Project Management Lead

WorldFish seeks to create an inclusive world of healthy, well-nourished people and a sustainable blue planet, now and in the future. We provide research and innovation in aquatic food systems to support sustainable development and food system transformation toward healthy and resilient diets. Our 2030 WorldFish Research and Innovation Strategy: Aquatic Foods for Healthy People and Planet outlines our commitment to guiding the transition to more resilient aquatic food systems in three priority impact areas: Social and Economic Inclusion, Nutrition and Public Health, and Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability.

About the Position

The post holder leads on project management quality and delivery excellence across the WorldFish research for development portfolio. The role will ensure projects are delivered with the highest research quality, best management practices and international standards including CGIAR performance standards in line with contractual requirements; on budget, on time and to the intended impact. Leading the Project Management team and working closely with research leads across the organization, the Lead is responsible for ensuring all projects are implemented and delivered effectively and efficiently in line with quality and industry best practice.

The responsibilities are multifaceted, though primarily, it provides leadership across the team, research leaders and project stakeholders to ensure effective integration of quality project management across WorldFish. This ensures the highest standards are maintained through a culture of continual learning and innovation. The scope covers all projects from global and country level aligned to the WorldFish strategy.

On a day to day basis, the Lead will proactively and systematically work with different teams, project leaders, and partners, to build a robust internal project implementation steps, well aligned with research quality standards and monitoring, evaluation and learning including Project Cycle Management (PCM), integration with MEL (monitoring, evaluation and learning) and adaptive management. The role will interact closely with a newly established Business Development peer working at the design and development phase (pre-implementation) and is responsible for the following stages within the project cycle management:

• Project start-up – set up is fit for purpose and appropriate risks identified, controlled and mitigated; fully integrating research quality standards and monitoring, evaluation and learning processes;
• Project execution – implementation at each milestone is delivered on time, to a high standard and within budget requirements;
• Project closure – close-out is timely, managing risks, costs, resources; and
• Project follow-up – post-implementation review and document lessons learned.

Further, the post holder will look to foster and strengthen linkages and collaboration, at all levels, across the organization.

The successful candidate will:

• Oversight the implementation and delivery of all projects across the organization to ensure high quality delivery of all projects in compliance with organizational and donor requirements.
• Engage and collaborate with project leaders, research leaders and country directors across the organization and partners, with a specific focus on integrating high quality project management across the research and country program, to improve organizational performance, including on-time delivery of contractual milestones, research quality and performance standards and the management of organizational risk throughout the project lifecycle.
• Collaborate effectively with research teams focused on research quality improvement to ensure that corporate processes related to implementation and delivery are well integrated with the organizational requirements for the delivery of high quality research and impact.
• Convene and facilitate collaborative teams to build organizational and individual capacity to innovate, learn and strengthen performance in implementation and delivery, continually drawing and applying lessons for improvement, through an evidence-based approach.
• Lead the development of and enhance organizational project delivery system and tools, ensuring integration with other organization systems like monitoring and evaluation, research data management and the resources allocation system.
• In collaboration with the MEL and data management team, lead the development of and enhance organizational project delivery system and tools.
• Ensure data integrity of projects amongst different organizational platforms related to corporate data.
• Develop and implement effective business and cost efficiency and effectiveness strategies to ensure adoption of tools and mechanisms that support project delivery.
• Generate and use data to continually review and adapt service delivery, cost and operating model to ensure ongoing sustainability and effectiveness.
• Support Project Leaders in contract re-negotiations and extensions.
• Any other duties that may be required to improvement of project quality and delivery.

• Lead, manage and coach the team based on WorldFish leadership principles and performance management system.