Associate, Operational Excellence

About Palladium:

Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 3,200 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities. 

This Opportunity:

Join our Operational Excellence team as an Associate, where you'll play a pivotal role in supporting administrative and executive management activities, contribute to the team’s pipeline of process improvement activities, and provide support to our business development and project management teams. Together with our Operational Excellence team members, the Associate will work under the support and guidance of our management team to shape their career within Palladium.

Location and Compensation:

 The position is based in Palladium’s Washington D.C. office.

For our prospective employees in the United States, please note that the full-time equivalent annual base salary for this position is expected to range from $57,000 to $80,000 and successful candidates may also be eligible for additional, variable incentive compensation dependent on the role. For part-time employees, the salary will be prorated based on the actual number of hours worked.

Please be advised that a final salary offer will be based on various factors, including but not limited to your qualifications, education, experience, skills, seniority, performance, and Palladium’s business or organizational needs.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the compensation for this position, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We value your interest in our company and appreciate the opportunity to discuss this opportunity with you.

You and Your Career:

We're looking for problem-solvers and proactive doers with keen attention to detail and a track record of meeting deadlines. If you possess outstanding organizational and communication skills, Palladium is the perfect place to advance your career. We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!

Reporting Lines:

In this role, you will report to a member of the Americas Process Excellence team, a department within the wider Operational Excellence team.

Reporting requirements include: 

Actively participating in team meetings.
Regularly updating on strategic objectives and activities.
Liaising across departments to align initiatives with organizational goals. 

Primary Roles and Responsibilities: 

The Associate will be a member of the Operational Excellence Team supporting areas such as, but not limited to, company operations, contracts and compliance, and legal. The role will have the chance to work on both internal and external projects that help us make an impact on our world and will have the opportunity to work with a variety of managers, directors, and internal clients. Through this work you will gain experience within all facets of Palladium.

While your role will vary considerably, some of your key responsibilities may include:

Providing support to the Vice President, Operational Excellence in a variety of organizational and management tasks, as requested;
Planning and executing executive assistance support to the General Counsel, encompassing a range of organizational and management tasks. This includes providing ad hoc administrative and executive assistance, including managing and processing bills and financial documentation and assisting with organization of files and creation of templates to set up information that is readily accessible, as requested (up to 30%);
Serving as a liaison between all internal stakeholders including but not limited to corporate services, portfolios, and business development teams;
Supporting the maintenance of pending task lists and team trackers, schedules and creates agendas for, and taking notes at meetings;
Supporting operational activities associated with projects, initiatives and/or proposals;
Assisting with internal and external communications;
Coordinating team data collection and file organization;
Proposing and implementing continuous improvements to our working environment;
Upholding Palladium's commitment to environmental sustainability and safeguarding;
Providing comprehensive support for meetings and events, including budget management and logistical planning, as requested; and
Other duties as required.

Essential Criteria:

Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a diverse range of people.
An interest in contributing to USG-funded international development projects.
Experience in supporting executive management and communications.
Background in customer service.
Knowledge of project management and familiarity with tools like Microsoft Teams.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (including Excel) and social media platforms.
The ability to juggle multiple tasks and adapt to changing priorities.
Excellent organizational and administrative skills with strong attention to detail and timeliness.
Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
Independence in work, coupled with strong teamwork skills.
Must be authorized to work in the United States; Palladium will not consider work visa sponsorship for this position.

Desirable Criteria:

Professional working proficiency in multiple languages with priority given to Spanish, French, Portuguese and Arabic

To apply, please upload your most recent resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please include your understanding of what Palladium does as an organization and why you are interested in this role.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status. 

Should you require any adjustments or accommodation to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse.  All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.