Technical Partnerships Manager

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

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

CIMMYT is seeking an experienced professional to support the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (www.csisa.org) project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the US Agency for International Development. CSISA is CIMMYT’s flagship for sustainable intensification in South Asia and incorporates programming across the innovation to impact continuum in Nepal, Bangladesh, and selected states in India.

Position title: Technical Partnerships Manager

Reference No: N20175

Duty station: Kathmandu

Major duties and responsibilities

• Take a leadership role in day-to-day partnership management of the CSISA project and associated investments
• Assure project integration and close collaboration with provincial and central governments, international and national research and development partners.
• Take a leadership role in negotiating agreements with the private sector, and working to represent the project and assure project delivery through private-sector market-systems led mechanisms.
• Work closely with the project leader, project manager, and CIMMYT country representative in liaising with provincial and central governments, international and national research and development partners. 
• Establish and maintain strong linkages between partner institutions and effectively manage stakeholder expectations, while ensuring clarity about roles and responsibilities among institutions and project team members.
• Take a leadership role in coordinating efforts to raise awareness about project activities, products, and outcomes among stakeholders, partners, policymakers, and the general public.
• Liaise and coordinate with other relevant projects led by CIMMYT and with other organizations in the country to increase synergies and complementarities.
• Clearly communicate the activities, results, outcomes, and impacts of the project(s) in meetings with the funding agencies and other stakeholders.
• Within the context of a team, take a leadership role in monitoring and evaluation and reporting efforts in Nepal by providing quality input and reports in a timely manner (as indicated by project lead).
• Lead planning and implementation for training and workshops.
• Coordinate communications between field offices and project leadership and management. 
• Cooperate with project management on advising in the appropriate use of project budgets.
• Represent project leadership in meetings/trainings/workshops held by local and national stakeholders.

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• PhD or Master’s degree (the latter under exemplary circumstances) in Agricultural Science/Environmental Science, agricultural extension or a social science discipline related to agriculture, or related disciplines.
• At least 10 years of professional work experience in agricultural development projects.
• Demonstrated experience of high level governmental and private sector coordination
• Experience in developing and managing public-private sector partnerships
• Demonstrated outcomes and involvement in market systems oriented development projects.
• Strong understanding of national agricultural research systems opportunities and constraints, and ability to identify and implement partnerships to assist in national agricultural R&D development.
• Advanced level managerial competence in a field project capacity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports, success stories, and promotional materials.
• Knowledge of USAID programs and procedures, with emphasis on monitoring and evaluation procedures.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Complexity of thinking needed: Work is complex and technical in scope. 
  • Regularly requires a combination of mental abilities such as probing, analysis, careful judgment, flexible and original thinking, and creativity.
  • Involves application of concepts from one discipline. 
  • Understand the linkages with other disciplines. Create multi-disciplinary projects and initiatives.
  • Ability to identify and finalize solutions to field problems (seeds, soil, and water management, integrated pest management, farm machinery, nutrient management, post-harvest operations).  
  • Chooses options / solutions for complex problems.
• Interpersonal skills:
  • Frequent contact with people other than immediate colleagues and with external entities.
  • Ability to communicate and relate effectively, internally and externally is important.
  • Purpose is to share information, and secure the cooperation and commitment of individuals, large project teams, or external institutions.
  • In addition to effective communication, the jobholder has to motivate and provide leadership.
  • Information Technology needed: Proficiency to use standard software at an advanced level; may include some use of database or research applications; knowledge of common ICTs and their use in agricultural extension systems.

Candidates must send their CV and cover letter to Recruit-Nepal@cgiar.org no later than March 10, 2021.

Please include position and reference number in the subject of your email.

Incomplete applications (without CV and cover letter, and without reference in the subject email) will not be taken into consideration.

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