SERVICES OVERVIEW

Organization

Animal Rights and Defence of the Environment (ARDE)

Type

Freelance / Contractor

Location

Fully remote, location must be compatible to have calls with people in CET zone

 JOIN THE MISSION

At ARDE, we fight to end the exploitation of animals and the destruction of our planet. Through undercover investigations and strategic campaigns, we expose the industries that others try to hide.

We are a young, fierce organization that moves fast. We don't have corporate resources, so we rely on truth, strategy, and efficiency. We are looking for a Digital Guardian to ensure our digital tools—the backbone of our investigations and mobilizations—are as sharp and effective as our mission.

YOUR SERVICES: "THE BRIDGE & THE BUILDER" 

This is not a traditional IT Project Manager role. You won't just be managing tickets; you will be equipping our investigators and campaigners with the tools they need to win.

1. Protect the War Chest: Every euro we save on vendor fees is a euro that funds an investigation. You negotiate hard and protect our budget.

2. Fix it Fast: When a campaign launches and the reporting spreadsheet throws an error or a critical email automation stops, you solve it quickly using the decision framework below.

DECISION FRAMEWORK: FIX VS. DELEGATE

YOU'LL FIX DIRECTLY:

• Broken automations, formulas, or workflows you can solve in <30 minutes

• Urgent* issues affecting day-to-day operations

• Small text changes or settings updates

*We don't expect you to be on-call 24/7. 'Fix directly' means you fix it during your work block, not that you wake up at 3 AM.

YOU'LL MANAGE/DELEGATE:

• Custom development requiring specialized coding skills

• Tasks where the cost of your time (strategy) > cost of a junior dev

• Specialized integrations beyond no-code tools

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategic "No-Saying" (The Guardian): You will stop us from solving the wrong problems. If we ask for a complex custom app, you are the one to say: "No, let's just use a €29 plugin instead." You prioritize ruthlessly to keep us focused.

2. Vendor Management (The Manager): You translate our fuzzy needs ("We need a campaign page") into clear, written technical specs for external developers. You review their code/delivery, test it personally, and hold them accountable to deadlines.

3. Internal Ops (The Builder): You maintain and improve our low-code stack. This means creating Zapier/Make automations (e.g., Website → Brevo → Sheets), fixing broken Google Sheet formulas, and debugging WordPress errors.

4. Translation (The Communicator): You explain technical concepts to our non-technical team in plain English—no jargon, just clarity.

VENDOR & PROJECT MANAGEMENT SCOPE

• Typical project size: €200-€10,000 (website updates, integrations, custom features)

• Frequency: 1-3 external projects per quarter

• Your role: Scope requirements, obtain quotes, select vendors, manage delivery

• Budget authority: Autonomy up to €250; higher amounts require director approval

TECHNICAL SKILLS REQUIRED

We're looking for a Technical Generalist. You don't need to be a developer, but you should be comfortable with the following:

• Edit and troubleshoot Google Sheets formulas (VLOOKUP, IF statements, array formulas)

• Troubleshoot basic WordPress issues (plugin conflicts, updates, minor CSS tweaks)

• Build and maintain automations in Zapier or Make (intermediate level)

• Learn new tools quickly and figure things out through documentation and experimentation

Nice to have (but not required): Basic scripting skills (JavaScript, Python), experience with CRM systems, familiarity with email marketing platforms.

THE STACK YOU WILL OWN

Project Management

Asana

Data & Ops

Google Sheets (Advanced), Zapier/Make

Web & Marketing

WordPress, Brevo

Communication

Slack (async-first culture)

APPLY IF YOU ARE...

• Mission-Obsessed: You understand that 'efficiency' isn't a buzzword—it's how we save more animals. You are fiercely protective of our resources.

• Strategically Scrappy: You know that an ugly spreadsheet that works is better than a beautiful app that costs €10k. You are happy to do the dirty work to get a campaign live.

• Exceptionally Clear Writer: We work asynchronously to move fast. You write constraints so clearly that developers know exactly what to do without needing a meeting.

• Technically Curious: You love 'tinkering' with tools to see how they can amplify our impact.

DO NOT APPLY IF...

• You think every problem requires a 30-minute meeting.

• You believe Google Sheets isn't a 'real database' and want to migrate us to Salesforce immediately.

• You are a 'Pass-through Manager' who relies on developers for even small text changes or settings updates.

• You struggle to say 'No' to clients and agree to deadlines that are impossible.

• You don't feel the urgency of the mission*. We need someone who understands why we are doing this.

*MISSION ALIGNMENT

You don't need prior experience in animal rights or environmental professional work, but you should:

• Genuinely care about defending animal rights and environmental destruction

• Be willing to learn about our cause area

• Feel energized (not just professionally interested) by our mission

.

WORK AVAILABILITY 

• We are looking for someone that works in a time zone where 2-3 of your regular working hours overlap with CET business hours (9am-5pm) for weekly sync and urgent coordination

• Monthly planning call with team lead (scheduled in advance)

CONTRACTOR DETAILS

• Independent contractor/freelance arrangement

• Monthly invoicing; payment within 15 days of invoice receipt

• You provide: your own computer and reliable internet connection

• We provide: access to ARDE software subscriptions and tools

GROWTH & LONGEVITY

This is an ongoing collaboration, as we expect to need your services for several projects throughout the year.

Opportunity to shape digital operations at a growing advocacy organization.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE 

Systems uptime

Campaign Readiness: 100% uptime during launch windows; critical donation/petition pages never down for >1 hour

Issue resolution
Critical bugs fixed within 1 work block;
Non-critical tasks scheduled for the next block

Team satisfaction

Team reports that digital tools "just work"

Strategic thinking

You propose 1-2 meaningful improvements per quarter and provide the team with input for decision-making

Cost efficiency

You maintain or reduce digital tool spending while improving functionality

Value delivery

Priority projects built by external developers are delivered on time and with high quality

HOW TO PRESENT YOUR SERVICES

Send your services to: info@arde.global

Subject line: Digital Product Lead - [Your Name]

Your email must include:

1. Your hourly rate expectation 

2. Brief explanation (max 300 words) about your mission alignment and relevant experience

3. CV or a link to your LinkedIn or portfolio

4. Your availability start date

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I don't have all the technical skills listed. Should I still apply?

A: Yes! If you have 60%+ of the skills and demonstrate strong learning ability, we encourage you to apply.

Q: What time zone are you in?

A: Our team is primarily based in Spain (CET timezone).

Q: Do you need prior experience in animal rights or nonprofit work?

A: No. We value mission alignment and genuine interest in our cause, but prior nonprofit experience is not required.