Overview

Position: Program Operations Assistant, Navajo Water Project

Location: Los Angeles, CA; with hybrid schedule

Employment type: Hourly, full-time, nonexempt

Education/Experience Preferences: Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred 

Compensation Range: $22-$25/hr, depending on experience

Reports to: Program Operations Manager, Navajo Water Project

Manages: N/A

Supported by: Flagstaff Project Coordinator Program Coordinator Project Managers, Data Coordinator

Start Date: ASAP

We Are DigDeep

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is the only WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) organization serving the 2.2+ million Americans who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home. 

DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. We run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. We won the 2018 US Water Prize for our Navajo Water Project, which has brought clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water Project in July of 2020, which brings clean, running water into the homes of Appalachia families, starting in southern West Virginia. The project has already brought safe water to hundreds of homes through our innovative hydropanel project and a public-private partnership with the McDowell County Public Service District, which is helping families connect to new water lines.  

DigDeep is deeply committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We believe social change happens when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with a common purpose. DigDeep is built on the principles of equity, transparency, and the power of human experience. Your work will improve the daily lives of real people – people you’re likely to meet. Every American should have the clean, running water they need to thrive. Join us, and we’ll close the US water gap in our lifetimes.

The Opportunity

DigDeep is looking for a creative, collaborative, organized, and detail-oriented person to join our growing Navajo Water Project (NWP) team as the Program Operations Assistant. Reporting to the Program Operations Manager, the Program Operations Assistant is responsible for ensuring projects within the Navajo Water Project portfolio run efficiently, effectively, and sustainably. 

This position requires flexibility and the ability to support the Program Operations Manager on different levels, ranging from managing the day-to-day to long-term projects. The Program Operations Assistant must be equally comfortable cleaning program data records and assisting with the development of long-term work plans. They will be expected to build strong, trusting working relationships with project partners, field staff, vendors, and community members. 

This position is full-time and based in Los Angeles at DigDeep HQ, working in hybrid schedule model. It requires occasional travel to the field and to conferences. The Program Operations Assistant will report to and work closely with the Program Operations Manager, also working regularly with field staff members, partner organizations, community members, and leaders of potential and existing project sites. 

Key Responsibilities

This is what you’ll do once you join the team.

  • Assist the Program Operations Manager in drafting, tracking, and reporting on annual work plans, timelines, and budgets for the overall Navajo Water Project, as well as collaborating with individual project sites on work planning and budgeting.
  • Review NWP activity reports and flag miscategorized/misclassified charges. 
  • Take notes during internal and external meetings on the Navajo Water Project; produce reports to be disseminated across the organization. 
  • Draft, update and improve project briefs used internally to inform DigDeep staff and the board about NWP activities and externally to project partners, large donors, and foundations. 
  • Follow up on leads for expanding to new project areas within the Navajo Water Project portfolio; this includes calling chapter officials, community members, non-profit organizations for informational interviews, taking extensive notes and producing summary reports for Program Operations Manager and Navajo Water Project Executive Director review. 
  • Coordinate operations between Navajo Water Project and LA HQ; be a vital link between NWP and the Development Department by producing program data
  • Assist the Program Operations Manager with the Water Is Life Fund – take notes during applicant interviews, write award letters and file recipient materials, and help track monitoring and evaluating previous Water Is Life Fund recipients’ programs. 
  • With the Program Operations Manager, develop standard operating procedures and instructions for NWP workflows; capture and record institutional knowledge in briefs, reports, and memos. 
  • Assisting Field Staff, research and contact necessary government personnel and vendors to facilitate projects’ needs, including researching comparable sales information for water system parts, order parts for testing and installation, 
  • Assist in creating surveys and assessments online to improve project efficiency and make recommendations to increase our impact on the Navajo Nation; assist the Program Operations Manager in developing training materials for field staff; record program data for the Navajo Water Project into a central database for organization-wide reference.
  • Gather and prepare materials to send to the Development department that will aid in educating donors about ongoing projects.
  • Aid in outreach and awareness efforts to educate the public and develop our donor base.
  • Maintain DigDeep’s presence within the local community, governmental, and non-governmental institutions, development sector, and other relevant stakeholders
  • Assist in developing robust and responsive monitoring and evaluation program on the Navajo Water Project.

As the organization continues to evolve, duties or tasks may change without impacting the overall Job Description. 

Competencies

  • Foster Teamwork: You can work both independently and as a collaborative team member. You listen and respond constructively to colleagues’ feedback and ideas. You provide support where needed, seek assistance when necessary. You have a desire to build and maintain relationships with others.
  • Managing Change: You’re a creative thinker with the ability to innovate and are comfortable in a rapidly evolving organization.
  • Fostering Innovation: You are innovative and adaptive and believe anything is figure-out-able. You propose and implement your own ideas and suggestions in order to develop and streamline processes.
  • Excellent Communicator: You are able to clearly express yourself verbally and in writing. You have the ability to creatively plan and deliver written communications, utilizing graphics, statistics, and language in such a way as to have maximum impact on the intended audience. 
  • Analytical Thinking: You have a curiosity, coupled with strong research/analytical skills. You can make systemic comparisons between two or more alternatives, noticing discrepancies and using them to inform decision-making. 
  • Technical Expertise: You have demonstrated ability and depth of knowledge with the technology in the desired technical area. You effectively use and apply technical knowledge, and use your knowledge to identify solutions to existing problems. 

Skills and Qualifications

We want to hear from you if you have: 

  • Bachelor’s degree preferred; at least 2 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, preferably on the programs side. 
  • Able to read, comprehend, and effectively communicate technical memoranda, office documents, program policies, budgets, and other important documents.
  • Able to respond effectively and sensitively to inquiries or complaints.
  • Able to focus in the face of pressure, deliver against timelines and not be intimidated by tasks/time limitations.
  • Able to gain the respect and trust of others through honesty, integrity and authenticity.
  • Broad knowledge base of topics including, but not limited to, the Navajo Nation, working on Native Nations, water poverty in the United States and internationally, and the WASH sector.
  • Understanding and appreciation of humanitarian principles.
  • Working knowledge of both PC and Mac, Slack, Google Business suite, Microsoft Office suite, Airtable, GIS and other relevant software.
  • Fluency/strong proficiency in the Navajo language preferred.
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