Key responsibilities

This role requires an individual capable of leading through influence rather than authority. The Implementation Manager will be responsible for holding senior scientists accountable for delivery – a new approach within ILRI that will demand courage, tact, and clarity. To succeed, the individual must demonstrate:

• Gravitas and credibility to influence senior experts across disciplines.

• Conduct daily check-ins with each technical component team to monitor progress against short-term goals and milestones.
• Track dependencies across teams and ensure timely delivery of internal handoffs.
• Identify operational bottlenecks or institutional challenges and coordinate with relevant ILRI units (e.g., P&C, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal) to resolve them swiftly.
• Escalate critical issues to the Investment Manager with suggested mitigation actions.
• Ensure alignment across component teams by facilitating structured collaboration and promoting a delivery-oriented culture.
• Prepare materials and inputs for bi-weekly and monthly review meetings.
• Support documentation of decisions, risks, and adaptations for internal and donor reporting.
• Collaborate with the Program Monitor to support adaptive management based on monitoring data.
• Work with teams to update workplans, timelines, and delivery maps as needed.
• Act as a trusted connector between science leads and institutional support teams.
• Support engagement with external stakeholders when operational issues intersect with delivery.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in project management, development studies, public administration, agricultural/livestock sciences, or related field.
• Demonstrated ability to manage timelines, multitask under pressure, and translate strategy into operational action.
• Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills; ability to work across cultures and disciplines.
• Experience using project management tools and dashboards (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project, Asana).
• Familiarity with ILRI, CGIAR, or Gates Foundation processes is an asset
• At least 4 years of experience managing or coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder programs in an international development, science, business or research environment.
• Proven experience in building relationships with an ability to network effectively with high-level stakeholders.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, cross- cultural communication, and team building skills
• Commitment to providing exceptional, courteous service to support ILRI staff