Job Description

About IRRI

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations. IRRI is an independent, nonprofit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with support from the Philippine government. The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa, and over 1,000 staff.

Working with in-country partners, IRRI develops advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought, and other harmful effects of climate change.

Job Purpose

The Project Management International Expert will provide specialized technical and operational project management expertise to enhance IRRI’s project management systems and processes and train IRRI teams on the same. The expert will develop standardized templates and processes for project design, project governance and implementation, project and personnel financial management, sub-award management, risk management, and project monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting.

The expert will also train project proponents and Portfolio Development and Management Office (PDMO) staff on international best practices in project design, project monitoring and evaluation, tracking and reporting of project progress through to closure, including the use of tools and applications for project and sub-award management. Support the improvement of high quality proposals, and establish processes that will foster an effective institutional tracking and monitoring of all project targets against budgets and other inputs. Support the development of project financing strategies, including parallel financing, cost-sharing arrangements, and mitigation measures to address financial, operational, and institutional risks that may affect project sustainability and delivery. The Consultant’s role is to support IRRI’s institutional push to enhance the designing, planning, execution, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), reporting, and risk management across assigned projects.

This position will be based at the IRRI Headquarters, Los Baños, Philippines and is open for international applications.

Roles and Responsibilities

Project Planning and Design Support

Develop and refine standardized templates and processes for PDMO and project teams, among others, on project management including, project design and implementation plans, project charters, work breakdown structures, Gantt charts, milestone or KPI trackers, budgets, timelines and other relevant project planning tools and processes
Translate approved proposals and their results frameworks and theories of change into operational work plans that reflect best practices in international project management and are aligned with IRRI’s processes and standards
Align project work plans with budgets, procurement plans, with donor agreements and IRRI financial and other systems
Develop standardized project risk assessment, MEL, and management tools
Train proposal teams and scientists on best practices in project design, project management principles, MEL, tailored to high quality international agricultural R&D and rural/social development

Project Implementation Support

Develop metrics, tools and KPIs to measure and track project progress against deliverables, budgets, timelines, staff utilization and work plans
Identify bottlenecks and propose corrective measures in project implementation and delivery
Facilitate coordination across relevant units within IRRI including, Research, PDMO, Finance, and other relevant units and external partners
Train IRRI scientists, PDMO staff, and project teams on key principles of project management, and project MEL

Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Reporting, and Risk Management

Maintain project support documents including, risk registers and mitigation plans
Support high-quality donor and internal reporting of project milestones and financial status in alignment with contractual obligations and internal standards
Develop standardized project and sub-award monitoring, milestone trackers, budget spending across activities, milestones and objectives, and other reporting templates aligned with IRRI standards and processes
Monitor project funding leveraged resources, and associated compliance requirements across projects and sub-awards
Develop mitigation and escalation mechanisms to minimize financial, operational, reputational, and compliance-related risks and losses. Define escalation thresholds, accountability mechanisms, and reporting procedures across project teams and support units

Systems and Capacity Strengthening

Design and standardize PM templates and tools including in proposals, project documents, sub-award monitoring and evaluation, etc.
Train, and provide coaching and advisory support to proposal teams and PDMO, scientists, and project teams on project management techniques, project MEL, and applications/tools including the use of AI and AI-based tools
Contribute content towards the development and design of project dashboards for monitoring of progress against key results targets and MEL
Support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of project performance dashboards that provide timely visibility of project progress, milestone achievement, budget utilization, risks, deliverables, and key performance indicators for Project Leaders, management, and donors
Promote the use of data-driven project management practices through dashboard reporting, analytics, and decision-support tools
Develop and deliver training on project dashboard design, data visualization, portfolio reporting, and management analytics using platforms such as Power BI, Tableau, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Monday.com, or similar tools

Qualifications

Ph.D. degree or Advanced degree in any of the relevant fields of Agricultural Sciences, Economics, International Development, Business Management, Social Sciences, Administration, etc.
10+ years in project management in the international development sector, solid experience in managing donor-funded agricultural R&D, development projects, or similar projects in international development and/or rural development, and significant experience and familiarity with comparable international nonprofits project management, and similar spaces