About WorldFish   

“WorldFish is a leading international research organization working to transform aquatic food systems to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. It collaborates with international, regional, and national partners to co-develop and deliver scientific innovations, evidence for policy, and knowledge to enable equitable and inclusive impact for millions who depend on fish for their livelihoods. As a member of CGIAR, WorldFish contributes to building a food- and nutrition-secure future and restoring natural resources. Headquartered in Penang, Malaysia, with country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, WorldFish strives to create resilient and inclusive food systems for shared prosperity.

For more information, visit: www.worldfishcenter.org”

About the Position  

WorldFish is seeking a motivated, dynamic, and energetic team player who will be responsible to help foster excellence in project delivery at WorldFish and to ensure the organization has the project management capacities and competencies, systems, processes and tools to ensure projects are delivered on time, on scope, and on budget with high quality. The Portfolio Manager will provide high-level oversight and support to WorldFish programs and projects. S/he will assist in project design, start-up, implementation, monitoring through closeout, and evaluation. S/he will work in a multidisciplinary, dynamic, and results-oriented team where members must support one another. S/he will provide project management support and guidance to assigned WorldFish projects, monitor progress, deliver oral and written briefs, and evaluate projects.

Key Responsibilities  

• Provides project management oversight and support to a portfolio of projects in Asia, Pacific and HQ. (Note: the specific portfolio and projects can be changed by the Project Management Unit Lead in consultation and upon agreement by the incumbent).
• Liaises directly with relevant support departments, such as human resources and compliance, finance, communication and MEL to ensure project compliance with rules, regulations, and corporate policy, in consultation with PMU Lead.
• Schedules and leads quarterly project progress review meetings, prepares presentation and leads review with inputs from project team.
• Provide a quarterly coordination and review report on data integrity, as well as deliverables and research outputs under different projects (as needed).
• Oversees and is responsible for complete grants and contracts oversight of a program portfolio consisting of several large and small grants, from fulfillment of substantive programmatic objectives to financial and compliance requirements for the life of the grant/contract.
• Oversight implementation of relevant project management policies and ensure Project Leaders and others who are subject to the policies comply with guidelines and processes. This will include but not be limited to Project Start Up and Close out Toolkit, Agreement Review checklist and Project Risk Management Checklist.
• Anticipates potential problems; assesses program risks; offers mitigations and solutions; and actively take leads the resolution with creative and immediate solutions. Provides monthly early warning desk reviews for the portfolio of projects.
• Supervises staff assigned to the portfolio, including participating in the professional development and evaluation process for these staff. Sets specific goals and provides ongoing performance feedback.
• Ensures that grants and contracts in portfolio are completed on time, within budget, and in full compliance with donor and WorldFish policies and requirements.
• In partnership with PMU team members and other WorldFish teams, assessing current project management capacities and developing response plans to identified gaps. Ensure a suite of relevant project management support tools are regularly reviewed, improved and new tools developed and adapted.
• Provides mentorship and training to ensure Project Lifecycle Management (PLM) well understood amongst all project implementation and support teams, and that the processes are aligned to the CGIAR Performance Management Standards.
• Co-ordinate on-going process improvement and enhancement of the Project Management related systems and ensuring high quality and effectiveness of these systems.
• Maintain the accuracy and completeness of projects’ data in WorldFish systems that are aligned with WorldFish and donor reporting.
• Maintains an understanding of donor and WorldFish policies and procedures related to grant/contract compliance and oversight.
• Prepares status reports or provides oral briefs on project progress, including problem analysis and recommendations for corrective actions.
• Reviews periodic reports to ensure that benchmarks and goals are being met and monitor progress and contribution towards project results.
• Developing and maintaining deliverable tracking and project monitoring dashboard for effective project management.
• Maintaining up to date communication on PMU Fishnet channel.
• Leads project kick-off and close-out process.
• Travels as needed for program oversight and/or implementation support.
• Participates in cross functional teams and initiatives.
• All other duties that may be required from time to time

Requirements

The successful candidate will have:

• Master’s degree in international development, environmental sciences, aquaculture or similar related field.
• Project Management For Development Professionals (PMD-Pro) or Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification.
• Lead with Integrity.
• Build Effective Teams, Coach and Develop Capacity.
• Manage complexity within a cross cultural and global organization.
• High level communication and interpersonal skills.
• Manage Performance of direct reports.
• Make timely & Effective Decisions, execute effectively.
• Ability to quickly and accurately analyze quantitative information, as well as policies and procedures, and provide trusted guidance on their application.

Desirable Skills/Experience 

• At least 8-year of Project Management experience in an international NGO environment and proven experience in managing multidisciplinary teams.
• At least 8-year experience managing multidisciplinary teams in a multicultural environment.
• High level experience in the Microsoft suite of products.
• Interpersonal Skills and excellent written and verbal English skills.

Benefits

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position and WorldFish offers a competitive remuneration package including comprehensive benefits (but not limited to) insurance coverage for staff and eligible dependents, employer provident fund contribution, paid leave and others. The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance.

Your application must include:

• A copy of your curriculum vitae,
• A cover letter which addresses key requirements stated above; and
• Contact information of three professional referees who may be contacted if you are short-listed for the position.

To be considered, applications must be submitted by no later than 24:00 (MYT), 21 July 2024.

Location: The post holder will be based in Penang, Malaysia. This position may involve international travel.

The screening will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants for WorldFish positions, we appreciate all interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  

Our Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment  

WorldFish has seven offices across Asia, Africa and the Pacific, with more than 400 staff and 27 nationalities who contribute to a dynamic multicultural work environment.

WorldFish is committed to promoting a work environment where diversity and inclusion is valued and we seek to have gender balance in the organization. We aim to also seek balance across other diversity dimensions.

People in WorldFish are treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnicity/race, national or social origin, disability, religion, political affiliation, age, family size, marital status or any other form of personal identity.

We are an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourage qualified women and men from developing nations to apply.