VACS Capacity Project Lead at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

General Project Management.

• Coordinate a large team including sub-contractors, sub grantees, staff, consultants, Hubs, scholars and professionals.
• Work with different stakeholders in project implementation
• Ensure timely delivery of all relevant deliverables according to the project workplans and oversee financial management as per USAID and CIMMYT policies
• Liaise with donor, project partners, and stakeholders, and respond to their requests as necessary, attend quarterly donor meetings
• Develop progress reports, backstop weekly highlights, and coordinate their timely submissions.
• Lead the development of annual work plans and oversee project procurement and Monitoring evaluation and Learning.
• Build, develop, negotiate and nurture partnerships with suppliers, public and private sector organizations, CGIAR Centers, academia, and others
• Develop suitable contracting documents in collaboration with CIMMYT’s legal team and ensure timely and effective implementation of partnering agreements such as subgrants and consultancies.
• Prepare, attend, and coordinate field visits for partners and donors and organize workshops, trainings, and field meetings.
• Be the main point of contact for donors in the VACS Capacity Activity.
• Represent the VACS Capacity activity in all relevant meetings with government stakeholders.
• Perform any other duties required in furtherance of project activities and assigned.

VACS Capacity Project Activity Startup Phase management.

• Develop Strategic VACS project documents: Contribute to developing strategic direction of the project including Annual workplans, MEL Plans (Working with MEL team), and project communication plan in line CIMMYT and USAID procedures.

VACS Steering Committees.

• Plan Steering committee calendar of meetings.
• Develop the Expression of Interest and share it with the steering committee for their approval.
• Ensure that the Steering committee’s meeting minutes are filled and shared with the members.
• Work with Steering committee to identify and choose the Selection Committee Members

Project Communication and Reporting.

• Support the development of the VACS Capacity Communication materials.
• Support the VACS Capacity Website page frequent content creation.
• Lead the development of the VACS Periodic reports to USAID and for internal CIMMYT management reports.

Requirements

• MSc or MBA in agronomy/agricultural engineering/mechanization/agricultural economics (a PhD would be a plus).
• At least seven years of practical experience in managing multi-million-dollar projects (preferably smallholder mechanization projects).
• Strong knowledge on the mechanization value and supply chains and business models.
• Experience with USAID-funded Feed the Future projects, ME&L, and reporting.
• High proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Demonstrated experience with strong report writing skills.
• Record of high-quality publications and experience in translating research results into promotional (e.g., bulletins, booklets, leaflets, blogs, etc.) and training materials.
• Support and advance CIMMYT's research agenda and position it with key stakeholders and in meetings and fora.
• Computer literacy, with proficiency in the common software packages.
• Ability to work in multi-cultural environments and in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Willingness to spend considerable time away from home.
• Demonstrated project leadership and management, team building and cohesion.
• The selected candidate should exhibit the following competencies: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Decision Making, Teamwork, and Communication.