job Programme Management Officer, Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa (BecA), Nairobi

Closing Date: Sunday, 30 May 2010
ILRI/CGIAR Campus, Nairobi

The Africa-based, globally networked International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) helps reduce poverty, hunger and environmental degradation by enhancing animal agriculture in developing countries. ILRI positions its work at the dynamic interface of poverty alleviation and sustainable livestock livelihoods. Our staff work in partnerships and alliances with hundreds of organizations in developed and developing countries, including some of the finest universities and research institutions in the world. ILRI also manages Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA), a new centre of excellence in modern plant, microbe and livestock research in Africa. It consists of a hub based on the ILRI campus in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as a network of regional nodes and other affiliated laboratories and organizations throughout the region. The BecA-ILRI Hub facilitates, hosts and conducts crop, microbe and livestock research, translating new developments in science to address previously intractable problems constraining Africa’s development. Capacity building is a major goal of all activities. The scope covers agriculture, food security, their intersections with human health and nutrition, and the sustainable use of Africa’s natural resources. Further information is available at http://hub.africabiosciences.org/

The BecA-ILRI Hub seeks to recruit a dynamic and competent Programme Management Officer. The person reports to the Director of the BecA-ILRI Hub and will work closely with various ILRI Departments & Units (Finance & Administration, HR, ICT, Resource Mobilization, Intellectual Property, etc).

Specific responsibilities include:

* Research Management which includes: Reviewing and drafting documents (e.g. concept papers, proposals and reports) to check conformity to agreed templates, and consistency with project objectives, work plans and/or milestones.

* Progress report preparation, including monitoring of milestones and status of deliverables in work plans.

* Supporting development of project proposals and maintaining an up to date resource mobilization list..

* Assisting in organizing/coordinating workshops/conferences.

* Budgets and Accounting, including: Assisting in the preparation of budgets, including budgets for grant applications; working with Finance, to ensure that financial reports prepared conform to donor/investor guidelines/formats and quarterly monitoring of expenditures for Hub operations.

* Review and update regularly Hub access fees and schedules.

* Support BecA communication efforts which include: Coordinating presentations for annual report, annual planning meeting, internal/external reviews and maintain databases of projects, collaborators and donors.

* Office Management which includes: Development of efficient filing systems and databases for print and electronic files/documents; provide oversight on data archive for Projects and capacity building.


Preferred Skills and qualifications:

* A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. Economics, Business Administration, Management, Commerce) or a Master’s degree (MPA, MBA, MSc.) with at least 5 or 2 years of relevant work experience respectively.

* Experience in financial management and budgeting.

* Work experience in an international NGO or an international organization, and in a multicultural environment.

* Demonstrated ability to work independently and within a team setting.

* Strong leadership, interpersonal and team building skills.

* Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

* Ability to work autonomously, yet keep others informed.

* Good judgement and willingness to take initiative.

* Excellent attention to details.

Terms of appointment: This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Nairobi campus and is open to Kenyan nationals only. The position is on a 2-year contract renewable subject to six months probation period, satisfactory performance and availability of funding. Salary and benefits will be in line with those provided within ILRI’s NRS scheme.

Applicants should send a cover letter expressing their interest (please quote current and expected remuneration), detailed CV, names and contact details (Telephone, E-mail) of three professional referees to e-mail: recruit-ilri-Ken@cgiar.org by Sunday, 30th May 2010.

The position title and reference number “PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT OFFICER-PMO/BecA/05/10” should be clearly indicated on the subject line of the email application. We regret but only online applications will be considered and only short listed candidates will be contacted.

To find more about ILRI and the BecA-ILRI Hub, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org and http://hub.africabiosciences.org
ILRI is an equal opportunities employer.