Director of Programs (G-23-11)

International Potato Center POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Ref.: G-23-11

Director of Programs

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a new senior-level position of Director of Programs to strengthen focus and coherence of our program portfolio and improve project design, implementation, partnerships, and learning across the organization. The vision of success for this position is that CIP’s program and project teams will be better able to achieve measurable results and maximize Value-for- Money in line with CIP’s strategy. This will increase the impact of CIP’s research and attract greater financial support.

About CIP

CIP, a member of the One CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. One CGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land and water systems in a climate crisis, and it is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector.

CIP works with partners in over 20 countries to improve diets and incomes of poor people in Africa, Asia andLatinAmericathroughscientificresearch,innovation,andcapacitystrengthening. Focusingonpotato and sweetpotato as food systems entry point, CIP’s programs seek to strengthen broader agri-food systems to generate economic, social and nutritional benefits for farmers, enterprises and consumers emphasizing theprioritiesofwomenandyouthinparticular. CIP emphasizesthesynergiesbetweensocial and bio-physical sciences as a core strategy for making breakthroughs in our understanding of complex development challenges in food and agriculture and for our ability to overcome these. Within this pluralistic strategy, qualitative social science has a central, and increasing place for explaining human and institutional behavior and assessing benefits and risks for human development.

The position: The Director of Programs combines functional roles from research and operations into a unifiedprogrammingrole.Thisrolewillcreatespaceforinnovativescienceinprojectsandprogramswhilst safeguarding CIP and CGIAR operational requirements and promoting responsiveness to stakeholder and funder priorities. To achieve this, the Director of Programs works closely with leaders in research and operationsatthreelevels–organizationaldevelopment(global,regional,country),programdevelopment, and project cycle management. At each level, the Director of Programs makes leading contributions throughthedevelopmentandimplementationofframeworks, plans, tools, andguidelinesthatenableCIP teams to work towards common goals laid out in the CIP Strategy

The main objective of the Director of Programs is to increase CIP’s capacity, competencies and

performance in the following areas: capturing differentiated stakeholder and funder demand for CIP research, guiding project and program design in response to this demand, continuously improving implementation processes, enhancing partnerships and stakeholder accountability, strengthening achievement of Value-for-Money, improving monitoring and knowledge management, and fostering learning on these and other programming aspects across CIP.The Director of Programs reports to the Director General and works closely with the Deputy Director General - Research and the Chief Operating Officer. The Director of Programs directly receives reports

from leaders in project management, resource mobilization, MELIA, and communications; and advises

regional and country leaders as well as research program leaders and selected project leaders on

programming aspects of their work.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish and champion a ‘programming culture’ that links up excellence in research and

operationstoimprovedesign, implementation, andlearning atproject, program, andinstitutional

levels so that CIP’s strategic goals will be achieved.

• Lead the development and implementation of standards, tools and guidelines for project and

programdesign,ensuringtechnicalandoperationalexcellence,effectiveexternal positioning,and

leveraging of CIP’s strengths.

• Lead the development and implementation of standards, tools and guidelines for project and

program implementation, ensuring that Value-for-Money is being achieved across all pertinent

research and operational functions.

• Establish and oversee CIP-wide learning processes to continuously improve design, delivery and

performance of programs and projects, based on effective knowledge management across the

organization.

• Oversee the development and implementation of unified MELIA standards and processes at CIP

in coordination with One CGIAR Performance and Results Management.

• Contribute in a leading role to the development of global, regional and country strategies and

action plans to guide the development and growth of CIP’s programs and optimizeits operations.

• Contribute in a leading role to dialogue with stakeholders, research partners, and funders with a

view of capturing demand for CIP research, guiding Resource Mobilization and program design,

and ensuring accountability to stakeholders.

• Ability to effectively communicate a common vision to diverse internal and external stakeholders

Who are we looking for?

• Minimum of 10 years of program management experience in international organizations, at least

5 years at senior level providing strategic direction and overseeing globally distributed teams

• Up-to-date understanding of the institutional and technical context of international agricultural

research in the Global South

• Strong hands-on experience and knowledge of current approaches and tools in project design,

project management, and monitoring and evaluation from project to organizational levels

• Experience in establishing and overseeing learning processes within and across program teams,

utilizing and integrating evidence from research and operational units

• Experience in team building and organizational change management, as well as in staff

development and mentoring

• Successful experience in establishing and managing partnerships with key constituencies in

international agricultural research, including governments, private sector, research partners, civil

society organizations, and funding agencies

• Excellent English writing and communications skills

• Knowledge of Spanish or other languages is desirable

Skills:

• Strong and effective proven leadership

• Building and maintaining partnerships and relationships.

• Selecting, coaching, and appraising staff.

• Influencing and resolving differences across institutional and professional boundaries Education level

• Master’s degree in an associated field (Project Management, Agronomy, Business Agriculture,

Agribusiness, or related area.)

What are we offering?

• Exciting career growth opportunity in an international organization.

• Internationally competitive salary, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience.

• Comprehensive international insurance coverage.

• Attractive retirement plan.

• Three-year term contract with the possibility of renewal.

• Work in an equal and diverse workplace.

How to apply?

Please Visit the following link: https://cipotato.org/open-vacancies/ and submit your cover letter and

afull C.V. withyourreferences(preferablerecentsupervisors). Screening ofapplicationswill beginon

16 February 2023 and will continue until the post is filled. All applications will be acknowledged;

however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

This position will NOT work or have contact with children and/or vulnerable adults

Learn more about CIP by accessing our web site at http://www.cipotato.org

CIP is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified women and professionals from developing countries

are particularly encouraged to apply.