Project Manager

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is not-for-profit agricultural research for development organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is seeking a dynamic, self-motivated, and service-oriented professional for the position of Project Manager to assist in overseeing management of a range of inter-related projects that are primarily operational in Bangladesh, but that also include activities in Nepal, India, and in Pakistan, and other locations in Asia.

The position is based at CIMMYT’s office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but will interact regularly with administrative and supportive systems at CIMMYT headquarters and in South Asia.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Under direction from the Project Leader, be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project.
• Coordinate with other CIMMYT project leaders and project managers.
• Supervise Field Office (FO) Leaders and the implementation of FO work plans under the projects.
• Prepare and provide broad scope briefings and advice to Project Leaders, Country Representative, and donor(s).
• Establish contact and maintain lasting rapport with project partners, private sector, international consultants, NGOs, government, and CG partners.
• Manage budgets:
  • Prepare project budgets, upload, and conduct budget revision based on project work plans as required.
  • Review monthly expenditures by conducting budget analytics and building alternate scenarios; review all transactions for accuracy, identify issues and apply corrective action.
  • Review field office liquidation reports and funds requests.
  • Review and assign budget codes for expenditures as needed.
  • Support asset procurements and asset inventories as required.
  • Administer and realign the budget according to CIMMYT’s policies and establish a significant working relationship with HQ in support of this activity.
• Manage contracts:
  • Draft and facilitate sub-agreements with partners.
  • Ensure timely submission of financial and technical reports from partners/sub-grantees.
  • Ensure disbursement of payments as required.
  • Manage contracts and consultancies.
• Support M&E and donor reporting:
  • Support M&E staff to do indicator reporting if required by donor.
  • Lead the compilation of content for the annual and semi-annual reports.
  • Take the lead in annual planning of project activities, compile detailed implementation plans (DIPs) and manage, assign and monitor implementation with project management software.
• Support project communications team as required:
  • Generate and/or ensure the production of content for the project portfolio communications platforms, potentially including websites, newsletters, brochures, success stories, research notes, reports, and social media posts.
  • Edit written materials produced by the project.
  • Review and approve communications-related expenditures and investments.
• Support the projects’ HR activities including recruitment, staff on-boarding, and annual performance evaluations.
• Organize the project’s leadership committee meetings, technical meetings, and planning meetings.
• Work closely with the Regional Program Manager to ensure best practices for project management and if required liaise closely with CIMMYT headquarters, including program management, human resources, project management unit, and Communications.
• Serve as a liaison for implementing partners.
• Oversee project staff as required and conduct an annual performance review of staff assigned under your supervision.
• Foster relationship with Director General’s office, Program Directors, Project Leaders, and the Communications Unit.

Required academic qualifications, skills, and attitudes:

• Applied Master’s degree in fields related to International Development, Development Studies concentrating on Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Management or Business. Other fields of study will be considered if applicable and based on the candidate’s demonstrated experience.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant work experience, demonstrating progressive management experience, particularly in fields driven by donor-funded especially USAID-funded projects (agriculture, industry, business, and market development).
• Strong ability to multi-task and demonstrated experience managing multiple activities and meeting the demands of competing and urgent project timelines.
• Demonstrated active participation and understanding of agriculture, business, and manufacturing in Bangladesh especially on market needs and light manufacturing industries to promote agriculture mechanization in Bangladesh.
• Comprehensive experience in M&E, MRM, and MIS, and relationship to Value Chain approaches, with substantive (at least 10 years) experience in conceptualizing M&E.
• Excellent writing skills and elocution in English with considerable and demonstrated experience in writing and editing English-language communications products or reports.
• Demonstrated ability of highly effective communication and collaboration skills for internal and external activities with highly diversified people with significantly different skill and language levels.
• Highly advanced use of Microsoft Office suite of applications, Teamwork and/or ClickUp for Project Management, MIS, and database management with special focus on geospatial data analysis and data visualization.
• Proven ability to organize and coordinate diverse tasks with strong self-motivation and solutions orientation.
• The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Teamwork, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Critical and Creative Thinking, Client Orientation and Communication.

The position is for Bangladesh Nationals for an initial fixed-term contract of 1-year subject to completion of probationary period as per policy, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT will provide a nationally competitive salary and benefits that include comprehensive health and life insurance, paid vacation, contributions to a retirement plan, and a range of other benefits as required by Bangladesh law.

To apply for this position, please email cover letter and CV no later than 10 April, 2022 to Human Resources, CIMMYT (Email: CIM-Recruitment-BD@cgiar.org). Please indicate Position Name & Job Ref no-B22122 in the subject of your email.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.