After eight years of building a successful business, we’re redeveloping the internal operations of our co-operative. This role is an opportunity to shape a key team in an established co-op, helping to develop and support the people, processes and systems that enable us to make an impact.

This is a part-time role. We welcome applications from anyone looking to work 3 to 4 days per week (0.6 to 0.8 FTE).

Responsibility for operational and administrative tasks is currently shared between staff who do this alongside their core roles. You will collaborate to take on responsibility for these tasks, and improve and document the processes as you go. You’ll manage business-critical functions, and will take a proactive approach to improving operations to ensure we run smoothly and with the lowest possible administrative overhead.

Responsibilities include:

• Administration of our staff benefits packages.

• Processing expense claims.

• Assisting with day-to-day financial processing.

• Administrative support for staff around flexible working, travel, and leave.

• Arranging company General Meetings.

• Tracking and managing key compliance and governance processes.

• Risk assessments and mitigations.

• Logistics for in-person company meetings and coworking.

• Facilitating recruitment and onboarding processes.

• Administrative and governance support for co-operative decision making.

• Reviewing and improving operational processes and associated documentation.

• Maintaining and supporting development of company policies.

We operate with a flat hierarchy; as such, this role has no direct reports, and reports to all co-operative members. You will work as part of, and be supported by, a small team focussed on operational processes in the co-operative.

After your probationary period, you’ll have the option to become a co-operative member: gaining a stake in its future, taking part in shared decision making, and developing new skills in co-operative business management.

Who we are

Open Data Services is a remote worker cooperative that helps organisations across the world to use data to make and measure change. We offer the technical know-how, community engagement and capacity building needed to create initiatives that are collaborative, impactful and sustainable.

Joining our team means you’ll contribute to our mission to help people use data to deliver social impact. Since 2015, we’ve worked on projects that have made a difference – like finding out who owns and controls companies, making public procurement more open, or tracking international aid spending.

We’re a worker’s co-operative, which means we’re owned and run by the people who work here. Together, we’re committed to building a world-class organisation that delivers benefits to our team, our clients, and the world we live in.

We’re a remote team, working all across the UK. We care about creating a good work/life balance, and work to build an environment where everyone’s unique experiences are welcomed, valued and appreciated. 

Who you are

You are an all-rounder, keen to get involved in all aspects of running a co-operative business. You are experienced at managing people and operations. You don’t need any formal training in finance, HR or IT, but you will need experience of working across a range of functions and a willingness to learn. You’re interested in governance, and how it helps our co-op to grow. 

You feel comfortable dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity, and are able to balance the big picture with day-to-day needs to prioritise your work.

You believe strongly in co-operative principles of democratic working, equitability, and mutual support. You know when to act on your own initiative, and when to seek advice or input from others. You are excited to share your progress as you work at a task, and not afraid to offer or ask for help.

You are confident working openly and transparently, in shared documents and issue tracking systems that are accessible to everyone in the co-op, and not shy to share work-in-progress and to show your workings. 

Experience of working with a fully remote, distributed team is desirable.

How we work

As a fully remote team, we collaborate using an issue tracking system and shared documents. We hold meetings using Google Meet, schedule things with a shared calendar, and message each other in a company-wide chat for quick questions, or to arrange ad-hoc calls. We work transparently and in the open: except for confidential or sensitive personal information, almost all company information - including financial - is accessible to all staff.

As a rule, we work together to write and improve documentation for our processes as we go, to create resilient teams and reduce the pressure on individuals.

We are continually evolving our co-operative governance structures, and place high value on ensuring all voices are heard in our decision making processes. We know that non-hierarchical decision-making in a large group can be time consuming, so we also explicitly delegate responsibility for decisions to smaller groups or individuals as much as possible.

We offer a flexible working policy to promote good work-life balance, and so that you can adjust your working pattern to accommodate your personal circumstances. Around half our workers are part time.

What the job involves

First week:

You will meet others in the co-op and learn about how we organise our work internally. Supported by our Operations Subgroup, you will seek to understand our existing operations and administrative processes.

First month:

We will teach you about our decision making processes and principles, and work with you to identify any specific training or support you may need.

You will review operations-related documentation and identify gaps in existing processes and responsibilities, and work with members of the Operations Subgroup, Finance Oversight Subgroup, and our Management Accountant (a new role) to improve them.

You will take over administration of our staff benefits packages, as well as review our operational contracts (software licences etc), understand their uses, and identify places to rationalise them. You will run your first monthly expense claims process.

You will monitor incoming email enquiries, and respond or route them appropriately.

First six months:

You will take ownership of risk assessment and logging processes across the co-op, in collaboration with various subgroups.

You will work closely with our Management Accountant on coordinating and carrying out day to day financial processing and filing of invoices, receipts and reimbursements.

You will take the lead on regulatory and compliance issues for the co-op, sourcing expert external advice if needed. Our current Company Secretary will work with you to hand over company secretarial tasks. You will become an administrator for our visa sponsorship licence.

The Governance Subgroup will support you to improve the structure and focus of our general meetings, creating and updating documentation and agenda templates as needed. You will work alongside the Staff & Welfare Subgroup to improve and carry out processes involved in implementing company policies around flexible working, travel, and leave, as well as provide administrative support for staff travelling for business or working from abroad.

You will take the lead on arranging our next in-person company meeting.

You will work with our Management Accountant and current members of the Operations Subgroup to recharter the Operations Subgroup, ensuring it takes a form that best supports the operational needs of the co-op in light of how you have settled into and shaped your role.

First year:

You will have the opportunity to become a co-op Member and company Director, completing appropriate training as needed, and getting involved in other aspects of running the business according to your abilities and interests.

As we continue to grow, you will coordinate one or more rounds of recruitment, and work with the Staff & Welfare Subgroup to onboard new staff. 

You will lead our data protection policy and processes​. While continuous improvement will be innate to the role, you will also facilitate an internal audit function.

You will support the creation, updating, and maintenance of company policies, making proposals for improvements and explaining your recommendations to Directors as needed. You will support colleagues in setting up or rechartering subgroups, ensuring subgroups have suitable resources to carry out their aims, planning and reporting on subgroup work, and identifying connections and ways to streamline their work.

Benefits

• We operate a flat rate of pay for all staff, currently set at £43,120 per calendar year (pro rata). As this job is 3 days (0.6 FTE) or 4 days (0.8 FTE) that would be £25,872 or £34,496 per calendar year. The Members may also decide to distribute a portion of company profits between all staff at the end of the financial year.

• We provide a 4% pension contribution to our Workplace Pension scheme.

• We will provide all of the hardware, tools and software required for the job, including a laptop or desktop computer and any equipment or furniture required for a safe and comfortable home-working setup. Staff are also free to use their own devices.

• We will pay for a local co-working space if you don't want to work from home.

• We offer a training budget of £1,000 and 5 paid days per year, and are committed to supporting appropriate staff development and training.

• Our benefits package includes a health cash plan, group life insurance, generous parental leave, a health and wellbeing service that includes GP consultations and counselling, a cycle-to-work scheme, and an allowance for eye tests.

Further details

• As we are a remote working organisation we will consider applications from anywhere in the UK. You must have the right to live and work in the UK.

• Full time hours are set at 37.5 hours a week with 33 days' holiday (inclusive of bank holidays). We welcome applications for part-time working.

• This role requires occasional national travel to meet with colleagues in-person. We are committed to the safety and well being of our members and employees and offer a range of support for employees, to ensure that work travel complements your life situation, particularly during the ongoing pandemic

Next steps

You can start the application process by clicking on the apply button.

You’ll answer some questions that are related to your day-to-day job. After the job closes, your answers will go through our de-biased sift process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then scored by members of our team.

If you are shortlisted, we’ll invite you to the next step, which includes a remote interview. At the end of the application process, we'll provide some feedback and let you know how well you performed.

Interviews are expected to take place in April.

If we can do anything to facilitate your application please get in touch via jobs@opendataservices.coop. Your application will still remain anonymous to people involved in the hiring process.

We are an equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal employment opportunity and are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, belief, disability, gender, marital status, religion, race, sex, or sexual orientation, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled, ethnic minority and women candidates as these groups are underrepresented in our organisation.