Reporting to: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Platform Manager
Location: Remotely- based in Africa, Europe, or Central Asia
Main Purpose of the position
We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Project Officer to manage the enhancement and maintenance of our digital assets. The successful candidate will collaborate with various stakeholders to gather and validate requirements, prepare and manage service license contracts, and ensure the successful implementation of development features. These features will ensure our digital assets are fit for purpose and can be reused by other co-sharing stakeholders.
The candidate will work with close collaboration and under coordination of the MEL Platform Manager.
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team at ICARDA is comprised of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) sub-team, the Knowledge Management (KM) sub-team, the Data Management (DM) sub-team and the Research Software Development (RSD) sub-team. The ICARDA MEL team staff are located in several countries across the globe and work collaboratively with MEL, Data and Knowledge Management teams from the CGIAR System, other CGIAR centers and Research Programs, and non-CGIAR entities.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.ICARDA\u2019s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development, and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organizations, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.
All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (\u201cOne CGIAR\u2019\u201d) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure, and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.
Main responsibilities
1. Development Feature Control:
\u00b7 Coordinate the implementation of new development features and enhancements, ensuring they receive prior validation from the MEL Platform Manager.
\u00b7 Coordinate with development teams to ensure timely and accurate delivery of features.
\u00b7 Track progress and resolve any issues that may arise during development.
\u00b7 Conduct testing activities to ensure the quality and functionality of enhancements.
2. Stakeholder Liaison:
\u00b7 Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to collect and document needs and requirements for digital product enhancements.
\u00b7 Maintain close contact and follow up with stakeholders on the work plan and necessary activities.
\u00b7 Facilitate regular meetings and communication channels to ensure alignment and transparency.
3. Service Contract Preparation:
\u00b7 Draft, review, and finalize service contracts related to digital product enhancements.
\u00b7 Ensure all contractual obligations are met and documented.
\u00b7 Validate terms and conditions with Grants Team and service providers.
4. Budget Preparation and Approval:
\u00b7 Develop comprehensive budgets for digital product maintenance and enhancement projects.
\u00b7 Monitor and control budget utilization to ensure financial efficiency.
\u00b7 Obtain necessary approvals for budget allocations and adjustments.
5. Capacity Development Activities:
\u00b7 Create and ensure that user guides and documentation are updated to reflect new features and enhancements.
\u00b7 Organize online capacity development activities to introduce major changes and train the users.
\u00b7 Work closely with the user support agent to assist with various requests. Review and validate monthly reports prior to official submission, identifying and documenting areas for potential improvement of the digital tool.
\u00b7 Review and approve final documentation before release.
6. Work Plan and Activity Follow-Up:
\u00b7 Together with MEL Platform Manager co-develop detailed work plan for enhancement
\u00b7 Track project milestones and deliverables to ensure timely completion.
\u00b7 Provide regular updates to stakeholders on project status and progress.
Requirements
Education, qualifications, and experience
Essential qualifications and competencies
\u00b7 Bachelor's or Master\u2019s degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Information Technology, or a related field.
\u00b7 Proven 3-5 years of work experience in project management, ideally within digital product development or enhancement in an international organization.
\u00b7 Experience with software product ownership.
\u00b7 Knowledge of digital product design and user experience principles.
\u00b7 Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools.
\u00b7 Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
\u00b7 Professional level of attention to detail, accuracy of work & ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
\u00b7 Proficiency in budget management and financial analysis.
\u00b7 Experience with contract preparation and vendor management.
\u00b7 Familiarity with software development lifecycle (SDLC) and quality assurance processes.
\u00b7 Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Additional language proficiencies are an asset.
\u00b7 Strong computer skills, including in using MS Office, and familiarity with web-based platforms.
\u00b7 Ability to work in interdisciplinary & multicultural teams.
\u00b7 Demonstrated ability to consistently meet deadlines and manage time well.
Desirable qualifications and competencies
\u00b7 Experience with Agile or Scrum methodologies.
\u00b7 Proficiency in project management software (e.g.Jira, GitHub).
Benefits
The successful candidate will be offered a one-year consultancy contract on a full-time basis, renewable subject to continued need for the position, availability of fund and satisfactory performance.
The Incumbent will be provided with a monthly honorarium.
Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.
ICARDA is committed to increasing women representation in its workforce and strongly encourages applications from women.
Applications will be acknowledged, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates will be offered a written assessment test prior the interview.