About this role
Reporting to: Lebanon, Jordan & Palestine Country Manager
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
About ICARDA
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.
ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.
Main responsibilities
The position oversees and supports a wide range of institutional activities in Beirut as follows:
· Provide full secretarial and administrative support to the Country Manager. This includes providing support in planning activities, coordination, or information sharing on specific projects or activities.
· Coordinate the administrative and logistics aspects of events, meetings, workshops, and travel, as required.
· Coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and General Security on matters related to securing visas and residencies for ICARDA staff and visitors.
· Assist the Country Manager and the Director General in arranging appointments with Ministries and Local authorities and other partners.
Coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture to arrange needed import permits for seeds requested by ICARDA in coordination with the Terbol Station.
· Initiate and follow up on procurement requests, consultants/interns/student requests, and payments in compliance with ICARDA policies and standard practices.
· Registration and insurance for Beirut and Terbol Vehicles.
· Manage the petty cash for the Beirut office.
· Coordinate the clearances of ICARDA goods with the customs and shipping agents.
· Prepare the monthly time sheets for Beirut country office staff.
· Follow up with the bank on matters related to salaries, visa cards, accounts management, and other related financial matters with full coordination with the Finance Department.
· Coordinate with the Ministry of Finance on matters related to income Tax and returns from VAT for ICARDA.
Provide secretarial and administrative support to the DG during his presence in Beirut in coordination with the DG's Administrative Officer which includes meeting scheduling, local travel and logistics, handling local correspondence etc.
Education, qualifications and experience· BSc in business management, or equivalent, with a minimum of three years' experience in secretarial work and office/administrative support.
· Demonstrated experience in working on confidential matters, ensuring that discretion is exercised when dealing with sensitive information and inquiries, and ensuring that appropriate confidentiality is maintained at all times.
· Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with diverse colleagues and functions.
· Ability to plan and anticipate problems and to problem solve.
· Ability to balance the need for service and efficiency with the need to comply with Team practices and organizational policies.
· Demonstrated proficiency in using Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, and an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning).
· Fluency in English and the relevant national language spoken and written is essential.
· Professional, confident, courteous, and helpful manner.
· Ability to manage and prioritize tasks and time efficiently.
Terms of appointmentThis is a nationally recruited position for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, renewable subject to satisfactory performance, continuous need of the position and availability of fund. The first year will be a probationary period.
Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization's standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Other facts
About ICARDA
Getting agricultural research innovations into use in the dry areas is critically important, especially since these regions cover 40 per cent of the earth’s surface and are home to 2.5 billion people – a significant percentage of the world’s population.
This is the core work of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area (ICARDA), which works with partners worldwide, developing innovations to improve food security and the livelihoods of the rural poor. ICARDA’s work targets non-tropical dry areas in developing countries, and also produces international public goods with potential for global application.
Research covers crops (wheat, barley, faba bean, lentil, chickpea and forage legumes), the management of natural resources (water, land, biodiversity), small ruminant production (sheep and goats), farming systems (intensification, diversification, integration between farming system components), and socio-economics and policy research – on how policies can be more relevant to the situation of low income countries.
The estimated benefits of ICARDA’s crop improvement research and production of new varieties over the past 3 decades has been estimated at US$850 million per year. Over 900 improved varieties of wheat, developed from ICARDA material, have been released for cultivation worldwide. The new varieties offer higher yields; better tolerance to drought, heat, cold and salinity; and improved resistance to diseases, weeds and insect pests.
Watch our short video - ‘ICARDA - What We Do’
What you'll do
- This position provides comprehensive secretarial and administrative support to the Country Manager, overseeing institutional activities in Beirut, including coordinating logistics for events, managing procurement requests, and handling vehicle registration and insurance. Key duties also involve liaising with various government ministries regarding visas, import permits, and tax matters.
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