Project Coordinator (AIASCA) at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

Background

• Through cooperation between 10 CGIAR Centres, the Excellence in Agronomy (EiA) Initiative responds to renewed public and private sector demand for scalable agronomic innovations as an engine for agricultural development through the delivery of agronomic gain in the Global South
• . This has been done through four Work Packages, ORGANIZE (with integrative methods for demand assessment, investment, prioritization, and the formation of alliances to support change), TRANSFORM (data and knowledge into action with next-generation research approaches, algorithms, and tools for guiding strategic and tactical decision making),
• INNOVATE (insights with impact-oriented science matched to demand to fill key knowledge gaps for yield, resource use efficiencies, and climate adaptation) and DELIVER (agronomy solutions for enhanced decision-making with the public, private and civil society partners). EiA has received additional funding to accelerate agronomic innovations (the project), to be implemented across four of the EiA Countries (Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria), with a targeted implementation in Ethiopia initially.
• The implementation of the project is in collaboration with four CG Centres.
• IITA is looking for a talented, creative, and dynamic individual to support the global core team in the coordination and implementation of activities related (but not limited) to the additional funding.
• The successful candidate will report to the EiA Chief Growth Officer and will be a member of the EiA Core Team.

Position Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation of the project, ensuring full compliance with the Grant Agreement and delivery of agreed outcomes.
• Coordinate the project implementation activities across the four CG centres in the four countries paying attention to the project work in Ethiopia.
• Ensure all contractual obligations in the Grant Agreement are adhered to and respected by all implementing partners.
• Coordinate all technical and financial reporting from the four countries and all the implementing centers and partners to ensure timely and complete reports submitted within the agreed timelines.
• Budget management and oversight; monitor expenditure across centres to ensure compliance with approved budget, monitor burn rates against activity and delivery of outcomes and implementation of agreed project activities.
• Monitoring and evaluation: Support the MELIA team to ensure agreed outcomes and outputs are achieved, with clear and demonstrable evidence and adequately reported on, and support the data collection efforts associated with reporting progress and informing strategy.
• Coordinate the project technical working group and participating CG centres, National Agriculture Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and others, to ensure smooth implementation of activities, knowledge sharing and distribution of resources as agreed.
• Build strong partnerships and networks with regional and sub-regional organizations involved in development, deployment financing and implementation of agronomic solutions such as NGO’s, private sector, academia and research institutes and regional bodies.
• Support the identification, vetting, and selection of partnerships within the regions that can lead to viable use cases and agronomy innovations to complement or build on existing EiA solutions.
• Facilitate the identification of capacity gaps within partner organisations and develop capacity building strategies and partnerships to overcome these gaps.
• Actively participate in the EiA Core Team operations to ensure successful delivery of the overall EiA Initiatives commitments.
• Understand, subscribe to and promote the six dimensions of agronomy across all project partners.
• Act as the focal point for the IITA sub-office in Ethiopia and undertake all functions related to the management of a sub-office in compliance with IITA policies while respecting the Hosting Agreement.
• Supervise and motivate support staff based at the IITA Ethiopia sub-office.

Educational Qualifications
The desired candidate will have:

• A Master’s Degree (preferably a Ph.D.) in a relevant field (such as Agriculture, International Development, Business Management, or Economics).
• 7 - 10 years work experience.
• At least seven years of extensive experience post-advanced degree related to Agriculture Research & Development, project management, or business development, preferably in developing countries.
• Proven experience in agriculture and economic development project management, Agricultural R&D, and donor funding in developing countries or African settings.
• Experience with development policy, legal and institutional frameworks, as well as the technical aspects of projects.
• Extensive experience with fundraising and donor ecosystem in the region.

Core Competencies:

• Proven skills in successful project coordination and management, including oversight of any risks and issues that may arise.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and communication skills and capacity to present convincingly, discuss and negotiate with high-level country officials.
• Blend of analytical, observational, organizational, and networking skills.
• Familiarity with the policies and procedures of multilateral and bilateral institutions.
• Work experience in International or National Agricultural centres on the African continent.
• Experience with the development of policy, legal, and institutional frameworks, as well as the financial and technical aspects of projects.
• Familiarity with the policies and procedures of multilateral and bilateral institutions.
• Demonstrated commitment to making organizational and corporate decisions.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a multicultural team environment.
• Background in the public sector and/or government engagement on the African continent.
• Excellent proficiencies in both written and spoken English.

General information

• The contract will be for an initial period of three years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.