Secretary to the Board of Trustees - Special Advisor to the Director General

Secretary to the Board of Trustees - Special Advisor to the Director General

Ref:IRS/04/DGO/2015/04

The Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) is seeking a highly qualified candidate to take up the position of ****Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Special Advisor to the Director General****. The position is based at ****AfricaRice’s Headquarters****. Presently the Headquarters is temporarily based in Cotonou, Benin, and will soon be moved to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

****About AfricaRice****

AfricaRice is one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium. It is also an autonomous intergovernmental association of African member countries.

****Responsibilities****

The successful candidate will provide executive support to AfricaRice’s Board of Trustees and high-level advisory support to the Director General.

Specifically, s/he will be responsible for the following:

****In consultation with the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees (BoT):****

1. Requests suggestions from Board members for agenda items including meeting times and places for Board meetings;
2. Prepares agenda for Board meetings and ensures their distribution together with all other supporting documentation to board members, in advance of Board meetings;
3. Prepares summary statements of follow-up actions immediately after Board meetings and ensures their distribution to all board members;
4. Oversees the preparation by the Head of the Marketing and Communications Unit of general statements of important decisions made by the Board and their communication to the general public;
5. Prepares full minutes of Board meetings and ensures their distribution to Board members;
6. Creates and updates the list of pending issues from Board meetings and ensures its distribution to Board members;
7. Assists the DG and BoT Chair in monitoring implementation and in making follow-up actions when requested;
8. Arranges the induction and training of new Board members;
9. Maintains all Board records, updates the BOT manual, and ensures their accuracy and safety;
10. Guarantees the proper management, communication and use of Board meeting minutes and all other documentations and correspondences related to the AfricaRice Board of Trustees;
11. Provides logistical and other administrative support for Board meetings and other Board functions;
12. Undertakes any other appropriate duties that the Chair of the Board of Trustees or any other Board member he designates, may request.

****In consultation with the Director General of AfricaRice****

1. Provides qualified technical support and synthetic reviews and analyses of policy and strategic issues to the Director General;
2. Oversees the development by the Head of the Marketing and Communications Unit of policy papers as well as preparation of reports, speeches, presentations, guidelines and other documents for the Director General;
3. Provides support to the Director General when he is representing AfricaRice at CGIAR and other external meetings and in negotiations at International fora;
4. Serves as the Secretary to the Executive Management Committee (EMC) and follow-up the implementation of action points by EMC members;
5. Manages the front office of the Director General including the Director General’s calendar and schedule, travel arrangements, conferences, media interviews and appearances geared towards improving efficiency of operations including budget monitoring and supervision of staff within the Director General’s Office and raising the profile of the Director General’s Office.

****Qualifications/Selection Criteria****

****Education:****Advanced University degree (minimum Masters) in relevant disciplines of Agriculture and Business Administration or other relevant disciples and/or equivalent studies.

****Work Experience****:

• At least 10 years of professional work experience in the area of agriculture, policy and strategic development, communication, or equivalent experience, including work at a managerial or directorship position preferably with any CGIAR Center and/or Regional/International Research and Development Organizations
• Preferably previous experience working successfully as a Board secretary or Chief of Staff (or similar position)

****Key Competencies Required****: knowledge of corporate governance and compliance; excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to plan, organize and deliver work on time with a high degree of accuracy; high degree of availability; Integrity and discrete personality; extremely well organized and can effectively multi-task.

****Language****

The candidate should be proficient in English or French with a good working knowledge of the other language.

Terms and Conditions

• This is an internationally recruited position.
• AfricaRice provides an attractive international salary and benefits package and a collegial and gender-sensitive working environment.
• The initial appointment is for two years with the possibility for renewal.
• The normal retirement age for internationally recruited staff at AfricaRice is 65

The closing date for receipt of applications is ****5pm GMT+1**** ****Thursday, May 14, 2015****.

****AfricaRice is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that staff diversity promotes excellence in our operations and particularly welcome qualified applications from women, people living with disabilities and developing countries.****

To learn more about AfricaRice, please visit our website at

http://www.africarice.org/warda/jobs.asp

HOW TO APPLY:

Expressions of interest together with a full CV (MS Word format) and supporting statement should be directed in confidence to A.Kpadonou@cgiar.orgwith the vacancy reference in subject:IRS/04/DGO/2015/04.