Project Management Jobs in Nigeria

Project Management Jobs in Nigeria

Project Manager – Nigeria (Ref: DDG-R4D/PMN/10/11)

Background: The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the position of Project Manager - Yam Improvement for Income and Food Security in West Africa (YIIFSWA) project.
IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development (R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty by reducing producer and consumer risks, enhancing crop quality and productivity, and generating wealth from agriculture. We have more than 100 internationally recruited scientists from about 35 countries and 900 nationally recruited staff based in various stations across Africa. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.
The Project Manager will work in close collaboration with the Objective leaders (agronomic, breeder, plant health and social scientists) and country managers, in addition to national and international partners, to efficiently coordinate and monitor project activities and take functional guidance from, and report to the IITA R4D Director-West Africa.
Position/Responsibilities

• Provide effective and efficient management, guidance, cohesion, accountability, and profile to the project.
• Coordinate an inter-disciplinary, international and culturally diverse project team; and financial assets in concordance with the Terms of Reference of the project and organizational procedures.
• Be the main contact for communications with donor and administrative divisions of participating organizations.
• Develop project implementation, monitoring, delivery and communication plans together with the Coordinators for Project Objectives and cross cutting activities (Gender; Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning; and Communication), as well as the Task Leaders,
• Apply best practices and tools for project management, monitoring progress and budget, procurements, data reposition and troubleshooting.
• Manage contracts between IITA and project partners.
• Serve as liaison person between IITA and project partners and ensure budget management and payments as per the contracts.
• Proactively involve in team building, strengthening and building partnerships.
• Prepare and submit technical, financial and other documents to IITA administration, donor and stakeholders.
• Organize annual project planning and review meetings, and technical workshops outlined in the project.
• Implement recommendations of the project Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
• Ensure effective communication within the project team, identify shortfalls and devise contingency plans.
• Represent the project at scientific and other regional meetings.
• As the project manager for Nigeria, coordinate all the in-country project activities including ensuring collaboration between various partners and stakeholders, and review of project progress.
• Prepare project performance report for Project Director and TAC.

Educational Qualifications
The candidate should have a PhD degree in plant or agricultural sciences from a recognized university.
Core Competencies:

• At least 10 years of experience in agriculture R&D and project management.
• Strong project and team management experience (demonstrated success in managing at least two multi-country agricultural projects of significant duration)
• Working experience / exposure to international organizations and interdisciplinary agriculture research.
• Familiarity with agriculture and farming systems in West Africa, particularly Nigeria and Ghana. Working experience with yam (Dioscorea spp.) is desirable.
• Working experience in agribusiness management with Value Chain approach
• Proficiency in use of computers, database management software, internet-based tools and other electronic communication tools
• Fluency in oral and written English; working knowledge of French would be an asset
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Duty station: IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria but involves substantial time outside duty station, domestic and international travel.
General information: Initial appointment is for three years. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applications including curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three referees should be addressed to the Human Resources Manager. Please complete our online application form using this link: http://www.iita.org/irs-online-application
Closing Date: The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.

IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from women candidates.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.