Job Description
The International Potato Center (CIP), on behalf of the
Landscape Alliance (CIFOR & ICRAF in Action), is looking for a proactive
Project Manager who will ensure the overall work planning, day-to-day
management, delivery and reporting of the IKI projects CAP4BIO (Brazil, Peru,
Colombia) and Transformar para Conservar (Peru, Colombia).
About Landscape Alliance: Landscape Alliance (LA) is the operating
name of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the
International Centre for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF). It transforms
science into action, unlocking the power of trees, forests and agroforestry
landscapes to advance planetary health and human well-being.
CIFOR and ICRAF are independent
International Organizations and CGIAR Research Centers.
About the position: Reporting
to the Latin America Director, the Project Manager bridges strategy and
execution. This includes coordinating consortium members' activities in line
with the project documents and objectives, organizing consortium meetings,
contracting consultants and external services, and ensuring donor reporting,
environmental and social safeguards reporting, MEL, and output/outcome
indicator reporting in compliance with donor guidelines and Landscape Alliance
policies.
Given the two
projects' complementary geographic and thematic scope, the position also
fosters synergies and learning between them and across Landscape Alliance teams
and partners, applying a programmatic approach. The position will be based in
Lima, Peru.
Key responsibilities:
Purpose
Lead annual project planning, supporting the project
consortiums in translating project strategies into Annual Operational Workplans
and Budgets (and their updates), based on partner inputs, for review by the PIs
and Project Steering Committees (PSCs).Own and maintain the overall operating framework for
project execution, covering planning, MEL learning loops, partner contracting
standards, and risk & assurance approaches, under the oversight and
guidance of the PIs.Ensure activities across both IKI projects are carried
out in accordance with the logical framework, workplan, budget, calendar,
indicator matrix and project annexes approved by the donor.Foster synergies and cross-learning between the CAP4BIO
and Transformar para Conservar projects and across Landscape Alliance teams and
partners, applying a programmatic approach.Oversee the development and implementation of the
projects' MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) plans, including lessons
learned, under the overall supervision of the PIs.Support adaptive learning across the programme,
including internal reflection, after-action reviews and documentation of
lessons learned, in collaboration with the Quality 4 Impact (Q4I) team.
Engagement
Coordinate joint efforts with consortium partners and
CIFOR/ICRAF technical teams to align internal planning cycles with donor
reporting timelines and strategic programme milestones.Support the PIs in facilitating workstream integration
and run regular internal team meetings to track progress and foster ownership
of deliverables.Support the governance and management bodies of the
projects — in particular the Steering Committees and Management teams — and
organize the project task forces.Organize consortium-level virtual and face-to-face
meetings (core groups, task forces, technical meetings) under the oversight of
the PI (core groups/SC meetings) or of responsible staff (technical groups).Lead preparation of documentation for Steering
Committee meetings and serve as secretary of the projects' core groups,
preparing meeting minutes.Manage effective coordination among consortium
partners, including through online tools such as virtual document repositories
(e.g., SharePoint).Coordinate with consortium partners on compliance with
co-financing commitments, and monitor their implementation and reporting.Coordinate with the Financial Support Unit (FSU) at
CIFOR and ICRAF, and with the Program Management Unit (PMU), on financial
management, sub-grant/subcontract compliance, and required documentation.Liaise with the PIs and PMU to prepare and organize
donor meetings, and to ensure compliance of project activities with the
agreements between CIFOR, ICRAF and the project donors.Coordinate with the communication specialist to
periodically update project information on IKI and internal project portals,
and liaise with relevant officers/coordination committees on knowledge
products, strategic briefs and high-level reports.Be a member of the Landscape Alliance's internal
coordination bodies for project implementation; participate in relevant office,
technical, follow-up, monitoring, training and policy meetings.
Delivery
Monitor delivery progress against the activity plan;
help devise internal tracking systems, related KPIs and briefing materials.Coordinate the timely implementation of all project
activities across both IKI projects, proactively ensuring delivery by CIFOR,
ICRAF, project partners and contractors, and proposing mitigation actions for
delays.Lead, support and maintain the projects' document and
internal information management systems (online repositories, MS Teams
channels, etc.); manage calendars and regular team meetings, including progress
tracking of action points.Prepare, review and process (in coordination with HR
and Procurement) external services agreements and consultancy contracts
included in the project workplans; draft and review Terms of Reference; review
implementation and delivery of these engagements.Plan, coordinate and monitor travel arrangements in
accordance with institutional policies and established budgetary parameters.Ensure compliance with CIFOR, ICRAF and donor policies
across project activities.Evaluate, on a monthly basis, the operational and
financial levels of project implementation via the financial tracker system;
oversee the role of the financial and administrative analyst in support of
related tasks.Anticipate and troubleshoot operational bottlenecks —
by CIFOR, ICRAF or partners — including financial execution and cash-flow
issues (disbursements and payments).Be responsible, subject to final review and oversight
by the PI, for the annual technical donor reporting, including progress on
indicators (in coordination with the MEL Coordinator), coordinating inputs from
CIFOR, ICRAF and partners.Manage and monitor sub-grant agreements, subcontracts
and deliverables with consortium and other partners, coordinating with the PMU
and following up on compliance.Provide programme budget oversight, coordinating across
Admin, Finance, contracted partners and the project team; coordinate with the
FSU on financial reports, disbursement requests, and distribution of funds to
consortium partners in compliance with organizational and donor policies.Prepare, in coordination with PMU and FSU,
documentation management with partners (voucher system); prepare for audit
reviews and quality-assurance procedures.Help prepare knowledge products, reports, articles and
documents that disseminate project results, in coordination with relevant
technical teams.
Requirements
What
are we looking for?
Master's degree in project management, environmental
science, economics, development, business, or a related discipline, with sound
knowledge of related contemporary issues.Minimum 9 years of experience in project/programme
management and implementation in environment and natural resource management,
in public institutions, the private sector, or international organizations —
including at least 4 years as lead manager/coordinator of a large-scale
project, with responsibility for the full
planning–implementation–monitoring–reporting cycle with partners and donors.Experience in the oversight and application of project
MEL plans and processes, and of social and environmental safeguards.Experience engaging with inter-governmental and
non-governmental organizations and stakeholders on natural resource management
policy at regional, national, and sub-national levels in a Latin American
context, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively liaise
with key stakeholders locally and regionally.Proven ability to manage multicultural teams, multiple
tasks, and competing deadlines, with very strong organizational and management
skills.Bilingual, written and spoken, in English and Spanish
(required); Portuguese is desirable.