Director of Global People Operations

ABOUT IDINSIGHT

We're a global data and evidence advisory, working with governments, philanthropies, and non-profits to improve lives at scale, using technology and AI where they can deliver the most impact.

IDinsight is a global non-profit that equips leaders with the data, evidence and technology to improve lives at scale. We partner with governments, NGOs, multilaterals, and funders to support decisions at every stage of their impact journey – from bold pilots to nationwide scale-ups. Our teams bring rigorous evidence and practical insights so leaders can make informed decisions that truly change lives. With our partners, we are pioneering the next frontier of social impact, where data and technology accelerate progress for millions. We help leaders overcome the three main barriers to impact:

1. Figuring out what works

2. Learning and improving

3. Reaching and operating at scale

We work across Asia and Africa, in sectors including agriculture, education, health, governance, sanitation, financial inclusion, among others. We have expertise in a variety of rigorous approaches and methodologies, which we tailor to each client depending on their needs and constraints. To achieve a positive social impact we:

- Support our partners with the full ‘data and evidence’ value chain – from primary data collection to data systems, monitoring evaluation and learning tools, and data science

- Inform funding decisions – toward high-impact initiatives and away from less effective programs or approaches

- Create cutting-edge AI-for-good products that make the delivery of social interventions and learning tools more cost-effective and scalable

Our diverse, growing team of roughly 250 outstanding colleagues operate in nearly two dozen countries around the world. Learn more about our mission, values, and principles at www.IDinsight.org http://www.IDinsight.org.

JOINING IDINSIGHT AT THIS MOMENT

IDinsight is entering an exciting new phase of growth. As demand for rigorous evidence and AI-enabled solutions accelerates across the sectors and geographies we work in, we are actively investing in our teams, deepening our regional footprint, and expanding the frontier of what data and technology can do for social impact. This is a moment of real momentum for IDinsight. We're looking for people who want to use data and evidence to improve lives at scale; who are energized by taking on problems without a playbook; and who want a hand in shaping what IDinsight becomes as we grow.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL PEOPLE OPERATIONS ROLE

This is not a traditional HR role. IDinsight is lean, non-hierarchical, innovative, and fast-moving, and we need someone who can set people strategy and execute on it with the same spirit and speed. IDinsight is entering its next phase of growth (expecting to grow 35-50% over the next 12-18 months) and the Global People Operations team is central to making that happen. We are investing heavily on two fronts at once: bringing in best-in-class talent to deliver our most ambitious work, and building the retention strategy, culture, and learning systems that keep our existing team growing with us. The Director of Global People Operations leads a team of 12+ and owns making IDinsight the workplace of choice in global development. This role reports to the Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Organizational Leadership

- Co-develop and lead the implementation of IDinsight’s global People Strategy, alongside the CFOO and senior leadership.

- Work with leadership on org design and change management to keep the org high-performing, motivated, and impactful.

- Lead 1–2 organization-changing initiatives a year (e.g., a new performance system, a comp overhaul, a leadership pipeline).

- Build and maintain strong collaborative working relationships across several regions and functions, and amongst key leaders in all teams.

- Serve as the CFOO’s primary advisor on org design, workforce planning, and the tradeoffs behind the big people calls.

Team Leadership

- Lead IDinsight’s Global People Operations team of 12+ people across multiple regions, and own their performance, growth, and career development.

- Run the team efficiently: manage workload, hit deadlines, and keep day-to-day operations strong, while leading with care.

- We are in a growth phase where the biggest constraint on IDinsight’s impact is whether we can hire, develop, and retain the right people fast enough. Lead the Global People Operations team through this moment.

Culture

- Steward how IDinsight’s values show up operationally as it scales, through policies, recognition, and systems.

- Champion the parts of IDinsight’s culture that make us who we are (non-hierarchical, innovative, scrappy, ambitious, fast), and make sure they don’t get lost as we scale.

People Development

- Own our compensation philosophy; benchmark pay and benefits every two years to ensure IDinsight is able to attract the best talent in the development sector while remaining fair and transparent internally.

- Track retention and attrition by region and build targeted fixes wherever needed.

- Diagnose skill gaps across the org with leadership and design L&D programs that reach teammates across all 7+ countries and meet the needs of IDinsight’s rapidly evolving portfolio.

- Build manager-development programs for IDinsight’s many first-time and newer managers.

- Be a trusted advisor to the senior leaders and invest in their development through internal and external coaches.

People Enablement

- Lead the team in building and strengthening IDinsight’s recruitment pipeline across its countries of operation, with direct ownership of senior and leadership hires.

- Own IDinsight’s employer brand and candidate experience, and streamline hiring to cut time-to-hire without compromising rigor.

- Own payroll accuracy and timeliness across every country we pay people in.

Business Operations

- Keep IDinsight compliant with local labor law and employment requirements across every country we operate in, including global mobility and employer-of-record arrangements.

- Own and keep IDinsight’s people policies current and consistent across ~20 countries (leave, parental leave, expenses).

- Lead a revamp of our policies and benefits: find efficiencies without cutting corners, stay generous and competitive within what a non-profit can offer, and make sure every policy reflects that we care about our people while staying compliant.

- Own core people systems (BambooHR, Airtable, Ashby, and others), improve data quality, and use people data to inform strategy and report to leadership.

- Own risk assessment and mitigation for people-related and workplace-safety risks, and maintain data security and privacy practices for people systems. Duty of care across 20+ countries that IDinsight works in is a core part of the role.

AI and Innovation

- Make the People Ops team AI-first: champion AI-native ways of working within the team and ensure AI tools are embedded in how the team works day to day.

- Own how the rest of the org interacts with People Ops through AI, identifying where AI tools can make people processes like recruiting screens, policy drafting, data analysis, onboarding content better or faster.

- Set the standard for AI fluency in people ops at IDinsight and bring the rest of the team up with you.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

- 12+ years of experience in a people-facing leadership role, with direct experience building or substantially improving people systems and programs from the ground up.

- Proven experience leading and developing managers across multiple countries or regions, in a non-hierarchical, fast-moving environment.

- Values-aligned https://www.idinsight.org/about/: IDinsight is a unique workplace, and this is not a traditional HR role -- we need someone who is low ego, high innovation, non-bureaucratic, non-hierarchical, and is excited to own IDinsight’s people strategy in this exciting moment.

- Comfortable rolling up their sleeves. We are a lean organization and recognize that small gestures often shape culture as much as big decisions

- Comfortable going from raw people data to a clear, defensible recommendation for leadership.

- Ability to navigate people and policy decisions with nuance and discretion -- IDinsight teammates live in more than 20 countries and people decisions often require striking a balance between multiple cultural and legal realities of different places.

- Familiarity with BambooHR, Airtable, Ashby, Lattice, or comparable HRIS/ATS/LMS tools.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills (clear, yet tactful).

- Familiarity with MS Office, Google Docs, and other relevant systems.

- Deep, hands-on fluency with AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) in daily work – drafting, research, analysis. You will be expected to use them well yourself, and to identify where they can make people processes better or faster.

- Passion for improving lives through evidence-informed policy.

Preferred

- Experience in a lean or fast-growing global nonprofit, social enterprise, or similarly mission-driven organization.

- Lived or professional experience in one of IDinsight’s countries of operation.

- Interest in and familiarity with research on organizational design, behavioral economics, or management best practices.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Skill and career development are core to IDinsight's values and long-term impact strategy, and have been noted highlights of teammates’ experiences. IDinsighters receive significant mentorship from IDinsight leadership, support from talented peers, and are given considerable autonomy when ready. They maintain professional development plans and are given "stretch" opportunities designed to strengthen a variety of skills. Real-time feedback is embedded in our culture and formal structure enables maximum professional growth. Additionally, teammates have access to an annual professional development stipend that they are encouraged to utilize to explore their career interests and develop their skills.

NUTS & BOLTS

LOCATION

This position will be based in IDinsight’s Dakar, Senegal; Delhi, India; Lusaka, Zambia; Manila, Philippines; Nairobi, Kenya; or Rabat, Morocco office(s).

This position is not eligible for remote work, or otherwise, from the United States. Preference will be given to those with pre-existing work authorization in these countries; however, IDinsight will seek work permits where possible for exceptional candidates.

START DATE

The start date of this position is January 1, 2027, with preference for candidates who can start immediately. We expect a 2-year minimum commitment, with regular professional development conversations and potential for a long-term career at IDinsight.

COMPENSATION

Compensation and benefits are commensurate with the qualifications and experiences IDinsight is hiring for, and competitive within the global development sector. We are especially proud of the people-focused benefits we offer including comprehensive international health insurance, including mental health coverage; paid vacation, sick, and parental leave; relocation benefits; a travel stipend; technology and work from home stipends; a professional development budget; and more.

Please note, as a non-profit, we are unable to provide compensation similar to leading private sector organizations.

HOW TO APPLY

This application includes several questions and requires a CV (one to two pages) covering your professional and personal experience as well as academic qualifications. Please omit headshots, parental details, birth dates, marital status, and similar personal information — these aren't relevant to our review.

More information, including details on IDinsight’s hiring process https://www.idinsight.org/about/careers/the-idinsight-hiring-process/ and frequently asked questions http://idinsight.org/about/careers/frequently-asked-questions/, can be found online at IDinsight Careers https://www.idinsight.org/about/careers/. Any questions should be directed to careers@IDinsight.org.

IDINSIGHT’S COMMITMENT TO REDUCING POWER ASYMMETRIES

IDinsight is committed to reducing power asymmetries in the social sector https://www.idinsight.org/about/careers/reducing-power-asymmetries-in-the-social-sector-an-idinsight-organizational-priority/. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion reflects our understanding of the need for the sector to abandon unhealthy practices of the past. We wish to be part of a new generation of international NGOs who are honest about this history and transparent about our role in the present. Our commitment is also aligned with the impact of our work.

We seek a workforce that is inclusive of a variety of perspectives that will help us refine and improve our methods and relationships, and strengthen the services we provide our clients and their communities or constituencies. The following commitments represent our vision for the IDinsight team:

1. IDinsight will have greater representation from the populations with whom we work and clients we serve.

2. IDinsight will have greater representation from the countries in which we work.

3. Across all countries in which we recruit, we will seek greater representation from historically excluded communities.

4. IDinsight will foster an inclusive work culture that empowers a diverse team to do their best work.

IDinsight is committed to non-discrimination in our recruitment, employment practices, and organizational culture, regardless of people’s age, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.