Type of Contract: Consultancy
Contract Duration: February to 31 December 2026
Deadline for Applications: 3 February 2026
Applications to be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interviews with shortlisted candidates to be held between 5-6 February. Timing to be confirmed prior to this date.
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CGIAR is embarking on an ambitious transformation through its 2025–2030 Portfolio, designed to integrate science and innovation across all Centers and funding sources. The new Portfolio architecture comprises eight integrated Science Programs, a Scaling for Impact Program, and three Accelerators. This structure aims to create a unified entry point for partners and funders, drive deeper disciplinary and Center integration, and ultimately unlock greater impact at scale.
The successful delivery of these complex, multi-center, and multi-disciplinary entities requires exceptional operational backbone and strategic coordination. Each Program/Accelerator is supported by a dedicated Program Management Unit (PMU). This consultancy role is central to the PMU, designed to ensure seamless operations, robust governance, and strategic alignment. The coordinator will act as the operational linchpin and a trusted advisor to the S4I Program Director, enabling leadership to focus on scientific and strategic leadership by managing the intricate web of planning, budgeting, reporting, partnership coordination, and internal collaboration.
Requirements
The Consultant will be embedded within the Program/Accelerator leadership team and will be responsible for the following core workstreams:
Act as a principal advisor to the Program/Accelerator Director on managerial strategy, governance effectiveness, and risk management.
Prepare and coordinate all materials for senior governance bodies (e.g., Program Steering Committee, external Advisory Panel), including agendas, briefing packs, minutes, and action trackers.
Facilitate strategic decision-making processes and ensure follow-through on leadership directives.
-Support the annual cycle of planning, including the co-development and timely submission of the integrated Plan of Work and Budget (PoWB).
-Develop and maintain detailed operational workplans, breaking down the PoWB by Area of Work (AoW), geography, and timeline.
-Establish and manage a dynamic performance dashboards to track progress against key milestones and priorities
-Work closely with the designated Finance Focal Point to monitor the Program/Accelerator budget.
-Support monthly review of budget vs. actual expenditure reports, providing the Director with clear summaries of financial health and variance explanations.
-Support the development of quarterly financial forecasts and any necessary budget reallocations.
-Serve as the central liaison between the Program/Accelerator leadership and Centers’ Grants and Contracts offices.
-Coordinate the drafting, review, and execution process for partnership agreements, sub-awards, and Letters of Collaboration.
-Maintain a master database/register of all active agreements, tracking key dates (start, end, reporting) and obligations.
-Own the end-to-end process for major donor and institutional reports (e.g., Technical Progress Reports, Annual Reports).
-Support the development and maintenance of live Program Risk Register, facilitating quarterly reviews with the leadership team to identify, assess, and mitigate operational and strategic risks.
-Coordinate Program’s annual Adaptive Management Review, a structured process to reflect on lessons learned and adjust strategies and plans accordingly.
-Map all bilateral and Window 3 projects contributing to the Program, ensuring their alignment and visibility within the overall portfolio.
-Collaborate closely with the MELIA (Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, Impact Assessment) Focal Point to ensure MELIA activities (e.g., baseline studies, outcome harvesting) are scheduled, resourced, and their findings are integrated into management decisions.
-Support the Director in assessing and documenting the contributions and performance of participating CGIAR Centers.
-Serve as the an interface with the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) on Portfolio-wide management processes and reporting requirements.
-Proactively collaborate with Coordinators from other Programs/Accelerators to share tools, templates, and best practices, fostering a community of practice.
-Establish and curate essential knowledge management platforms for the team (e.g., SharePoint/Teams site, shared calendars, distribution lists).
-Work with the Communications Focal Point to implement the communications strategy, including reviewing key outreach materials (newsletters, web content, briefs) for accuracy and alignment with program messaging.
Deliverables
The primary deliverable for payment is a comprehensive Monthly Activities Report, submitted by the 5th of the following month. This report must provide evidence of progress and include:
1. Executive Summary: Brief overview of key achievements, challenges, and priorities for the coming month.
2. Workstream Progress Update: A detailed status for each responsibility area in Section 2, referencing specific:
o Actions Taken (e.g., "Coordinated Q1 Steering Committee meeting on [date]").
o Outputs Produced (e.g., "Finalized and circulated meeting minutes and action tracker").
o Milestones Reached/KPI Status (e.g., "PoRB first draft completed and shared for internal review").
3. Updated Activity Trackers: Attach or link to updated versions of key living documents as relevant (e.g., risk register snapshot, priority dashboard, agreement database update).
4. Travel Log: If travel occurred, summary of purpose, location, and outcomes.
5. Plans for Next Month: Outline of key tasks and objectives.
Final December Deliverable: A detailed summary document and comprehensive final report summarizing the 11-month engagement, key achievements, system status, and recommendations for the ongoing function.
Qualifications and Experience
• Education:
o A Master’s degree or higher in Business Administration, International Development, Agricultural Sciences, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Professional Experience (Minimum 7 years):
o Proven track record in program coordination, strategic planning, and project management within large, complex international research-for-development organizations, consortia, or similar multi-stakeholder settings.
o Direct experience with the full project cycle: planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and closure.
o Substantial experience facilitating high-level meetings, preparing governance documents, and managing senior stakeholder relationships.
o Demonstrated experience in financial oversight and working collaboratively with finance colleagues.
o Familiarity with partnership management and grant/contract administration processes.
• Skills and Competencies:
o Exceptional Organizational & Analytical Skills: Ability to manage multiple parallel workstreams, synthesize complex information, and drive processes to completion.
o Strategic Mindset: Ability to see the "big picture" and translate strategic objectives into actionable plans.
o Superior Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Ability to draft clear, concise, and professional documents for diverse audiences.
o Facilitation & Interpersonal Skills: Strong ability to build trust, facilitate inclusive discussions, and achieve alignment among diverse teams and personalities.
o Technological Proficiency: High proficiency with Microsoft 365 (especially Teams, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint) and project management/dashboard tools.
o Cultural Sensitivity & Diplomacy: Ability to work effectively in a decentralized, multicultural, and virtual environment.
Evaluation Criteria
o Relevant Experience & Qualifications: Demonstrated experience in similar roles within complex international organizations.
o Understanding: Quality of the proposed approach to the scope of work and understanding of CGIAR's context or similar organizations.
o Sample Work & References : Quality of writing samples and strength of professional references
o Daily Rate: Proposed daily rate for the assignment.
Timeline
The Consultant will provide essential coordination and management support across the Program's adaptive management cycle from February to December 2026.
Performance Measurement
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Performance Review
Benefits
All applications must be submitted online by clicking the 'Apply' button below. If you require assistance or face challenges in submitting your application, please email [email protected] with the position title in the subject line. Applications submitted through this email will NOT be accept.
Please ensure that your resume and cover letter are in English and does not contain your marital status, age, or photograph. Documents provided in a language other than English will not be considered.
CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment. We consciously create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
We look forward to hearing from you!
CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is carried out by 13 CGIAR Research Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. These Research Centers have over 10,000 staff based in over 50 countries. Established in 2016, the CGIAR System Organization provides governance to the CGIAR System in collaboration with the System Council and has about 60 staff. The System Organization is committed to cultivating a work environment that reflects teamwork, gender equality and respect for diversity. We endeavor to foster a multi-cultural environment that is free of any form of harassment and discrimination; and that embraces and values individuals regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender, national or social origin, marital status or any other form of personal identity. This is an exciting time to be joining CGIAR as we have undertaken a transformation of the CGIAR System into a more integrated “One CGIAR” that will allow us to achieve greater impact with our research. One CGIAR is a dynamic reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge, assets, and global presence in key areas where innovation is needed to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. It is centered around collaborating more closely in a way that enables us to deploy scientific innovations faster, on a larger scale, and at a reduced cost so that they can have a greater impact where they are needed the most. The transition to One CGIAR will have profound implications on the way CGIAR and its constituent parts are structured and operate: with unified governance, an integrated structure, a new research modality, and more pooled funding, One CGIAR will be better positioned to achieve its mission.Please find more information about CGIAR at www.cgiar.org and about One CGIAR here.
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