Operations Associate At International Center for Tropical Agriculture

Position Summary

The Operations Associate will have the overall responsibility of handling the general administrative operations matters as well as logistical support services to scientists and project activities in the CIAT – Malawi office.

Duties & Responsibilities

General Office Assistance

• Coordinate general housekeeping at the office premises and follow up on all maintenance needs to ensure office facilities and equipment are in good working order.
• Manage, review and respond to the internal and external communication flow – drafting correspondence and responding to queries from collaborators and internal clients.
• Coordinate security warden system and the security of the office premises
• Provide back-up support to accounts functions when Accounts Assistant is away.

Procurement Function

• Participate in procurement processes as required including shortlisting of vendors, tendering processes, evaluation of bids/offers, issuance of contracts, contract management and vendor appraisal.
• Organize the Procurement Committee meetings, take minutes and follow up on the Action plans in the minutes.
• Support the procurement management process by issuing Local Purchase orders and ensuring sufficient supporting documents for all supplier payments are in the procurement file.
• Receive goods from suppliers and dispatch them to Client Units.

· Apply for all VAT exemption certificates and maintain an up-to-date database of the same.

· Manage inventory of the Organization to ensure high level of transparency and accountability.

Asset Management Function

• Manage the station Asset database by coordinating with regional office to ensure timely adjustment is made to the database as appropriate.
• Assist in creation of Fixed Assets and maintain an up-to-date database of the same for the Malawi office and ensure all necessary documents to support the Fixed assets records and on file.

Warehouse Management Function

• Manage the station warehouses by ensuring inventory is properly stored with minimal deterioration.
• Manage the inventory records such as Stock cards, bin cards, stock inventory and store requisitions to ensure they regularly updated and accurate.
• Manage inventory movement inflows, outflow, and ensure relevant documentation is in place and dully approved.
• Conduct annual stock inventory check, physical count of inventory with a representative from finance to account for inventory.

Travel/ Conferences/Workshops/Meetings/Field Visits

• Coordinate logistics for conferences and workshops both locally and internationally and provide logistical support during the activity and prepare workshop reports when requested
• Make bookings and liaise with travel agents for tickets, assist in facilitating visa applications, arrange for airport transfers and hotel bookings for collaborators, visitors and staff.
• Follow up on payment of per diems and reimbursements during workshops.

Vehicles Management Function

• Review records related to pool vehicle movement and liaise with the accounts assistant for chargeback to projects for use of pool vehicles
• Ensure proper scheduling of the use of vehicles and proper allocation on a daily basis for field activities
• Coordinate and follow-up of service and maintenance of official vehicles
• Manage the process of annual valuation for insurance renewals; follow-up on submission of valuation reports and issuance of insurance stickers
• Ensure complete documentation pertaining to official vehicles is filed in the relevant files

Information Management Function

• Assist in filing of Procurement, assets and protocol documents.
• Assist in doing logistics and procurement quarterly Reports and vehicle reports, timely and accurately and distributing it to the relevant staff.
• Assist in maintaining an updated Protocol file to ensure timely renewal of protocol documentation.
• Assist in maintaining an updated service and hosting contracts file and ensure timely renewal.

Qualification and Experience

• Degree in Business Administration/Logistics Management or other relevant subject.
• At least Four (4) years of work experience in Administration or relevant department gained in an international organization.
• Good command of MS Office applications with ability to learn new applications.

· Experience in Logistics or Administration in an international organization.

· Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, but also participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties

• Strong ability to co-ordinate, prioritize and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure
• Highly effective planning, organizational and multi-tasking skills with a positive attitude and strong administrative service orientation
• Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, good judgment and a high level of respect for confidentiality.
• A genuine appreciation for and understanding of protocol, discretion and professionalism
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Commitment to organization’s mission and core values.

Terms of employment:

This is a nationally recruited position and will be based at the Malawi Country Offices in Lilongwe, Malawi. The contract will be for a one-year period, subject to probation period of three (3) months, renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. CIAT is an equal opportunity employer, and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.