Operations Associate - Spring 2025
The Kaizen Company (Kaizen) is an international development consulting firm and an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. We aspire to transform the nature and impact of international development and work to strengthen organizations and institutions through innovative approaches to organizational development, reform, and change. Kaizen is currently seeking undergraduate and graduate students to join our dynamic team as Associates (interns) for Spring 2025. Associates are given the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to all aspects of Kaizen’s work and seamlessly integrate in our collegial culture. Kaizen Associates are important members of our teams with room to grow in an initiative-driven workspace.
This internship is best suited for Human Resources, Business, Communications, and International Relations/Development undergraduate or graduate students interested in entering the field of international development. The Kaizen Company will compensate the Associate based on DC minimum wage hourly rate of $17.50. It is expected that the selected Associate will work a minimum of 20 hours per week in the Spring, beginning on or about January 21 – April 25, 2025. Associates will have the opportunity to work remotely, from any virtual US-based location with reliable internet.
Responsibilities for the following role based on the area of focus:
- Provide administrative and logistical support to various functions that fall under Kaizen’s corporate operations including the update and maintenance of company-wide processes and procedures.
- Contribute to the development and systemization of Kaizen’s onboarding and training of new hires.
- Learn the basic principles of donor project management through on-the-job and formal training related to Kaizen’s contracts funded by USAID.
- Support recruitment efforts, including shortlisting, screening, and evaluating candidates for hire.
- Support the Program Management Director and Operations Coordinator with meeting Duty of Care standards.
- Assist with creating an archive framework and execution approach for storing activity final products including technical, PM, and BD artifacts, including reports, tools, and templates.
- Contribute to knowledge management initiatives.
- Gain a practical understanding of human resources processes through participation in many aspects of Kaizens corporate strategy including staff care, gender and inclusion, and information technology development.
- General corporate operational tasks as assigned.
- Is currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program (required).
- Is an entrepreneurial self-starter and works well without excessive supervision.
- Has strong research skills.
- Has strong attention to detail.
- Can prioritize and manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills.
If you are interested in this position and have most or all of the desired qualifications, please submit a CV, a cover letter explaining key qualifications and availability, and the names and contact information for 3 references (professional and/or academic).
For candidates applying for positions based in Kaizen's office in Washington, DC, we utilize career.place to mitigate bias in the recruitment process. Upon submitting an application, candidates will receive an email from career.place, prompting them to go through the anonymous screening. In order to be considered for a role, candidates must respond to career.place and proceed with the application. We do not currently use career.place for project positions outside of the United States.
At Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment in which everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer.