Project Administrator at Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Project planning and tracking

• Project planning and tracking
• Provide administrative and project management support to the breeding teams for the execution of CGIAR-NARES crop improvement networks activities/projects (e.g., infrastructure development, development of standard operating procedures for breeding operations, webinar series, etc.)
• Follow-ups with functional representatives (e.g., Human Resources, Finance, Procurement) to ensure timely delivery of agreed tasks and early identification of challenges/ dependencies.
• Facilitate and document planning of projects at detailed task level with timelines, identification of RACI and Gantt chart.
• Regular communication of progress to the breeding teams and escalation in case of delays
• Prepare regular status reports, and dashboard tracking updates of projects - identify bottlenecks affecting execution and propose solutions. 
• affecting execution and propose solutions. 

General administration and logistics

• General administration and logistics.
• Facilitate and support the organization of on-site, off-site, and virtual meetings and presentations for the projects.
• Planning of meetings, scheduling, logistic needs, follow up and documentation of decisions and follow-up actions.

Support finance and budget

• Develop budgets and monitor budget utilization.
• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or biological science with 2 years of project management experience, or
• Bachelors in any subject, with minimum 3 years of project management experience (certification in Project Management (PMP) is desired), with 2 years of experience in agricultural projects.
• Experience in general administration

Personal attributes and competencies

• Knowledge of project management software, the latest collaboration tools (e.g., Slack), MS Office Suite, and MS-Visio is required.
• Ability to solve complex issues/ challenges during implementation, detail-oriented – proactive thinker and anticipate challenges and plans for solutions.
• Multi-tasker with attention to detail focused on the big picture and desired outcomes.
• Ability to speak, read, communicate – English (essential), French (highly desirable).
• Ability to analyze data, situations or problems, evaluate possible courses of action.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, and desire to thrive in a multi-cultural international environment.
• Ability to demonstrate financial and non-financial resource awareness.
• Ability to ensure compliance and mitigates risk.