University of Nottingham Malaysia
Crops for the Future Research Centre
     
  

Crops for the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring

Job Description

CFFRC - introductory information

  • CFFRC is the world’s first centre dedicated to research on underutilised crops for food and non-food uses. From its headquarters, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, CFFRC operates as the research arm of the global Crops for the Future (CFF) organisation. Its guarantors are the Government of Malaysia and the University of Nottingham in Malaysia. However, CFFRC is an independent entity that can deliver innovative, world-leading research on underutilised crops within the wider objectives of CFF and its global stakeholders. 
  • CFFRC is establishing a global stakeholder alliance of education, public, private and civil society partners for research on underutilised crops that can improve livelihoods, especially of the rural poor.  The alliance will be underpinned by a team of outstanding researchers and support staff based at the CFFRC headquarters and at its partners’ locations.     
  • The CFFRC approach provides new perspectives on how underutilised crops can help meet complex global challenges.  As an independent research company and with the active support of its guarantors, CFFRC’s commitment to multidisciplinary, outcome-driven research pioneers a new model for research delivery. The approach transcends geographical and disciplinary boundaries, leverages on new and existing capacities and provides a unique opportunity for CFFRC to develop global research partnerships and outputs rapidly on underutilised crops.
  • As well as purpose-built, state-of-the-art laboratories and a dedicated field research centre, CFFRC has access to national and international facilities and expertise. These include partnerships with the University of Nottingham in Malaysia, UK and China, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), universities in Malaysia and beyond and links with CFF, Bioversity International and other agencies, especially in Africa, Asia and the ASEAN region.

Specifically, CFFRC research will demonstrate opportunities for underutilised crops to contribute to:

  1. Expanding the range of crop species that sustain humanity,  and
  2. Diversifying the agricultural systems in which they are grown. 

To achieve these aims, CFFRC is committed to research that provides practical options to real world challenges through an open engagement with a broad range of stakeholders. These options include: 

  • Enhancing nutritional and income security through dietary diversification
  • Responding to climate change with more climate-resilient crops and cropping systems
  • Identifying and developing new agro-industrial products and processes using novel crops
  • Developing new wealth-creating opportunities through agricultural diversification.

Background to the post

CFFRC has identified five research themes and six research programmes. Together, these provide the critical mass for research on specific underutilised crops and their end-uses and demonstrate how similar approaches can be applied to other underutilised crops and their products. The research programmes provide a co-ordinated mechanism through which CFFRC research activities are focused on real world problems at an international level. The research themes provide a critical mass of expertise and resources to build CFFRC institutional leadership on underutilised crops. Each research theme will become a `Centre of Excellence’ for disciplinary research related to underutilised crops. 

The five CFFRC research themes are:

Research Theme 1: Biotechnology and Breeding Systems

Research Theme 2: Crop Improvement and Agronomy

Research Theme 3: Agrometeorology and Ecophysiology 

Research Theme 4: Agroprocessing and Bioproducts

Research Theme 5: Socio-economics and Policy

The six CFFRC research programmes each span the `Research Value Chain’ across all five themes viz:-

BamYIELD: Bambara groundnut as an exemplar crop for Africa and Asia

BiomassPLUS: Novel biomass crops for sustainable renewable energy and high value products

SystemPLUS: Diversifying agricultural systems using underutilised crops and cropping systems  

CropBASE: Web-based knowledge and decision-support system for underutilised crops

FishPLUS: Novel plant products to increase the nutritional value of aquaculture feeds

FoodPLUS: Diversification of the food basket for enhanced community nutrition and health

Responsibility for each CFFRC research programme rests with a Research Programme Director (RPD) whom has the support of a postdoctoral Research Programme Co-ordinator (RPC).  

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring Unit (PDMU)

The PMDU is responsible for supporting the Research Programmes in the design, monitoring and evaluation of their projects, ensuring best practice in the foregoing and for liaison with the CFFRC Business Development Unit (BDU). Throughout, the role of the Senior Manager PDMU (SMPDM) will help ensure that CFFRC research meets the highest international standards by: 

  • Ensuring that Research Programmes are well designed, with clearly identified resource requirements, methodologies and outcomes
  • Monitoring and guiding Research Programmes so that they meet their targets and deliverables on time and on budget 
  • Helping all CFFRC programmes achieve consistent, high quality management
  • Developing and disseminating best practices. 

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – experience and knowledge 

  • Practical experience in the application of logical frameworks (logframe/s) to project design 
  • Sound knowledge and application of logframe-based project monitoring and evaluation, best practice and reporting
  • Solid understanding of and ability to apply qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, data entry and data analysis
  • Demonstrable expertise in building project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DME) capacity, including facilitation and training.

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – skills 

  • Strong administrative and project management skills; able to anticipate and meet deadlines
  • Background in budgeting, data management and finance 
  • Self-motivated, able to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team 
  • Strategic thinker, adept at facilitating planning sessions and building and securing consensus
  • Demonstrable negotiation skills; proven influencing skills in a global and multicultural context
  • Proven leadership potential; able to inspire, encourage and enthuse team members and partners
  • Well-honed English writing, oral and visual presentation skills.

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – principal job role 

CFFRC is recruiting a Senior Manager to lead its PDMU. The SMPDM will work in close collaboration with the six Research Programmes (RPs) and the BDU. The role of the SMPDM includes:

  • The design and elaboration, in conjunction with the RPs, of the programmes’ projects
  • Application of project monitoring and evaluation methodologies
  • Liaison with the BDU on the funding of the RPs’ projects
  • Ensuring projects are designed and implemented in complete accordance with approved project documents.

Provision of technical guidance to the RPs at the design stage of projects, facilitation of project monitoring during implementation and the application of evaluation techniques feature as the most significant responsibilities of the SMPDM.  Throughout, the role of the SMPDM is to help ensure that CFFRC research programmes meet the highest international standards of quality and best international practice in design, monitoring and evaluation.  

Reporting to the CEO, the SMPDM will be supported administratively by a dedicated Support Manager.

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – tasks

  • Providing, in the context of DME, a high degree of administrative and technical support to RPs 
  • Designing and facilitating training modules to build the DME capacities of the RPs
  • Reviewing project implementation and performance, including multidisciplinary projects and activities conducted in Malaysia and overseas
  • Design and implement international best practice monitoring and evaluation plans and methodology, including the regular review of current international best practice
  • Coordination and management of data collected from the projects and activities against KPIs 
  • Monitoring of projects and activities to ensure these continue to be evaluated effectively
  • Ensuring evaluation recommendations are implemented, collaborating with RPs in order that they respond to evaluations in a timely fashion
  • Supporting the development and continuity of strong collaboration in DME across the RPs, including the dissemination of learning that contributes to improved DME
  • Producing quarterly and annual reports and plans, analysis and compilation of information needs for the design/redesign of PDMU information systems
  • Develop, coordinate and provide leadership to the PDMU’s planning and budgeting process, especially annual work plans and budgets
  • Meeting minimum internal reporting requirements
  • Attending relevant programme meetings and inter-programme coordination meetings
  • Providing suggestions on new RPs, along with preliminary scoping and detailed design for new RPs under guidance of the CEO
  • Liaising with the CFFRC Business Development Unit (BDU) on programme projects and activities, their funding and communication of project updates to funding sources
  • Support programme teams and HR in identifying external consultants and defining their ToR.

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – core competencies

The SMPDM will have relevant expertise gained in the academic and/or private sectors. He/she will have demonstrable project management experience and relevant leadership skills, and will be proactive and comfortable working independently in a multicultural environment and international context. He/she will also have a well-developed sense of academic integrity, professionalism and strong interpersonal skills.

Senior Manager, Programme Development and Monitoring – qualifications 

  • Postgraduate qualification in project management and several years’ experience of project DME in an international, development context
  • Prior exposure to multidisciplinary programming is preferred
  • Sound capacity-building skills in DME
  • Proven ability to produce clear and concise reports, budgeting and administrative skills
  • Experience in communicating complex information to a wide range of stakeholders
Human Resource Department
Crops for the Future Research Centre
Level 2, Block B, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
 
Tel:  +603-8924 8799
Fax: +603-8924 8798


Posted on 21st November 2013

Crops for the Future Research Centre

University of Nottingham Malaysia
Jalan Broga, 43500 Semenyih
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia

telephone: +6 (03) 8924 8799
fax: +6 (03) 8924 8798
email: enquiries@cffresearch.org