Senior Executive – Administration

ICRISAT seeks applications for dynamic professionals for the position of Senior Executive – Administration to support Program Office under the Global Research Program – Enabling Systems Transformation. The position is based at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India. The incumbent will report directly to Director – Enabling Systems for Transformation.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 millions of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandated crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit – www.icrisat.org

Responsibilities:

• Streamlining and ensuring the accuracy of process within defined standard operating procedures and established quality parameters.
• Support the Research Program Director’s calendar for meetings, engagements, and travel schedules.
• Review and process transactional documentation for the Research Program Director and Program office.
• Based on the project requirements, identify internal/external vendor’s/ research consultants/products for procurement of services and products, logistics, payments among others.
• Regular continuous updating of staff database across the Continuum for understanding the availability of work base and providing the required assessment to the concerned Program leads.
• Management of projects database and provision of critical data such as duration/budget/Partners/Collaborators/funding agency as per the requirement of the Program Director. Submit monthly project budget monitoring reports of all bilateral projects housed in the EST program to the Program Director with copy of specific project budgets to Project Principal Investigator’s
• Collaborate with the relevant teams to address issues impacting program transactions and service delivery.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to provide logistical support for research program level initiatives and meetings.
• Need based formal and informal feedback provided to the internal teams as well as the external
• Consultants/vendors/collaborators for efficient delivery Continuous engagement with several internal (scientists/scientific officers/staff across departments) and external (partner’s/research consultants/vendors) team members to achieve the project outputs. This involves liasioning across several departments and programs along with the communication with the external concerned members.
• Daily routine administrative activities, calendar maintenance and execution to meet the timely project requirements such as purchase of products/setting up of offline/online meetings/ payments to the short time engaged staff as per the norms set in as per the institute’s recruitment guidelines.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion of the administrative activities/ due diligence for ensuring smooth flow of project activities and creation of awareness regarding the existing policies or standard operating procedures to the global research program staff across Asia and Africa

Required skill

•  A minimum of master’s degree in business administration, public administration, Human Resources, Development studies and related disciplines.
• Minimum of 7 years postgraduate working experience in a reputable organization, preferably in agricultural research
• Experience in the usage of computer and office software packages (MS-Word, MS- Excel and database applications etc.), Photoshop Adobe and in conducting online meetings required
• Pro-active and result-oriented person with knowledge and experience in the field of administration and project management. Good team player with multicultural works experience
• Strong multi-tasking abilities, interpersonal communication skills, problem solving skills in the field of people management.
• Ability to work as a member of an interdisciplinary team in a multicultural, multinational environment, and ability to interact effectively with Scientists, partners as a service provider.
• Understanding and knowledge of the administration services at International Agricultural Research Institutions (IARCs) is highly desirable.
• Complementary on the job experience in finance support services desirable, particularly in project budget monitoring.
• Experience in handling of web-based enterprise resource management systems. Demonstrated experience in coordinating events (workshops/conferences) at all phases from planning, budgeting through to delivery.

General:

This is a contractual position for a period of 36 months.

How to apply:

Applicants should apply on or before 15 November 2024 with their latest Resume, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer