Sydney office 2 days/week, remote 2 days/week

Level of Effort: 0.8 FTE

Remuneration: Salary package with FBT benefit

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• Good Return is an inclusive organisation. We strive to build a team that truly represents our diverse society and those of the Asia-Pacific communities we operate in. We actively encourage all applicants, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disability and sexuality, to apply. If you require adjustments to the recruitment or interview process to accommodate your specific needs, let us know and we will try to provide them.
• Good Return is a child safe organisation. Our recruitment processes reflect our commitment to the protection of children from abuse; successful candidates will need to comply by our Child Protection Policy and undergo pre-employment checks.