This position will oversee and provide administrative support for all portfolios, programs, and partnership agreements throughout their life cycle. The primary responsibility of the role is to facilitate the end-to-end internal and external review of General and Partnership Agreements, from coordinating the documentation of the justification for proposed collaborations with requestors for submission to internal decision makers for endorsement, through coordination of institutional clearances and approvals, up to execution/signing and the official recording of finalized agreements. This further supports project teams in managing funder awards and related contract variations under those awards. The role also serves as a focal team member for the administrative management of the database of institutional agreements and contract variation, and supports the updating and maintenance of the database in close coordination with the portfolio management team.

This position will be based at the IRRI Headquarters, Los Baños, Philippines, and may only be filled by permanent citizens of the Philippines.

• Manage the internal review process of general agreements and contract variations to facilitate and expedite issue resolution and acceptance of contracts.
• Coordinate and maintain the key information to update the general agreement and contract variation database.
• Assist in the preparation and development of appropriate contracts and umbrella agreements for general collaborations of IRRI with other institutions.
• Resolve issues that require communication and/or approval from donors or partners and other external stakeholders, including modification requirements.
• Develop and maintain the compliance and risk registry of IRRI’s portfolio/ restricted grants based on the clauses and terms as executed by IRRI.
• Coordinate all general agreements and their amendments or modifications with various donor agencies and partners, including compliance review prior to signature.
• Maintain good relationships with internal stakeholders at IRRI and externally with donors.
• Negotiate with donors, partners, subcontractors, and service providers to come to an agreement on contract terms and conditions that cover projects or restricted grants.
• Develop and review general agreement and contract variation documents, ensuring compliance with the IRRI policy as well as donor regulations and requirements.
• Working closely with the Principal Investigator or authorized representative in the review and sign-off of the general agreement and contract variation prior to signing.
• Identify all possible risks on all terms/ conditions set out in contracts that IRRI executes and make recommendations on how to mitigate and address the risks following IRRI’s policies.
• Recommend and implement process improvements that minimize the effort required by project teams to request sub-contracts, and the turnaround time required for internal approval and issuance.

Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Administration, Agriculture, Communications, Marketing, Legal Management, or a related field, with at least three to five years of relevant professional experience.

Mandatory

• Strong project management and contracting experience.
• Advanced knowledge of reviewing, monitoring, and developing contracts, and negotiating on legal terms on contracts.
• Familiar with the work of non-profit organizations and the traditional donors such as USAID, ADB, SDC, and ACIAR.
• Ability to operate spreadsheets, databases, and word processing programs at a highly proficient level.

Preferred

• Experience of working in and with international organizations.
• Ability to synthesize and summarize a large volume of information quickly and communicate the main points to stakeholders

IRRI offers a highly extensive employee benefits package inclusive of globally-covered medical insurance, retirement plan, life and accident insurance, and other allowances.

Join our team and be part of our story!

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.