Administrative Assistant at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

Summary of responsibilities:

Procurement and Vendor Management

• Procurement Coordination.
  • Coordinate procurement processes for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), ensuring compliance with organizational policies and guidelines.
  • Raise ESA CAPEX requisitions and ensure timely follow-up with procurement teams.
• Vendor Management.
  • Evaluate vendor performance to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.
  • Upload vendor performance reports for access by the team.

Germplasm Movement.

• Process SMTAs (Standard Material Transfer Agreements) for germplasm movement, ensuring adherence to legal and procedural requirements.
• Maintain an updated database of germplasm movement records.
• Manage the processing of KeMHPIS documents, oversee DHL shipments and logistics clearance, and coordinate with procurement to ensure seamless execution.

Grants and Financial Management

• Subgrant Management.
  • Draft and upload subgrant agreements on SGM and ICERTIS platforms.
  • Maintain an updated Subgrants Tracker.
  • Upload partner documents for payments.
  • Notify partners of payments and track confirmation of receipt.
  • Donations Management.
  • Coordinate donations, ensuring proper documentation and alignment with applicable
    project goals.

Asset Management.

• Maintain the DCP ESA assets register, ensuring accurate records of storage, maintenance,
  and usage.
• Coordinate periodic audits to ensure accountability.

Knowledge Management

• On-line information repositories.
  • Lead and manage the upload of critical project information on platforms such as Teamwork and PMP.
  • Support the program Manager to develop and oversee a detailed calendar of critical
    project milestones and necessary follow-ups.

Program and Team Support

• Provide clerical support to the ADCIN Steering Committee, including documentation, meeting organization, and communication follow-ups.
• Maintain an organized repository of ADCIN documentation for easy access.
• Support DCP scientists:
  • Raising purchase requisitions (PRs).
  • Organizing internal team meetings.
  • Processing non-HSBC (credit card) expenses.
  • Ensuring timely documentation and follow-up on action points from meetings.
• Teamwork: contribute to DCP’s Admin Team success by learning new tasks, rotating responsibilities, covering for each other during leaves, etc.

Documentation and Knowledge Management

• Post and maintain breeding team, Subgrants, Procurement, ADCIN, Donations, Assets, SMTAs, and other documentation on DCP Teams to ensure accessibility and proper knowledge management.
• Implement a structured folder system to enhance document retrieval efficiency.

Requirements:

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience as an administrative assistant or similar role, preferably in an international or non-profit organization setting.

Personal attributes and competencies

• Proficient in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and familiar with administrative
  management systems and cloud-based platforms.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to multitask.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English; Swahili is desirable.
• High level of discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team environment and under tight deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and well within teams.