Program Support Officer

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center is seeking a competent & multi skilled candidate to join its headquarters in Battaramulla, Sri Lanka, as a Program Support Officer.

The Program Support Officer will provide high-quality program coordination and administrative support. The successful candidate will interact internally with multiple levels and departments within IWMI and, as required, with CGIAR, including, but not limited to, the Program Management Office (PMO), Corporate Services Division, Research leadership, and the Communications and Knowledge Management (CKM) Division. The incumbent will maintain key relationships with the Strategic Program Directors (SPDs), Research Group Leaders (RGL), Country Representatives, as well as external clients and service providers.

The Program Support Officer will provide administrative and program management coordination, specifically supporting the SPD's work program, planning key events and activities effectively, ensuring the delivery of key internal outputs, as well as managing travel and other budgetary matters. This role requires the incumbent to be organized, proactive, and able to provide intensive support to SPDs during very busy periods. It necessitates a high level of communication skills, integrity, and experience in effectively navigating a complex, multicultural, and multi-time zone environment. Depending on the experience and skills of the applicant, the role is also likely to encompass coordination of budgets, human resources, information technology (IT), and communications, and will hence require maintaining good relationships with key contacts in other departments (both at IWMI Headquarters and in the regional offices).

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure the effective coordination of SPD's schedules by maintaining diaries and arranging appointments, meetings, and conference calls.
• Liaise with the Administration Department and arrange all travel according to IWMI's policies, including visas, accommodation, and preparing itineraries, as well as claiming expenses in a timely manner. Help manage and oversee the workload of the SPDs, which includes liaising with respective portfolio managers, RGLs, researchers, and Country Representatives.
• Perform basic budget functions, including data and budget reconciliation, raising purchase requisitions and purchase orders on the ERP system, validating travel expenses when required, and monitoring budget usage for SPD-specific projects.
• Manage the processing of consultancy contracts, including organizing the invoicing and payments, to ensure the process runs smoothly for SPD-specific projects.
• Provide support for the recruitment of consultants, preparation of documentation for short-listing, and processing of contract variations, as well as the organization and liquidation of workshops and capacity-building events for SPD-specific projects.
• Ensure good communication and coordination with other researchers and senior staff at IWMI.
• Assist with conducting workshops, preparing invitations, certificates, and documents, and arranging logistics for participants in SPD-specific projects.
• Assist with the preparation and editing of internal documents to be submitted to IWMI's Board of Governors/Committees for the Director-General/Deputy Director-General \u2013 Research for Development, as required.
• Assist with the preparation and submission of Purchase Request/Purchase Order forms, Microsoft Flow forms, and other documents on behalf of the SPD as and when required, in accordance with IWMI's policies.
• Liaise with other departments and programs within IWMI, collect, compile, and analyze relevant information and data for the production of routine and/or ad hoc statistics/reports, as instructed, on the performance and profiles of respective strategic programs.
• Edit and format documents to be submitted to IWMI's publications unit and external partners.
• Manage internal/external correspondence and requests, including drafting responses for review, forwarding for action within the team, and interfacing with other SPs to ensure that follow-up action is taken in a timely manner.
• Organize training and outreach initiatives for Strategic Program staff and clients.
• Perform any other administrative and/or support duties as required by the SPDs within the remit of this function.

  Requirements

  EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

  Essential:

• Bachelor\u2019s or master\u2019s degree in Administration, Science, or a related discipline.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES REQUIRED:

Essential:

Desirable:

Benefits

This is a nationally recruited position and only Sri Lankan nationals will be considered. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of three years with the possibility of extension.

HOW TO APPLY: Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. We will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on November 08, 2023 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Your application must include a CV, cover letter, and three (3) references, which may be contacted if you are shortlisted. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes 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 working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our 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.