Temporary Officer, CGIAR IAES (Part-Time 50%, Temporary assignment, 11 months – Europe Region)
Rome, Italy
JOB DETAIL
Temporary Secretariat Officer, Independent Science for Development Council, CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (Part-time, 50%)
Background
CGIAR’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) is based in Rome, Italy and hosted by the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).
IAES provides operational support as the secretariat for the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) and the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA), and implements CGIAR’s multi-year, independent evaluation plan as approved by the governing body.
- ISDC is a standing council of impartial, world-class scientific experts providing rigorous, independent strategic advice to the CGIAR’s governing body and other stakeholders. ISDC contributes to the strategic and portfolio planning and positioning of CGIAR. The Council comprises eight members, including a chair and vice chair. The ISDC Secretariat provides operational and technical support to ISDC related to its mandate.
- SPIA is an external, impartial panel of experts in impact assessment appointed by the System Council and accountable to it.
- The Evaluation function of IAES delivers and supports process and performance evaluations commissioned by the governing body, which provide accountability, support decision making, and lessons for improving quality and effectiveness of agricultural research for development outcomes.
On behalf of IAES, the Alliance, which hosts IAES in its Rome, Italy office, is seeking a Temporary Officer (part-time, 50%) to support the technical and operational needs of the ISDC Secretariat, under the supervision and guidance of the ISDC Secretariat Lead. The position will work collaboratively with the other IAES functions and CGIAR colleagues to ensure that advice generated through ISDC is timely, relevant, of high quality, available and accessible, and to provide guidance to CGIAR System Council, the CGIAR’s highest-level governing body comprising funders and host country constituents.
Role
This position will expose the ISDC Secretariat Officer to the independent advisory functions of a multilaterally funded, complex international agriculture research for development organization. The ISDC Secretariat supports ISDC in all operational needs and commissioned research projects and plays a pivotal role in the production of reports and technical notes. This position will have no supervision duties.
This opportunity is appropriate for an individual who adapts quickly in a fast-paced environment. The position will be a combination of technical and operational support related to ISDC’s mandate. The candidate should be detailed oriented, a strong writer and communicator, with exceptional organizational skills able to prioritize multiple requests under tight deadlines. The role involves approximately two international trips yearly (approximately one week each).
Key Responsibilities
The Temporary Officer has two objectives:
1. ISDC technical support
2. ISDC general support
The tasks related to these objectives are described below and performed under the guidance and supervision of the ISDC Secretariat Lead. The Lead serves as the primary technical support point-of-contact while the Officer will support the Lead to ensure work plan completion and success. The ISDC Secretariat is a nimble team and takes an “all hands-on deck–” approach for specified deliverables.
1. ISDC Technical Support
- Conduct literature scans and reviews
- Develop and outsource graphics that translate complex information into digestible visuals to be used in reports, ISDC presentations, and communication materials
- Provide support in developing terms of references for external consultants for commissioned research
- Support requests for the ISDC chair and vice chair
- Coordinate the organization of the independent assessment of CGIAR proposals in concert with the ISDC Secretariat Lead
2. ISDC General Support
- Assist ISDC Secretariat Lead and Senior Manager, Operations & Events, in online and in-person event preparation, execution, and post-event activities
- Manage ISDC social media and provide the communication vendor with updates for IAES LinkedIn account
- Draft ISDC content for bi-monthly IAES newsletter and contribute to and write blogs for IAES website
- Track outputs for annual IAES annual report
- Check ISDC email inbox regularly and alert ISDC Secretariat Lead or Senior Manager to arising issues
- Liaise with vendors and manage project timelines
Requirements
Essential Qualifications and Competencies
- A Master’s degree required from an accredited academic institution(s) in domains relevant to agriculture research for development
- A minimum of two years’ full-time experience in a professional setting
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; working proficiency (spoken and written) in French and/or Spanish a plus
- Visualization skills and/or skills using social media, or a strong interest to learn
- Proficient skills MS Office suite (including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and SharePoint) and willingness to learn additional online meetings, communications, and visualization software if necessary
- Experience in developing and using tools for project coordination and monitoring
Benefits
Terms of employment
This is a temporary professional position, which will be remotely based within the European Union. The salary is level 9, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest. The salary range will be established in accordance with the regional/country standards. The remuneration package includes a competitive salary, leave provisions, and medical and life insurance. The salary range will be established in accordance with the regional/country standards. The position will be for a period of 11 months, with a possible opportunity for extension.
Please note eligible applicants must have the legal status to live and work in the European Union. Citizens of EU countries and citizens of non-EU countries are individually responsible for compliance with requirements and formalities established by the national immigration law of the country where they stay and carry out their working activity.
Applications
Please apply online through the Alliance Job Opportunities website (https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers ) no later than 15 October 2023, attaching a letter of application with names and email addresses of at least three referees, a curriculum vitae, and writing sample, all in English. Kindly note that you can upload your writing sample in the section “References–“. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This Job Description is an integral part of the employment contract and is subject to change from time to time. For more information about IAES, visit https://iaes.cgiar.org/ .
The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is an
equal opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity.
For more information about IAES and SPIA, refer to: https://iaes.cgiar.org/
location
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