The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises, of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

About the position

The Alliance, comprising two Legal Entities, Bioversity and CIAT, seeks to enhance its operational efficiency through a revised enterprise architecture and comprehensive business process transformation, enabled by the selection and implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. This role will lead the actions around business process transformation, enabling an ERP selection, implementation, and adoption treating ERP as a product that evolves with the Alliance. The current ERP and its interfacing applications require a comprehensive assessment to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. The new ERP solution must effectively manage key processes across the Alliance departments including Grant Management, Procurement, Administration/Operations management, Human Resource Management, Financial Management Information System, Pipeline, and Funders relationships management (CRM).

The Business Process Transformation Lead will orchestrate outcomes across units, manage vendors, define and iterate a product roadmap, and drive change management and user adoption. The role is not a hands-on configuration/technical build position; it focuses on program leadership, business value, and organizational change. The incumbent will coordinate the implementation process, ensuring: Business processes are streamlined, and the ERP integration aligns seamlessly with the Alliance’s operational workflows. End-user training and ongoing support are effectively delivered to drive adoption and process improvement. Monitoring the system and continuous updates are carried out to ensure evolving business needs are met.

The Senior Officer, Business Process Transformation Lead, will lead the design and adaptation of a cross-functional ERP transformation program that aligns with institutional priorities, operational demands, and evolving client needs. The role ensures strategic coordination across units, optimizes business processes, and sustains program delivery by integrating technological solutions, managing vendor performance, and driving change adoption across the organization.


Key Responsibilities
  • Document critical business processes and workflows to ensure ERP alignment with organizational needs.
  • Identify and document essential processes, high-level workflows, and key challenges the new ERP system must address.
  • Facilitate business process redesign to streamline workflows in grants management, procurement, HR, finance, CRM, and operations.
  • Drive the ERP program vision, roadmap, and value case, aligning key milestones to organizational priorities.
  • Translate business needs into prioritized product backlogs and release plans; define success metrics such as adoption, cycle-time, and data quality.
  • Lead stakeholder mapping, communications, and change strategies; empower unit leaders to act as adoption champions.
  • Design and implement tailored training and enablement plans for different user segments, measure adoption and close performance gaps.
  • Maintain continuous feedback mechanisms (e.g., surveys, office hours, usage analytics) to refine ERP features and business processes.
  • Chair a cross-functional governance and steering forum; ensure decision-making rights are clear and escalation processes are effective.
  • Collaborate with vendors to ensure timely post-implementation service delivery and operational support.
  • Coordinate data migration readiness, testing cycles, and execution plans with internal and vendor teams (oversight role, not hands-on).
  • Lead the RFP and vendor selection process; manage contracts, service level agreements, scope, and deliverables to enforce quality and timelines.
  • Manage program risks, interdependencies, and budgets; provide executive-level updates on progress, issues, and benefits realization.
  • ​Provide regular progress reports to Unit Managers and the Leadership Team, including risk assessments and lessons learned.


Requirements

  • Master’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Demonstrated enterprise architecture knowledge and experience on transforming operational models into complex/global organizations, delivering within scope, timeline, and budget.
  • Proven business processes transformation and change management capability: roadmaps, release planning, stakeholder engagement, adoption metrics, and training strategies.
  • Strong vendor management and contract/SLA oversight.
  • Strong track record in leading cross-functional teams, driving stakeholder engagement, and managing organizational change.
  • Fluency in English and Spanish, & Italian or French as added advantage.
  • Background in business process optimization/LEAN (e.g., Lean Six Sigma).
  • Management of ERP suites (SAP, Oracle, MS Dynamics, Workday) at the program (governance and outcomes vs. hands-on configuration).
  • Ability to assess, optimize, and redesign business processes to maximize ERP efficiency and ensure alignment with organizational goals.
  • Experience in developing and executing change management strategies to facilitate ERP adoption and user training.

Terms of employment

This is aninternationally recruited position and will be based in Rome, Italy, or Palmira, Colombia. The initial contract will be for up to two (2) years, subject to a probation period of six (6) months and is renewable depending on the performance and availability of resources.

This position is graded at BG10 level on a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number RFP500316 - Senior Officer, Business Process Transformation Lead as the position applied for. Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name and first name for ease of sorting.


Applications closing date: Tuesday, 18th November 2025

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:

http://alliancebioversityciat.org



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