Grant Portfolio and Stewardship Manager

Job Posting Organization:
CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) is a cutting-edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to addressing the challenges of agricultural production, particularly in the Global South. Established to enhance the quantity, quality, and reliability of production systems for staple crops such as maize, wheat, and other cereals, CIMMYT focuses on applied agricultural science and building strong partnerships to improve the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers. The organization operates in multiple countries, working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system while adhering to planetary boundaries. CIMMYT's mission is to foster innovation and collaboration in agricultural research to ensure security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security and sustainability for future generations. For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

Job Overview:
The Grant Portfolio and Stewardship Manager is a pivotal leadership role at CIMMYT, responsible for overseeing the global portfolio of donor-funded investments. This position is crucial for ensuring that CIMMYT meets its commitments to donors, strengthens donor confidence, and fosters enduring partnerships for future investments. The successful candidate will lead the Grant Management function, with a mandate to enhance how CIMMYT manages performance, risk, and donor stewardship throughout the lifecycle of its active awards. This role requires a proactive approach to not only manage existing functions but also to innovate and shape the future of grant management at CIMMYT. The manager will ensure that the Grant Management system is high-performing, data-driven, and technology-enabled, providing leadership with clear visibility into portfolio performance and risk. Additionally, the role involves improving the quality and consistency of grant and subgrant management, utilizing CRM, automation, and responsible AI to streamline processes and enhance effectiveness. The manager will also ensure that insights gained from implementation inform donor engagement and institutional decision-making, ultimately translating strong delivery into robust donor partnerships.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Grant Portfolio Performance, Risk and Management Visibility: The manager will own the management view of CIMMYT's active post-award grant portfolio, ensuring visibility of obligations, delivery performance, compliance exposure, reporting requirements, donor issues, and renewal risks. They will maintain a portfolio health framework that covers delivery, expenditure, reporting, compliance, subgrants, donor experience, and renewal potential. Key milestones, reports, amendments, extensions, closures, audits, and donor commitments will be tracked with clear ownership and escalation paths. The manager will provide timely management information, dashboards, and alerts to support prioritization, decision-making, and risk mitigation, leading regular portfolio reviews with relevant teams to identify blockers and agree on corrective actions.
• Grant Management Team Leadership and Capability Development: The manager will lead the Grant Management team as a portfolio and advisory function, setting annual objectives, work plans, service expectations, and performance measures for Grant Management Analysts and subgrants roles. Responsibilities will be allocated based on portfolio risk, donor priority, staff capability, and institutional need. The manager will strengthen the team’s advisory capacity in donor requirements, compliance, portfolio risk, and problem-solving, promoting knowledge sharing, coaching, and continuous professional development aligned with CIMMYT’s evolving fundraising and CRM operating model.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess significant progressive experience in grant management, award management, donor compliance, portfolio management, or operations within an international organization, research institution, NGO, foundation, or comparable environment. They should have demonstrated experience managing complex institutional awards through implementation, reporting, amendments, risk management, and closeout. Experience in supervising and developing staff, setting work plans, managing quality, and improving team performance is essential. A strong understanding of donor compliance, contractual obligations, audit readiness, documentation standards, and risk escalation is required. Candidates should have experience working across functions such as Programs, Finance, Legal, Procurement, MEL, IT/data, and senior management, along with evidence of improving processes, systems, dashboards, data quality, CRM workflows, automation, or operating models in a grant-management or comparable operational setting. Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills are necessary, including the ability to engage professionally with donor focal points and constructively challenge internal stakeholders.

Educational Background:
The position requires a relevant educational background, typically a degree in a field related to international development, public administration, business administration, or a related discipline. Advanced degrees such as a Master's or equivalent are often preferred, as they provide a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in grant management and donor relations.

Experience:
Candidates should have extensive experience in grant management, ideally with a focus on international development or agricultural research. This includes managing grants, subgrants, consortia, partnerships, or donor-funded portfolios. Experience in agricultural research, food systems, climate resilience, or international research-for-development environments is highly valued. The role also requires experience in donor engagement, stewardship, and service improvement, as well as exposure to AI, automation, data management, or digital tools in operational workflows.

Languages:
Fluency in English, both written and spoken, is essential for this role. Proficiency in Spanish is highly valuable, particularly for a position based in Mexico, as it facilitates communication with local stakeholders and enhances the effectiveness of donor engagement efforts.

Additional Notes:
The position is initially fixed-term for three (3) years, with the possibility of extension subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT offers an internationally competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, contributions to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment. Candidates must apply online, including a CV with contact details of three work-related references and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be considered, and only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Internal applications may be considered in line with internal eligibility guidance. CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer, fostering a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity, encouraging women to apply.