2 jobs in CIMMYT
Regional Human Resources Manager- Africa
Posted today
Job Viewed
Job Description
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.
CIMMYT is a core CGIAR Research Center, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources. The CIMMYT Regional office for Africa is located at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) at Gigiri, Nairobi, with country offices in Ethiopia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
In Kenya, CIMMYT is hosted by World Agroforestry (ICRAF), that is headquartered on United Nations Avenue, Nairobi.
We invite you to learn more about CIMMYT and World Agroforestry by accessing our web sites: and
CIMMYT is looking for a: Regional Human Resources Manager- Africa
• The Regional HR Manager will play a critical role in strengthening operational efficiency across country offices within the region for Human Resources. This position ensures that country offices are aligned with organizational goals, adhere to policies, and operate effectively within their strategic mandates. The role involves regular monitoring, capacity building, and strategic advisory to enhance overall performance and accountability.
• This position will support the Regional Director and Management by providing strategic leadership, aligning country/ regional activities with institutional goals, facilitating coordination between HQ and country/regional offices, and making localized decisions to address specific challenges and opportunities. Oversight, monitoring/ assurance and compliance are essential aspects of this function.
• Collaborate closely with other Regional Managers and focal points of the Operations Chapter to ensure the seamless adaptation and implementation of policies, procedures, and new system architecture (e.g., ERP and contract systems), focusing on process improvement while maintaining business continuity during the transition.
Objectives of the Position
• Align country offices with organizational strategic objectives, policies, and compliance frameworks.
• Support effective and transparent management practices within country offices.
• Foster collaboration and identify support needs between country offices and HQ teams.
• Assist in identifying and mitigating risks, while enhancing internal controls to ensure operational resilience and sustainability.
• Manage employee labor relations, including conflict resolution and disciplinary actions.
• Develop and implement annual training plans in line with the 2030 strategy.
• Oversee HR initiatives, including OHS Programs and environmental well-being efforts
Summary of responsibilities
- Strategic Support and Alignment
• Conduct regular assessments of country office operations to ensure alignment with
strategic objectives and regional priorities.
• Review and provide insights on the impact of country office activities and initiatives.
• Coordinate strategic planning and execution between country offices and HQ.
- Governance and Compliance
• Ensure adherence to organizational policies, DOA, and compliance standards.
• Conduct reviews and spot checks to ensure compliance, recommending corrective actions
for HR processes and activities.
• Collaborate with Legal and other departments to review compliance and address
irregularities.
• Monitor ongoing compliance through regular reporting and data analysis.
- Operational Effectiveness
• Monitor operational performance, identifying inefficiencies in key HR processes at the
regional level. Implement process improvements and training initiatives.
• Ensure effective resource utilization and alignment with cost management strategies
(structure, staffing, and work allocation).
• Work with the regional Director and Country Offices, to include HR management, training,
support, well-being, and other relevant aspects in operational plans and budgets.
• Contribute for HR to the opening or closing of country Offices in the Region.
- Workforce and Talent Development
• Evaluate and promote/ support leadership and management practices to enhance team
engagement and morale.
• Support talent development initiatives, focusing on building local/ regional capacity.
• Work with relevant areas to address workforce gaps and strengthen team cohesion.
• Develop and implement annual training plans with program leads/managers and HQ.
- Risk Management and Compliance in HR processes
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies and procedures (e.g., DoA for contracts).
• Identify significant risks regarding staff relations/ management and coordinate actions to
mitigate them.
• Implement best practices in staff relations/ management across country/ regional offices.
- Stakeholder Engagement and Representation
• Strengthen partnerships with external recruitment companies and networks to boost the
organization's reputation and enhance talent attraction and retention.
• Act as a representative of the Regional/HQ team in country offices, ensuring effective
communication and coordination.
- Environmental, Health and Safety Management
• Oversee the implementation of Environmental, Health and Safety Programs.
• Collaborate with OHS specialists to train staff in health, safety, and emergency procedures.
• Collaborate with HR HQ to develop and implement environmental, health and safety
strategies and well-being initiatives that address country and regional needs and priorities.
- Compensation and Benefits Management
• Develop and implement a global compensation and benefits strategy, including salary
evaluation, job grading, and compliance with local regulations.
- Internationally Recruited Staff Management
• Coordinate on and off boarding of IRS with Programs, Country Offices and HQ HR. Provide
adequate level of administrative support to IRS and dependents.
- Audit and Compliance Support
• Support all audit efforts on HR matters for staff and projects in all country offices.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws and update HR policies and procedures accordingly.
- Tools and Systems Management
• Collaborate with HR HQ to develop, implement, and manage internal tools and systems
for HR reporting, and data analysis as well as staff management at the country/ regional
level.
- Monitoring and Oversight
• Conduct ongoing monitoring and oversight of country office operations, ensuring they
meet HQ standards.
• Provide regular updates to HQ on the status of country offices, including KPI's.
• Coordinate with HQ to address issues identified during monitoring activities.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in human resources management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least 8-10 years of progressive HR experience, including regional or multi-country management.
• Experience in human resources governance, compliance, and strategy alignment.
Personal attributes and competencies
• Ability to align HR activities with organizational goals and policies.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop HR teams across regions.
• Experience in driving change management initiatives and fostering a positive organizational
culture.
• Strong understanding of labor laws, internal controls, and audits.
• Experience developing and implementing training and capacity-building plans.
• Experience working in a regional or multi-site capacity, ideally within an international
organization.
• Proven experience in workforce planning, recruitment practices, employee relations,
performance management, and organizational development.
• Familiarity with HRIS systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with cultural sensitivity for
diverse, multi-lingual teams.
• Proficiency in presenting HR data and insights to senior leadership.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities across regions with high attention to detail.
• Expertise in planning and implementing HR initiatives effectively.
• Adaptability and cultural sensitivity for working in diverse regional contexts.
Terms and conditions
• This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position and on competitive remuneration in local currency, commensurate with skills and experience.
• The appointment will be for two (2) years, including a six-month probationary period, with the possibility of extension contingent on performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources.
• The duty station will be in Nairobi, Kenya. Application process
Go to
• CV and Cover Letter should be in PDF and Labelled with the applicants First and Second Names.
• We will acknowledge all applications but will only contact short-listed candidates.
CIFOR-ICRAF is an equal opportunity employer. Staff diversity contributes to excellence.
Job announcement for Roster
Posted today
Job Viewed
Job Description
CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.
For more information, visit
CIMMYT is building a Roster of qualified professionals to be considered for future opportunities in various locations and areas of expertise.
What is a Roster?
A roster is a pool of pre-assessed, qualified candidates who may be contacted when a relevant position becomes available. This approach allows us to respond more efficiently to hiring needs and significantly shorten recruitment timelines when vacancies arise.
CIMMYT has opened a call for applications for Breeders committed to implement CIMMYT's Strategy related positions such as:
- Maize Molecular Geneticist
- Scientist, Quantitative Genetics
Specific Duties:
- Work with other genetics specialists to design and evaluate new and current breeding schemes through simulation, retrospective analysis, and pilot testing.
- Develop strategy in collaboration with breeding teams and other stakeholders and support the development of plans to optimize the use of new breeding tools and methodologies.
- Support breeding teams to ensure that target product profiles drive breeding activities and that breeding efforts are aligned to these breeding targets.
- Support the breeding teams to set up disciplined processes to select parental germplasm in a targeted manner, as well as identify and implement ways to overcome resource, logistical, and biological constraints to shorten the breeding cycle time and increase the accuracy of data prior to selection of parents.
- Contribute to the development of a training strategy and content to mentor and consult with breeding teams.
- Lead and contribute to both virtual and hands-on training and mentorship activities targeted at CGIAR-NARES breeding teams in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
- Providing support to internal and external reviews and evaluations.
- Contributing to publications derived from the breeding optimization project.
- Coordinate the molecular breeding work, particularly to enhance the adaptation to the temperate environments via genetics, genomics, and molecular biology approaches.
- Contribute to generating data on de novo genome assemblies, transcriptomes, and annotations.
- Analyze the genomic differentiation between tropical and temperate seed for key traits of interest using genome resequencing data.
- Genetic mapping of important traits associated with photoperiod sensitivity, and resistance/tolerance to major biotic and abiotic stresses in seeds.
- Cloning and validation of functional genes targeting the improvement of the seed yield and stress tolerance.
- Contribute to joint research proposals and seek opportunities for new collaborations and funding sources.
- Manuscript writing and publication of research data in high-impact journals.
- PhD in plant breeding, quantitative genetics, biometrics, molecular genetics or plant biotechnology, or other highly related fields in genetics and breeding.
- Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience.
- Experience in private industry and/or an advanced modern breeding program is a plus.
- In-depth understanding of practical breeding applications and logistical constraints that will be relevant to breeding programs targeting the developing world (i.e., CGIAR centers, national systems, and private sector organizations).
- Expertise in statistical analysis software (R, mixed modeling, perhaps machine learning, etc.) and a creative and innovative mindset.
- A good understanding of quantitative genetics and underlying mathematical theory.
- Experience in plant gene discovery, cloning, and functional analysis.
- Expertise in using statistical analysis software (R, Python, perhaps machine learning, etc.).
- A good understanding of quantitative genetics and bioinformatics.
- Track record of high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Good reporting and communication skills in English (working language).
- The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Problem-Solving, Client Orientation, Good Communication, Multicultural Awareness and Collaboration.
Interested candidates may apply online
CIMMYT Talent Roster Information
Qualified candidates may be invited to join CIMMYT's talent roster for two years. You will be requested to opt in or out of having your information retained for future opportunities.
Important Note:
This announcement is not linked to a specific, currently opened position. Inclusion in the roster means you may be considered for upcoming vacancies that match your profile, but it does not guarantee employment.
CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.