Vacant Positions at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

The Business Operations Analyst – Africa serves as a strategic partner to the Regional BSD Manager by providing operational analytics, business intelligence, performance monitoring, governance support, project coordination, and reporting across all Business Services Department (BSD) functions in Africa.

The role supports Procurement, Fleet Management, Travel Management, Inventory and Warehouse Management, Asset Management, Vendor Management, and other BSD operational activities by establishing performance monitoring frameworks, coordinating strategic initiatives, tracking action plans, supporting training and change management efforts, and transforming operational data into actionable business insights.

The incumbent is responsible for ensuring regional visibility of operational performance, monitoring execution of strategic priorities, supporting compliance with institutional procedures, and enabling data-driven decision-making across BSD operations in Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain BSD regional dashboards, scorecards, and management reports.
• Extract, validate, analyze, and synthesize data from D365 and other institutional systems.
• Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual operational performance reports.
• Prepare executive presentations, briefing materials, and management updates.
• Develop reporting tools that provide visibility into operational performance, risks, trends, and opportunities.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and operational planning exercises through data analysis.
• Coordinate regional BSD projects and strategic initiatives.
• Maintain project trackers, action logs, milestone reports, and risk registers.
• Monitor procurement cycle times, sourcing activities, and service delivery performance.
• Monitor fleet utilization, maintenance costs, fuel consumption, and vehicle performance indicators.
• Monitor travel expenditures, travel service levels, and vendor performance.
• Monitor inventory levels, stock movements, and warehouse utilization across the region.
• Analyze inventory turnover rates and identify slow-moving, obsolete, or excess stock.
• Track completion of BSD training programs across the region.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Supply Chain Management,Operations Management, Data Analytics, Information Systems, Logistics, Finance, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in business operations, supply chain, procurement, inventory management, analytics, project coordination, or operational excellence.

Benefits

• This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position. CIFOR-ICRAF offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications. In Kenya, employment contracts are issued under ICRAF in compliance with Kenyan labour law. Locally recruited staff are eligible for a non-contributory pension scheme, comprehensive medical insurance, paid annual and statutory leave, and learning and development opportunities in line with CIFOR-ICRAF policies.
• The appointment will be for a period of two (2) years, inclusive of a six (6) month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
• The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Key responsabilities:

• Support the contract lifecycle, assisting with drafting from approved templates, formatting, version control, amendment, release, and quality control for agreements entered into by CIMMYT with national and international public and private entities, under the direction of the Regional Legal Counsel and in coordination with the Operations Legal Counsel at HQ Legal.
• Perform contract management activities (intake, verification, follow-up of documents, signature preparation, and processing (Cover Sheet Preparation and Adobe Sign process) and execution tracking through the CLM.
• Maintain matter files, records of regional agreements and host country instruments, and version histories, observing the Department's confidentiality and need-to-know protocols.
• Operate the regional legal control desk assigning, following up, and processing tickets and requests through the Department's systems.
• Support the updating, creation, and implementation of processes, practices, guidelines, procedures, and workflow optimization that improve the day-to-day efficiency of the legal function and advance the Regional Legal Operating Model.
• Support the rollout and adoption of Legal Department tools (Ticketing System, CLM, Adobe Sign, D365) within the region and among internal clients, including workflow automation.
• Support the maintenance of processes, KPIs, and dashboards that enable accurate and timely service and the continuous improvement of CLM processes, including automation and reporting.
• Provide administrative and document support to the Regional Legal Counsel across the regional portfolio.
• Assist with coordination of external counsel: assembling instruction packages, collecting documents, tracking deadlines, and monitoring invoices and fee follow-up, under the direction of the Regional Legal Counsel.
• Maintain trackers of regional deadlines, renewals, and obligations, and provide timely reminders.
• Prepare agendas, attend meetings, take minutes, capture and follow up on action items, and prepare briefing materials for participants, coordinating across time zones with HQ Legal.
• Maintain lists, status charts, and matter/agreement data integral to the Department; curate agreement and document databases.
• Track and report a high volume of tasks daily through the Department's dashboards and KPI tools to support progress updates to relevant areas.
• Carry out administrative tasks including expense reports, payment processing, travel arrangements, advances, accommodation, and documentation; liaise with Procurement on services, purchases, equipment, and supplies for the Department.
• Provide other support as directed by the supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Law.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience in a legal support, paralegal, or contract administration role in a company, law firm, or international organization.
• Full professional proficiency in English (minimum C1 CEFR; test administered).
• Proficient computer skills (at a minimum Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat); familiarity with CLM systems (ICERTIS an advantage) and willingness to learn and master new tools.
• Excellent organizational, writing, research, and communication skills, including the ability to handle legal documentation accurately and to communicate clearly with non-legal stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality and discretion.
• A demonstrated sense of urgency and commitment to responsibilities and deadlines.
• Competencies: Proactivity, Communication, Problem Solving, Achievement Orientation, Flexibility/Adaptability, Multicultural Awareness/Sensitivity, Teamwork, Time Management, and Collaboration

Benefits

• This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position. CIFOR-ICRAF offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications. In Kenya, employment contracts are issued under ICRAF in compliance with Kenyan labour law. Locally recruited staff are eligible for a non-contributory pension scheme, comprehensive medical insurance, paid annual and statutory leave, and learning and development opportunities in line with CIFOR-ICRAF policies.
• The appointment will be for a period of two (2) years, inclusive of a six (6) month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
• The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.

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Key responsabilities:

• Support the Regional Finance Manager in executing regional finance oversight, compliance monitoring, quality assurance, and risk management activities across country offices within the assigned region.
• Perform financial reviews, compliance testing, transaction sampling, data analysis, and working paper preparation to support risk-based oversight activities and finance reviews.
• Monitor implementation of institutional finance policies, internal controls, audit recommendations, and corrective action plans across country offices, identifying and escalating risks, control weaknesses, and compliance concerns.
• Prepare regional dashboards, management reports, compliance monitoring reports, risk analyses, and financial performance reviews to support regional oversight and decision-making.
• Coordinate with country finance teams, headquarters finance functions, and regional stakeholders to support governance, continuous improvement, finance transformation initiatives, and implementation of institutional standards and best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Audit, Business Administration, Economics, or related field.
• Professional accounting or audit qualification preferred (CPA, ACCA, CA, CIA, CMA, CISA, or equivalent).
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in finance, accounting, audit, compliance, internal controls, risk management, or financial analysis.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, governance frameworks, compliance monitoring, risk management, and audit processes.
• Experience supporting audits, compliance reviews, financial monitoring, assurance activities, or multi-country finance operations.
• Strong analytical, reporting, documentation, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience working with ERP systems, financial reporting tools, dashboards, and data analytics solutions.
• Experience in international organizations, CGIAR centers, NGOs, donorfunded environments, or multi-country operations is highly desirable.

Benefits

• This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position. CIFOR-ICRAF offers a competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience and qualifications. In Kenya, employment contracts are issued under ICRAF in compliance with Kenyan labour law. Locally recruited staff are eligible for a non-contributory pension scheme, comprehensive medical insurance, paid annual and statutory leave, and learning and development opportunities in line with CIFOR-ICRAF policies.
• • The appointment will be for a period of two (2) years, inclusive of a six (6) month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
• •The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya.