The position of Project Coordinator to support the Global Head – Breeding in transformation of the Breeding programs in India and Sub-Saharan Africa. The position is based at ICRISAT- Patancheru, Telangana, India.

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. ICRISAT and its partners help empower those living in the semi-arid tropics, especially smallholder farmers, to overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition and a degraded environment through more efficient and profitable agriculture.

ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and five country offices in Sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT, established in 1972, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. For more details, see www.icrisat.org.

Key Purpose:

This role is responsible for assisting in processes that progress the breeding teams and the complimentary disciplines through a structural change agenda. The Candidate will collaborate with HR as well as work closely with the Global and Regional research teams and Directors, broader global functions (e.g. Communications, Finance, etc.), breeding and agronomic operations teams to design and deliver solutions that meet both the institute and stakeholder needs. He/She will have a critical role in strategic initiatives that are being launched to transform our Crop Improvement organization.

Responsibilities:

• Support the broader Breeding Modernization initiative to define and document the roadmap for implementation including global design, rollout and preparing the organization for change at headquarters in India.
• Support strategic alignment activities including understanding the impact of global decisions on functional processes in particular related to the new organizational structure, linking Product Profiles to the teams delivering on the objectives defined in the Profiles.
• Support the Functional Process owners to develop statements of work, global design and functional stakeholder engagement that reflect the needs of the Crop Improvement organization.
• Manage ad hoc projects to support project implementation and shaping the new organizational structure.
• Define and support the stakeholder engagement plan and broader project communications
• Together with the functional leadership team, shape, develop and roll out the functional engagement, learning and enablement plan specifically for the breeding organization.
• Engage with members of the breeding team to create awareness of new processes and approaches for optimizing breeding pipelines, including data-based decision making, digitization, automation and mechanization.

Required qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• Minimum 5 years of Project Management experience with reputed private or public-sector organizations. A certification in Project Management (PMP) is desired. The candidate should hold a Post Graduate degree, preferably in Project Management.
• A consultative approach coupled with subject matter expertise across change management, project management and in research organizations is desired.
• Should be a problem solver and forward thinker – we don’t just fix the immediate ask, but take ambiguous issues, break them down to understand the root cause, and then design an approach and solution that not only adapts outside thinking, but also brings stakeholders along.
• Building relationships will also be critical to the success of the role – strong written and verbal communication skills are a must. He / She need to be able to effectively tailor their communications since the work is across all levels of our organization, from director level and senior leaders, to local teams.
• Beyond being able to perform diligent, effective change and stakeholder management, balance will be crucial. He / She will need to listen, negotiate, and be flexible where needed; while also having the stamina and strength to stand their ground on matters that are important and for the greater good.
• To be outcome focused with the ability to proactively take initiative, use good judgment to prioritize requests and be comfortable working with basic direction.
• To understand the big picture, even when the work gets granular, requiring strong organizational skills—an ability to handle multiple tasks, prioritize them, and carry them out independently. This role does require to “roll up your sleeves” and play an active role to make change happen.
• The candidate should have an aptitude to work as a member of interdisciplinary team in a multicultural environment and should have the ability to interact across matrix organizations and be cognizant of donors’ demands.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential, knowledge of other languages (French, Hindi, Telugu) will be an asset.

General:

This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position for three years renewable based on the incumbents’ performance and the institute’s continuing need for the position.

Application

Click HERE to learn more and to apply online

“ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer”