Assistant Project Manager

ABOUT THE POSITION The International Center for Tropical Agriculture – CIAT – is seeking a passionate, flexible and qualified professional with limited practical experience but with a high potential to quickly develop the technical skills required for leading on projects to support CIAT’s growing projects on sustainability. The Assistant Project Manager will assist in delivering high-impact projects for major international brands and producers in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia that translate emerging research on climate and environment into practical processes and services. CIAT is leading several multi-year projects in the land use sector that seek to prepare low-income farmers for more climate change resilience and zero-deforestation production. We work with sustainability-minded companies buying in the APAC region, who know the practices needed to adapt to climate change and protect the environment, but need support learning how to improve sustainable adoption of those practices. The position is an exciting opportunity for a learning role in which the Assistant Project Manager will support team members on a variety of projects. A more senior team member will provide mentoring support to the Assistant Project Manager and enable their progression to a Project Manager within 12 months. The ideal candidate is passionate about social and environmental sustainability issues. They will also have highly developed spoken and written communication skills in English and be an avid writer. Experience in consulting or managing demanding external stakeholders such as clients or donors will be a strong asset. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Support CIAT team members on various planning, coordination and reporting tasks related delivery of sustainability focused projects
Support coordination of work across team members, project schedules, and budgets to help ensure high quality, timely delivery of project activities within budget
Contribute to the cohesion and development of the team, proactively identifying ways to increase engagement and capacities of the team
Provide support in editing for language and graphics of project deliverables and donor reporting
Support proposal development and literature review or tasks when required

QUALIFICATIONS

MSc or BSc degree in a relevant field, including business, communications, social sciences, international development, public health, public policy, marketing, political science, anthropology or psychology
Demonstrated interest in social and environmental sustainability issues affecting rural communities and our planet.
Awareness of the motivations and drivers related to sustainable sourcing strategies and more resilient production in international agriculture and land use
Highly developed organizational and interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English
Working knowledge of Vietnamese or another Southeast Asian language is a strong point
Prior experience in a consulting or client services role particularly with demanding external clients will be viewed favorably
Strong drive to learn new topics and skills and to see research and ideas having positive impact in practice. Strong sense of professional pride and curiosity
Willing to travel (domestically and eventually internationally, post-Covid19) and enjoy working in an international environment

LOCATION The position is full time and based in Hanoi, Vietnam ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (www.ciat.cgiar.org) develops technologies, innovative methods and research-based solutions in agriculture and the environment, in order to increase prosperity and improve human nutrition for a sustainable food future. CIAT conducts research for development primarily in tropical regions of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. CIAT is a member of the CGIAR Consortium (www.cgiar.org), a global research partnership for a food secure future. CIAT recently formed an alliance with Bioversity International, strengthening the role of genetic diversity in food and ecosystems for resilience. WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE CIAT’s work culture is defined by a collegial, highly diverse and international team of people who are united around a common cause of using research to address serious threats to environment, food security and vulnerability. Curiosity, idealism and humility are shared values across CIAT. You will thrive here if you share our values for teamwork, empowerment and equal engagement of men and women, transparency, openness to new and different ideas and developing and investing in long-term growth and career opportunities of our staff. CIAT OFFERS

Attractive compensation package that is commensurate with experience
Personal development opportunities such as training, conference attendance and continuing education
Comprehensive health insurance and attractive benefits for employees and their families
An environment which values work life balance along with the career growth

APPLICATION To be considered for this position, please send an email to t.talsma@cgiar.org (Ms. Tiffany Talsma, Climate Strategy Specialist) and cc to h.kieu@cgiar.org (Ms. Kieu Le Huyen, HR Assistant) with the subject line “Assistant Project Manager – your full name”. In your email, please include:

A cover letter illustrating your motivation to apply and suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications and work responsibilities;
A detailed curriculum vitae, including the names and email addresses of two academic or professional referees who have worked with you and are knowledgeable about your skills and professional abilities.

This position is urgent and will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found. Only qualified applicants with relevant skills and experience will be contacted. We recommend applying as soon as possible but no later than October 18, 2020.