Senior Program Associate

About WorldFish   

“WorldFish is a leading international research organization working to transform aquatic food systems to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. It collaborates with international, regional, and national partners to co-develop and deliver scientific innovations, evidence for policy, and knowledge to enable equitable and inclusive impact for millions who depend on fish for their livelihoods. As a member of CGIAR, WorldFish contributes to building a food- and nutrition-secure future and restoring natural resources. Headquartered in Penang, Malaysia, with country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, WorldFish strives to create resilient and inclusive food systems for shared prosperity. For more information, visit: www.worldfishcenter.org”

About the Position  

WorldFish is seeking a motivated, dynamic, and energetic team player who will be responsible to help foster excellence in bilateral project delivery at WorldFish and to ensure the organisation has the project management oversight, capacities and competencies, role clarity, technologies and tools to ensure contractual obligations are met. It will focus on delivering support to Project Leaders Steps 3 – 7 of the 7 Steps Project Lifecycle Management process (PLM).

Key Responsibilities   

• Supports Project Coordinator in oversight of sub-awards under the Asia-Africa BlueTech Superhighway Project and other projects assigned by the PMU Lead (Note: the specific programs and projects can be changed by the Project Management Unit (PMU) Lead in consultation and upon agreement by the incumbent.
• Liaises directly with relevant support departments, such as human resources and compliance, finance, communication, and MEL, to ensure project compliance with rules, regulations, and corporate policy in consultation with the Project Coordinator, Portfolio Manager, or PMU Lead as appropriate.
• Schedules and leads regular project progress review meetings, prepares agenda, and captures notes as appropriate.
• Provide a quarterly coordination and review report on data integrity, deliverables, and research outputs under different sub-awards and projects (as needed).
• Oversees and is responsible for grants and contracts oversight consisting of several large and small grants, ensuring that grants and contracts (projects) are completed on time, within budget, and in full compliance with donor and WorldFish policies and requirements.
• Tracks and reviews project and sub-grant financial deliverables and reports for completeness and readiness for submission.
• Drafts and tracks activity and financial project requests and changes to clients and partners, including approvals for staffing, financial reporting, activity modifications, and budget amendments.
• Support the Project Coordinator and Portfolio Manager in oversight of the implementation of relevant project management policies and ensure project leaders and others who are subject to the policies comply with guidelines and processes. This will include but not be limited to Project Start Up and Close out Toolkit, Agreement Review checklist and Project Risk Management Checklist.
• Anticipates potential problems; assesses project risks; offers mitigations and solutions; and coordinates the resolution with PMU and project leadership. Provides monthly early warning desk reviews for the projects supported.
• Supports Project Coordinator and Portfolio Manager in assessing current project management capacities and developing response plans to identified gaps. Contributes to the process of ensuring relevant project management support tools are regularly reviewed, improved and new tools developed and adapted.
• Provides capacity building on Project Lifecycle Management (PLM) amongst all project implementation and support teams, and that the processes are aligned to the CGIAR Performance Management Standards.
• Contribute to on-going process improvement and enhancement of the Project Management related systems and ensuring high quality and effectiveness of these systems.
• Maintain the accuracy and completeness of projects’ data in WorldFish systems that are aligned with WorldFish and donor reporting.
• Support the Project Coordinator and Portfolio Manager to ensure that donor agreement and consultancy contracts are being processed and uploaded in OCS for review and approval including all related documents are uploaded to the system for record file.
• Support the Project Coordinator and Portfolio Manager in following up with finance by submitting proper payment documents to partners and consultants.
• Maintains an understanding of donor and WorldFish policies and procedures related to grant/contract compliance and oversight.
• Prepares status reports or provides oral briefs on project progress, including problem analysis and recommendations for corrective actions.
• Review periodic reports to ensure that benchmarks and goals are being met and monitor progress and contribution towards project Results.
• Initiates project kick-off, amendment/modification, and close-out process.
• Travel as needed for program oversight and/or implementation support.
• Participates in cross-functional teams and initiatives.
• All other duties that may be required from time to time.

Requirements

The successful candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Accountancy, Administration, Project Management, or relevant field.
• At least 8 years of working experience in a multicultural non-profit or international research organization.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and administration between 8-10 years of working experience (contractual, grants, procurement, project management) in a similar capacity and with an international or non-profit international research organization.
• Project management training and certifications.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated experience multitasking with attention to detail, organization, and time management skills.
• Good analytical thinking skills.
• Team player with excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact positively with people in a multi-cultural environment.
• Strong customers’ service orientation
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

 Desirable Skills/Experience  

• Good knowledge of financial budget process
• Good problem-solving skill.
• Resourceful with excellent discretion and sound judgment ability
• Knowledge of budget and financial management will be an added advantage.

Benefits

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position and WorldFish offers a competitive remuneration package including comprehensive benefits (but not limited to) insurance coverage for staff and eligible dependents, employer provident fund contribution, paid leave and others. The duration of the contract will initially be for a three-year period with possibility for extension, depending on funding and performance.

Your application must include:

• A copy of your curriculum vitae,
• A cover letter which addresses key requirements stated above; and
• Contact information of three professional referees who may be contacted if you are short-listed for the position.

To be considered, applications must be submitted by no later than 24:00 (MYT), 07 June 2024.

Location: The post holder will be based in Penang, Malaysia. This position may involve international travel.

The screening will start immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Due to the high volume of applicants for WorldFish positions, we appreciate all interest, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  

 Our Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment  

WorldFish has seven offices across Asia, Africa and the Pacific, with more than 400 staff and 27 nationalities who contribute to a dynamic multicultural work environment.

WorldFish is committed to promoting a work environment where diversity and inclusion is valued and we seek to have gender balance in the organization. We aim to also seek balance across other diversity dimensions.

People in WorldFish are treated equally irrespective of gender, ethnicity/race, national or social origin, disability, religion, political affiliation, age, family size, marital status or any other form of personal identity.

We are an equal opportunities employer and strongly encourage qualified women and men from developing nations to apply.