Program Manager - REAP

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Program Manager to provide integrated operational leadership and coordination for the Rural Employment through Animal Feed Production (REAP) Programme.

ILRI is an international organisation working for better lives and better planet through livestock. ILRI’s mission emphasises the interconnections between people, animals, and the environment, aiming to improve the lives of more than 300 million people in low- and middle-income countries through livestock science that supports equitable and resilient livestock systems, ultimately contributing to food systems transformation with climate and environmental benefits. This mission is delivered through two core strategic objectives: co-designing and deploying sustainable, science-based livestock solutions, and leveraging science to inform and influence policy and investment decisions.

ILRI is a member of the CGIAR, a global research alliance that works to transform food, land and water systems in a climate crisis and is the only CGIAR centre dedicated to addressing multiple development challenges through sustainable livestock solutions.

Working within the Programme Management and Coordination Unit and country teams, the postholder will translate programme strategy into coordinated workplans, delivery schedules, management routines and accountable action across seven programme countries, technical workstreams, consortium partners and ILRI support functions.

The role will serve as the operational engine of the programme, maintaining a programme-wide view of milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks, decisions and resource needs. The Program Manager will work closely with the REAP Programme Director, country leads, workstream leads, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Finance and Grants, Communications, Safeguarding, and corporate service teams to remove delivery barriers, strengthen collaboration, and ensure timely, inclusive and compliant implementation.

This is a delivery leadership role requiring the ability to lead through influence, engage senior technical specialists constructively, and maintain momentum and accountability in a complex, multicultural and multi-partner environment.

• Coordinate integrated programme planning across the PMU, country teams, workstreams, consortium partners and relevant ILRI functions, ensuring that activities, milestones, deliverables and interdependencies remain aligned with programme objectives.
• Track implementation against agreed milestones, deliverables, outcomes and budgets; identify gaps or misalignment and coordinate timely corrective action.
• Maintain consolidated programme risk, issue, dependency and decision registers; proactively identify operational bottlenecks and institutional constraints, coordinate mitigation with responsible teams, and escalate critical matters to the Programme Director with practical recommendations.
• Support adoption of programme processes, tools and operating arrangements, and continuously improve coordination methods, workflows and reporting tools as programme complexity evolves.

• Strengthen the effectiveness of programme governance and management structures by ensuring that decision makers receive timely, high-quality information, that decisions are translated into accountable action, and that unresolved matters are escalated appropriately.
• Consolidate inputs from countries, workstreams and partners into coherent internal and donor reports, dashboards, presentations and leadership briefs, providing concise analysis and recommendations to support timely decision-making.
• Collaborate with the MEL function to align workplans, delivery tracking and management information with the programme results framework, and use monitoring evidence and implementation feedback to support adaptive management and course correction.

• Act as an effective liaison among programme leadership, technical teams, country teams, consortium partners, corporate functions and, as delegated, the Mastercard Foundation.
• Secure timely and coordinated support from Finance, Grants, People and Culture, Procurement, Legal, Communications, Safeguarding, ICT and other institutional functions, resolving systemic constraints and escalating service-delivery risks that could affect programme outcomes.
• Support engagement with government, private-sector, development, research and community stakeholders where operational matters affect programme delivery, as delegated by programme leadership.

• Promote adherence to applicable donor, ILRI and programme policies and standards.
• Ensure safeguarding, ethics, risk management and responsible data practices are integrated into planning and delivery routines.
• Undertake other strategic programme management responsibilities consistent with the seniority, purpose and accountability of the role.

• Master’s degree in project or programme management, development studies, public administration, business administration, agricultural or livestock sciences, or another relevant discipline.
• Recognised project or programme management certification, such as PMP, PRINCE2 or an equivalent qualification, is desirable.
• Training or demonstrated knowledge in results-based management, adaptive management, risk management, safeguarding, or partnership management is an advantage.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience managing or coordinating complex, multi-country and multi-stakeholder programmes in international development, research, agriculture, enterprise development or a related environment.
• Experience using project and programme management tools and dashboards
• Experience working in Africa and across multi-cultural institutional or consortium settings is strongly preferred.
• Execution-Oriented Leadership & Accountability - Ability to drive timely delivery, maintain follow-through, solve problems pragmatically, and hold teams accountable through influence, credibility and constructive engagement.
• Strategic Planning, Organisation & Adaptability - Ability to manage competing priorities, anticipate risks, navigate ambiguity and change, and maintain programme coherence and focus.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Communication & Influence - Strong facilitation, negotiation, stakeholder management and cross-cultural communication skills, with the ability to engage senior experts, partners and donors effectively.
• Analytical Judgement & Decision-Making - Ability to analyse complex information, identify implications and risks, exercise sound judgement in high-stakes situations, and translate evidence into clear recommendations for programme leadership and donors.
• Excellent written and spoken English. French language capability is an advantage for engagement across programme countries.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

To find out more about ILRI, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org/

More ILRI jobs

This position is at job level HG17 and it is only open to Kenyan nationals. The position is a 3-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding. ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes pension, medical and other insurances.