Administrative Assistant(DCP Program) - CIMMYT

Overview

• The role is to provide administrative support to the Dryland Crops Program. The successful candidate will join our admin team which shares responsibilities. He/she will learn and become proficient in diverse aspects of project and program management and support, including: procurement; grants, and asset management; vendor coordination, germplasm import/export logistics; travel arrangements; logistics support to meetings; expense and budget management; document/knowledge management; secretarial support; etc. Teamwork is a key aspect of this position, including interest and willingness to become proficient in all shared tasks and “cover for each other” during peak work time or absence of any team member

Duties and responsibilities

Procurement and Vendor Management

• Procurement Coordination.
  • Coordinate procurement processes for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), ensuring compliance with organizational policies and guidelines.
  • Raise ESA CAPEX requisitions and ensure timely follow-up with procurement teams.
• Vendor Management.
  • Evaluate vendor performance to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.
  • Upload vendor performance reports for access by the team.
• Germplasm Movement.
  • Process SMTAs (Standard Material Transfer Agreements) for germplasm movement, ensuring adherence to legal and procedural requirements.
  • Maintain an updated database of germplasm movement records.
  • Manage the processing of KeMHPIS documents, oversee DHL shipments and logistics clearance, and coordinate with procurement to ensure seamless execution.

Grants and Financial Management

• Subgrant Management.
  • Draft and upload subgrant agreements on SGM and ICERTIS platforms.
  • Maintain an updated Subgrants Tracker.
  • Upload partner documents for payments.
  • Notify partners of payments and track confirmation of receipt.
• Donations Management.
  • Coordinate donations, ensuring proper documentation and alignment with applicable project goals.
• Asset Management.
  • Maintain the DCP ESA assets register, ensuring accurate records of storage, maintenance, and usage.
  • Coordinate periodic audits to ensure accountability.

Knowledge Management

• On-line information repositories.
  • Lead and manage the upload of critical project information on platforms such as Teamwork and PMP.
  • Support the program Manager to develop and oversee a detailed calendar of critical project milestones and necessary follow-ups.

Program and Team Support

• Provide clerical support to the ADCIN Steering Committee, including documentation, meeting organization, and communication follow-ups.
• Maintain an organized repository of ADCIN documentation for easy access.
• Support DCP scientists:
  • Raising purchase requisitions (PRs).
  • Organizing internal team meetings.
  • Processing non-HSBC (credit card) expenses.
  • Ensuring timely documentation and follow-up on action points from meetings.
  • Teamwork: contribute to DCP’s Admin Team success by learning new tasks, rotating responsibilities, covering for each other during leaves, etc.

Documentation and Knowledge Management

• Post and maintain breeding team, Subgrants, Procurement, ADCIN, Donations, Assets, SMTAs, and other documentation on DCP Teams to ensure accessibility and proper knowledge management.
• Implement a structured folder system to enhance document retrieval efficiency.

Requirements

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Communications, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience as an administrative assistant or similar role, preferably in an international or non-profit organization setting.