ILRI vacancy: Head of Administration

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Head of Administration responsible for the day to day management of all administrative services that support ILRI’s activities and operations in Ethiopia. The Head of Administration reports directly to the Director General’s Representative in Ethiopia for the daily management of the Addis Ababa campus and other field sites in Ethiopia and is required to liaise with ILRI’s Director of Corporate Services and Director of Human Resources, as required, to ensure complete implementation and compliance with all institute-wide, policies and practices.

ILRI works to enhance the roles livestock play in pathways out of poverty in developing countries. ILRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium, a global research partnership of 15 centres working with many partners for a food-secure future. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in West and southern Africa and South and Southeast Asia. www.ilri.org.

The Centre’s headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, and research is conducted in 31 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and receive funding from over 50 different donors.

CGIAR is a global agricultural research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 research centres that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org.

Responsibilities:

• Leading and managing all service units listed below by evaluating needs and risks, managing the planning process for the various functions/units, fostering continuous improvement and innovation and interfacing with internal and external stakeholders;
  • Service units: Country Finance Office, Country HR Office, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Housing, Catering & Conferencing Services, Engineering and Facilities Management, National Liaison Office, Supply Chain – Procurement & Stores and Transport.
  • All outsourced service providers: security, cleaners, gardening & grounds maintenance, selected transport services and travel
• Managing service delivery of all the service units by developing service level agreements (SLA’s), ensuring compliance with such SLA’s, reviewing processes, seeking feedback from customers, solving problems and managing external providers and ensuring efficient and cost effective services are delivered.
• Managing material and financial resources, including facilities and assets, by planning long-term needs, managing the operational and capital budgets of all units, approving expenses and ensuring assets are safeguarded and properly utilized.
• Assisting the DG’s Representative in Ethiopia in public relations and liaison activities, acting on his/her behalf, as delegated, and advising on relevant developments.
• Ensure that the necessary operational and administrative infrastructure is in place to support ILRI’s current, and planned, research programmes.
• Ensuring transparency and accountability in the operations of all service units.
• Ensure that human resource, budgetary and financial management systems are implemented and maintained in line with ILRI’s institutional systems.
• Helping the DG’s Representative in Ethiopia maintain appropriate administrative relationships with other international research centers, national institutions and other institutions having programme, or other linkages, with ILRI in Ethiopia, including organizations hosted by ILRI in Ethiopia.

Additional administrative duties assigned to the Head of Administration, ILRI-Ethiopia include:

• Support the Institutional Management Committee, as required, to develop and evaluate alternate models of delivering shared services to all organizations (particularly other CGIAR Centers) hosted by ILRI on the Addis Ababa campus.
• Undertaking other senior administrative duties as delegated.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Management, Commerce or related field.
• A lower academic qualification may be considered if combined with considerable (10 years plus) relevant management experience and professional qualification.
• 5-8 years relevant management experience in comparable organizations.
• A track record of achievement in mature, well-established organizations that have been required to adapt quickly to changes.
• Proven success in planning, organizing and managing budgets and people.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills – verbal and written.
• Self-motivated with sound judgment and sensitivity to cultural diversity.
• Experience of working in developing countries and multi-cultural environments with sensitivity to cultural diversity.

Position level: 5A  Salary range USD 55,000-65,000 per annum depending on skills and experience

Post location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with occasional travel to ILRI Headquarters in Nairobi.

Duration: 3 years with the possibility of renewal contingent upon individual performance and funding.

Terms of appointment: ILRI offers a competitive international and salary and benefits package which includes 15% Pension, Medical insurance, Life insurance and allowances for: Children Education, Housing, Relocation, Home leave, Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + public holidays.

*Benefits and salary are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship.

Applications: Applicants should provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae; names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to be included in the curriculum vitae. The position title and reference number: REF: HA/ASSP/11/2013 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter. All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal:http://ilri.simplicant.com/ on or before 15th December 2013.

To find out more about ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org

To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/

Suitably qualified women and citizens of developing countries, with experience of working internationally, are particularly encouraged to apply.