Reports to: Research Team Leader – Genetic Resources
Location: Rabat, Morocco/ Terbol, Lebanon
Purpose of the position
ICARDA is seeking a Genetic Resources Team Coordinator to provide operational, administrative, and coordination support to the genetic resources team. The position plays a central role in ensuring that research projects, resources, and partnerships are efficiently managed and well aligned with institutional priorities.
The Genetic Resources Team Coordinator will act as a key interface between the genetic resources team and internal support units (Finance, Administration, Procurement, HR, Communications), contributing to implementation, reporting, visibility, and fundraising efforts.
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.
ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org
Program and Project Coordination
· Maintain oversight of all ongoing projects, including deliverables, timelines, milestones, and reporting requirements, in coordination with the team and partners.
· Update and manage project management tools and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks.
· Support preparation and submission of technical and financial reports, in coordination with Finance and the Project Grant Unit (PGU).
· Assist in drafting and updating project summaries, log frames, and performance indicators for internal monitoring and donors reporting.
· Systematically follow up on pending actions arising from meetings, reviews, and partner communications.
Proposal Development and Fundraising Support
· Identify, track, and circulate relevant funding opportunities aligned with team priorities, in coordination with the research team and PGU.
· Monitor calls for proposals, eligibility criteria, and submission deadlines.
· Support proposal preparation processes, including coordination of inputs, timelines, and documentation.
Operational and Administrative Management
· Organize team meetings, workshops, and events, ensuring proper documentation and follow-up.
· Maintain well-organized team resources, including shared drives, presentations, guidelines, proposals, SOPs, meeting minutes, and reference materials.
· Support procurement and HR-related processes linked to research activities.
· Serve as a coordination point with internal units (Finance, HR, Procurement, Communications) to facilitate timely implementation of research activities.
· Assist team leader in GRS management issues related to team development planning and budgeting, including expense monitoring, budget projections, and succession planning.
Visibility and Communication
· Support drafting of success stories, highlights, briefs, and social media content in collaboration with the research team and Communications.
· Maintain up-to-date team profiles, project fact sheets, partner contact lists, and other outreach materials.
· Contribute to enhancing the visibility and impact of research outcomes.
Requirements
· Advanced degree in project management, international development, agricultural sciences, or related fields, (MSc with at least 3 years of relevant experience, or a BSc with at least 6 years of relevant experience).
· Proven experience in research coordination, project management, or program support in an international or research environment.
· Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
· Excellent writing, communication, and coordination skills.
· Familiarity with donor-funded projects, reporting requirements, and MEL frameworks are an asset.
· Proficiency in project management tools and MS Office applications.
· Fluency in English language spoken and written is essential.
Benefits
This is a nationally recruited position which may be based in Lebanon either or Morocco subject to the nationality of the selected resource. ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, renewable subject to satisfactory performance, continuous need of the position and availability of fund. The probation period will comply with the applicable labor law of the respective country.
Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Getting agricultural research innovations into use in the dry areas is critically important, especially since these regions cover 40 per cent of the earth’s surface and are home to 2.5 billion people – a significant percentage of the world’s population.
This is the core work of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area (ICARDA), which works with partners worldwide, developing innovations to improve food security and the livelihoods of the rural poor. ICARDA’s work targets non-tropical dry areas in developing countries, and also produces international public goods with potential for global application.
Research covers crops (wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil, chickpea and forage legumes), the management of natural resources (water, land, biodiversity), small ruminant production (sheep and goats), farming systems (intensification, diversification, integration between farming system components), and socio-economics and policy research – on how policies can be more relevant to the situation of low income countries.
The estimated benefits of ICARDA’s crop improvement research and production of new varieties over the past 3 decades has been estimated at US$850 million per year. Over 900 improved varieties of wheat, developed from ICARDA material, have been released for cultivation worldwide. The new varieties offer higher yields; better tolerance to drought, heat, cold and salinity; and improved resistance to diseases, weeds and insect pests.
Watch our short video - ‘ICARDA - What We Do’
