Project Administrator At Iita - International Institute Of Tropical Agriculture IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
full-time
Duties
Program-Wide Administrative Leadership:
Provide overall administrative and operational coordination for I-Youth 2.0 across Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Develop and maintain a Program-wide administrative framework that supports implementation across the three countries.
Coordinate administrative requirements arising from the Program work plan, ensuring that operational needs are identified and addressed ahead of implementation.
Establish and maintain administrative trackers, calendars, workflow systems, and follow-up mechanisms for the three-country program.
Coordinate administrative inputs from the country teams and ensure timely submission, processing, and follow-up of Program requirements.
Monitor the status of key administrative actions across Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone and escalate delays, bottlenecks, and operational risks to the Country Coordinator and relevant Program management.
Provide administrative guidance to country teams and ensure consistency in the application of relevant institutional and Program procedures.
Coordination with Country Teams:
Serve as the central administrative link between the Program management team and administrative/project support personnel in Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Coordinate and consolidate country-level administrative requirements and provide regular updates to Program management.
Support Country Coordinators in planning and sequencing administrative requirements for Program activities.
Ensure that country teams initiate administrative processes in accordance with agreed implementation timelines.
Facilitate the resolution of cross-country administrative issues that require coordination with IITA's institutional support units.
Promote consistent administrative practices and documentation standards across the three countries.
Maintain a consolidated view of Program-wide administrative priorities, outstanding actions, and deadlines.
Planning and Operational Coordination:
Translate the approved Program work plan and activity schedules into corresponding administrative and operational requirements.
Coordinate the preparation of administrative action plans for major Program activities across the three countries.
Monitor administrative readiness for trainings, workshops, field missions, stakeholder engagements, meetings, and other Program activities.
Anticipate operational requirements, proactively initiate follow-up with responsible teams, and support units.
Coordinate administrative arrangements for Program start-up, implementation reviews, donor engagements, missions, and Program closeout activities.
Develop and maintain Program-wide administrative calendars to facilitate the timely delivery of activities.
Identify operational constraints and recommend practical solutions to Program management.
Procurement and Contract Administration Coordination:
Coordinate with the Procurement Officer and technical teams to ensure that procurement requirements arising from Program activities are identified and communicated in a timely manner.
Track the administrative status and timelines of procurement-related actions and follow up on outstanding requirements with the responsible officers.
Coordinate the administrative documentation required to facilitate procurement and contracting processes.
Maintain appropriate records of procurement-related administrative correspondence and supporting documentation.
Work with the Procurement Officer to ensure that procurement-related actions are aligned with Program implementation timelines.
Escalate procurement-related delays or operational bottlenecks that may affect Program implementation to the appropriate Program management level.
Coordinate the administrative aspects of consultant and service-provider engagements while leaving procurement decisions, vendor selection, and procurement compliance to the Procurement Officer.
Financial and Administrative Coordination
Work closely with the Project Accountant to coordinate the administrative requirements associated with Program budgets, activities, commitments, and expenditures across the three countries.
Ensure that administrative documentation required for payments, advances, retirements, and other financial processes is prepared and submitted in a timely manner.
Track the administrative status of payment requests, advances, retirements, and other operational financial processes and follow up with responsible units.
Provide the Project Accountant and Program management with relevant administrative information required for financial planning and reporting.
Coordinate administrative inputs required for country and consolidated Program financial reporting.
Maintain appropriate records supporting administrative and financial processes.
Flag administrative issues that may affect timely expenditure or Program implementation.
Travel, Meetings, Events, and Program Logistics:
Lead the coordination of Program-wide administrative arrangements for meetings, trainings, workshops, field missions, conferences, stakeholder engagements, and other events across the three countries.
Coordinate local and international travel arrangements for Program staff, consultants, partners, and other authorized participants.
Coordinate flights, accommodation, transportation, visa support, and other travel documentation in collaboration with the relevant IITA support functions.
Develop administrative and logistical plans for major Program events and missions.
Coordinate logistical requirements for donor, partner, and senior management visits across Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Ensure that country teams receive timely guidance and support for Program events and missions.
Maintain records of Program travel, meetings, missions, and major events.
Institutional Coordination and Compliance:
Serve as the central administrative interface between I-Youth 2.0 and relevant IITA institutional support units.
Coordinate with Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, Travel, ICT, Legal, and other institutional functions to facilitate the timely delivery of Program requirements.
Ensure that Program administrative processes are consistent with IITA policies, donor requirements, and approved Program procedures.
Communicate relevant institutional procedures and administrative requirements to country teams.
Monitor compliance with administrative requirements and escalate significant issues to Program management.
Coordinate responses to administrative reviews, audits, and other requests for Program documentation.
Ensure that required administrative records are complete, accurate, and readily available for audit and review.
Program Records and Documentation:
Establish and maintain a central Program administrative records management system covering Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Ensure consistent filing and documentation standards across the three countries.
Maintain Program-level records relating to contracts, correspondence, approvals, travel, meetings, events, administrative processes, and other operational documentation.
Coordinate with country teams to ensure timely submission and proper filing of country-level administrative records.
Maintain an up-to-date repository of key Program administrative documents.
Ensure that records are appropriately maintained in accordance with IITA and donor requirements.
Management Reporting and Risk Monitoring:
Prepare regular updates for Program management on the status of administrative activities across Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Maintain consolidated administrative action trackers and provide periodic status reports to the Country Coordinator.
Track outstanding administrative actions arising from Program management meetings and ensure timely follow-up.
Identify recurring administrative challenges across countries and recommend improvements to Program management.
Monitor administrative and operational risks and ensure that significant issues are promptly escalated.
Contribute administrative information to Program progress reports, annual workplans, reviews, audits, and donor reports.
Administrative Systems and Continuous Improvement:
Develop and maintain tools, templates, procedures, and standard administrative practices to improve Program efficiency.
Identify opportunities to streamline administrative processes across the three countries.
Promote harmonization of administrative practices while taking into account legitimate country-specific institutional requirements.
Document administrative lessons and good practices for application across the Program.
Perform any other administrative duties assigned by the Supervisor.
Requirements
Master's Degree in business administration, Public Administration, Secretariat Administration, Management Sciences, Accounting, Economics, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in project administration, office management, or program support within a reputable organization is required.
Competencies
The ideal candidate must have:
Experience supporting donor-funded development projects or international organizations.
Demonstrated experience coordinating project logistics, procurement processes, travel arrangements, and administrative operations.
Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and managing multiple assignments simultaneously.
Good understanding of administrative, financial and procurement procedures within development programs.
Excellent organizational and administrative skills.
Strong planning and coordination abilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
High attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
Sound problem-solving and analytical skills.
High level of integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and virtual collaboration tools.
Benefits
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.