The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center is seeking a dynamic & multi skilled candidate to join its Headquarters in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka, as an Administrative Support Officer.

The Administrative Support Officer (ASO) provides a comprehensive range of administrative services and offers basic project management support to assigned Project Leaders, Research Group Leaders, and Initiative Work Package Leads based in the Headquarters. The ASO will interact with internal stakeholders at multiple levels and across departments within IWMI, and as required, across the CGIAR network.

The successful candidate will provide the research staff with administrative and coordination support for projects, specifically assisting researchers in their delivery of work programs, coordinating events and activities effectively, ensuring the timely delivery of key internal outputs, as well as managing travel and other budgetary matters. This role requires the incumbent to be proactive and capable of providing intensive support to researchers during peak workloads. It necessitates a high level of communication skills, integrity, and experience in effectively navigating a complex, multicultural, and multi-time-zone environment. The person will coordinate with other IWMI departments (Finance, HR, IT, Travel Desk, and Communications); therefore, fostering positive relationships with key contacts in other departments is essential.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Deliver administrative services, meeting timeliness standards aligned with business requirements. Services include, but are not limited to:
  • • • Arranging travel according to IWMI policy, including visas, accommodation, and preparing itineraries, as well as claiming expenses
      • Raising accurate and complete purchase orders for goods receipts, managing related documentation, and ensuring data is available, including purchase requisitions. Coordinating the initiation of consultant, internship/fellowship contracts, and submitting invoicing and payments to ensure a smooth process.
• Advising assigned researchers on guidelines, timelines, and procedures to ensure overall optimization of administrative and coordination support.
• Assisting in establishing and running workshops and capacity-building events, preparing invitations, certificates, and documents, and arranging logistics for participants.
• Editing and formatting documents as required for submission to internal publications or external submission to clients.
• Performing any other administrative and/or support duties as required by the RGLs/PLs based in the Sri Lanka office within the scope of this function.

Requirements

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Essential

• Successful completion of G.C.E. Advanced Level examinations. A bachelor’s degree or a professional qualification in Business Management/Administration is preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in a high-volume environment.
• Demonstrated experience as a senior administrator in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural organization.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED:

Essential

• Demonstrated computer literacy with proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• The ability to edit and format large documents, charts, and tables to publication quality is essential.
• Ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders and prioritize requests in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Demonstrated ability to independently prioritize and coordinate workloads to meet deadlines.
• Strong ability to anticipate needs and issues, relying on a high degree of initiative and judgment to reliably execute or coordinate tasks independently.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Well-developed skills in personal organization, priority setting, and problem-solving.
• Strong client orientation and service-oriented approach.
• Excellent oral and written language skills in English, including effective listening and strong verbal and written communication abilities.

Desirable

• Demonstrated ability to draft business correspondence and documents, as well as summarize information in written narratives and presentations, including text, numbers, and graphics/charts.

Benefits

This is a nationally recruited position and only Sri Lankan nationals will be considered. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of three years with the possibility of extension.

HOW TO APPLY: Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. We will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on October 23, 2023 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Your application must include a CV, cover letter, and three (3) references, which may be contacted if you are shortlisted. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.