Director, Global Operations

About Splash Splash is an international development organization founded in 2007 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA. In 15 years, we have reached nearly 1,000,000 children in cities around the world. In 2019, we embarked on an exciting, five-year initiative, Project WISE (WASH in Schools for Everyone), focused on serving over 800,000 children in three major growth cities - Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar, Ethiopia and Kolkata, India - with improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, WASH behavior change programs, and strengthened school-based menstrual health programs. This is an exciting time for Splash as we pivot to new ways of working and aim to expand our impact to new cities across 3-5 countries.

Splash supports local leaders, institutions, and partners to drive lasting change on the ground. We believe that local capacity to solve problems at scale exists, and our job is to strategically support and magnify the impact of local governments, nonprofit and for-profit actors for the good of children and families across the cities in which we work.

Our core values guide everything we do, including every hiring decision we make. They are:

• People - People first. People second. People third.
• Quality - Beautiful products that function and last.
• Honesty - No drama, no surprises, no BS.
• Joy - Kids at heart, seeing potential everywhere.
• Mistakes - Make them, don’t repeat them.

Splash values the unique skills and experiences everyone brings to the organization, and we are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment. To learn more, please visit www.splash.org.

The Job Job title: Director, Global Operations Line Manager: Chief Finance & Administrative Officer Location: USA, and all the countries where Splash is registered (Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia & Kenya) Employment Type: Full time, Remote Position Overview The Director, Global Operations is a senior individual contributor and people leader responsible for building, strengthening, and scaling Splash International’s global operational infrastructure across headquarters and country offices. This role focuses on ensuring that Splash’s operational systems, processes, and controls are effective, consistent, and compliant, supporting high-quality program delivery across all regions.

The Director, Global Operations provides strategic and hands-on leadership for core operational functions, including global systems and processes, procurement, operational compliance, risk management, inventory and asset management, and country office operational support. The role partners closely with global, regional and country teams to ensure operations are well-aligned with organizational policies, donor requirements, and local regulatory environments.

Working across diverse geographic, cultural, and regulatory contexts, the Director, Global Operations emphasizes operational standardization where appropriate, while supporting local adaptation to meet country-specific needs. This role plays a key part in strengthening operational capacity across country offices through training, tools, and ongoing support.

The Director, Global Operations collaborates closely with Finance, People & Culture, Programs, Development teams, to ensure operational alignment and to support organizational growth, continuous improvement, and new country office set-up. While not a member of the management team, this role is a critical operational partner and subject-matter expert supporting teams across the organization.

Roles & Responsibilities Global Operations Leadership & Oversight

• Provide strategic and day-to-day operational leadership for global operations across headquarters and country offices.
• Partner closely with Regional Directors, Country Directors, and cross-functional leaders to ensure operational alignment with organizational goals.
• Serve as a thought partner to management team on operational strategy, risk management, and organizational scalability.

Operational Systems, Processes & Standardization

• Oversee and continuously improve global operational processes, ensuring efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
• Standardize global operating procedures and develop policies, guidelines, and SOPs to support consistent implementation across regions.
• Ensure strong documentation and knowledge-sharing practices across country offices.

Procurement, Vendor & Contract Management

• Oversee global procurement processes, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and compliance with internal policies and donor requirements.
• Support country offices in vendor due diligence, selection, contracting, and performance management.
• Establish and maintain procurement standards, thresholds, and approval workflows across the organization.

Operational Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with internal operational policies, donor requirements, and applicable local regulations in all operating countries.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and People & Culture teams to manage organizational risk and strengthen internal controls related to operations.
• Oversee due diligence processes for partners, vendors, and operational initiatives.

Inventory & Asset Management

• Provide oversight and guidance on global inventory and asset management practices, including tracking, safeguarding, and reporting.
• Ensure consistent asset management standards across all country offices.

Country Office Support & Capacity Building

• Support country offices in building strong operational capacity through training, tools, and coaching.
• Develop and deliver operational training for non-operations staff to strengthen understanding of policies, procedures, and compliance expectations.
• Act as a key escalation point for operational challenges in country offices.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Finance, People & Culture, Programs, Development teams, to ensure seamless operational integration.
• Support organizational initiatives that require cross-functional operational coordination.

Continuous Improvement & Organizational Growth

• Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, reduce risk, and support organizational growth.
• Lead or support special projects related to global expansion, new country office set-up, or operational transformation.

Qualifications

• Global mindset with strong cultural awareness
• Systems thinker with a focus on scalability and efficiency
• Strong judgment and risk-management orientation
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on execution
• High attention to detail with the ability to see the big picture

The Ideal Candidate

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in global operations, preferably within an international nonprofit or NGO environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing operations across multiple countries and regions.
• Strong knowledge of procurement, operational compliance, risk management, and operational systems.
• Proven ability to develop and implement global policies, procedures, and SOPs.
• Experience working in highly collaborative, cross-functional environments.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.

Compensation & Benefits At Splash, we prioritize our mission by offering benefits to support our employees and their families.

Splash operates across time zones with flexible work schedules. Benefits include 18 days of paid time off, increasing by 2 days each year up to 28 days, 11 paid holidays, and Wellness Fridays (reduced hours on Fridays). Additionally, we offer two weeks of paid time off mid-year office closure in the first week of July and the end of the year office closure which falls in the last week of the year. Wellness Fridays (reduced working hours on Fridays); medical, dental, and vision; and a 401K plan with a 3% match.