Director Scaling for Impact Program

Reports to: CGIAR Chief Scientist

Location: This position will be based in a duty station to be determined in a location with significant CGIAR operations relevant to the Program. Montpellier shown above is a default system setting and not the confirmed duty station.

Grade: SO8 / CG13 (Equivalent to UN D1

Date Published: 24 March 2025

Closing Date for Applications: 15 April 2025 at 16:00 CEST.

About CGIAR

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a foodsecure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to reducing poverty enhancing food and nutrition security and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. Its research is conducted closely with hundreds of partners including national and regional research institutes civil society organizations academia development organizations and the private sector.

About the position

CGIAR has an ambitious mission to deliver science and innovations that advance the transformation of food land and water systems in a climate crisis to reduce poverty and inequity enhance food and nutrition security and improve natural resources and ecosystem services. CGIARs Integrated Partnership operates as a federated group of Centers and the CGIAR System Organization united by common values and principles and committed to achieving synergies that enhance their individual and collective contributions to CGIARs mission.

CGIARs 202530 science and innovation Portfolio encompasses eight Science Programs a Scaling for Impact Program and three Accelerators. The Portfolio is designed to harness CGIARs collective capabilities to address the most pressing global challenges. It aims to foster deeper and broader programmatic integration across Centers and disciplines enabling science and innovation at a greater scale with enhanced reach and impact.

The Scaling for Impact Program Scaling aims to provide for the first time wholeofCGIAR and transdisciplinary responses to evolving megatrends by dismantling the barriers that hinder the effective integration of research with scaling across CGIARs science and innovation Portfolio to achieve impact. Scaling for Impact is designed to advance the scaling of a broad range of promising technological social policy and process innovations from CGIAR and its partners. By enhancing synergies across CGIARs Portfolio it will also eliminate conceptual and practical obstacles providing effective solutions to scaling challenges.

The Director Scaling for Impact Program provides scientific leadership adaptive management and strategic alignment of the Program and its components as a coherent joint undertaking that spans multiple CGIAR Centers partners and sources of funding.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Drives strategic innovation by developing and implementing sciencebased scaling strategies that prioritize demandled inclusive and contextappropriate approaches.
• Leads integration and alignment across CGIARs programs accelerators and bilateral projects to streamline scaling pathways reduce inefficiencies and address systemic barriers such as policy constraints market gaps and sociocultural challenges.
• Provides scientific and strategic Leadership of the Program ensuring continuous review and adaptive management of the Programs vision theory of change and structure to maximize impact relevance and efficiency.
• Oversees Program aligning activities with CGIARs overarching vision mission and 2030 outcomes including developing and managing work plans and budgets for Program and fostering alignment of relevant of other bilaterally funded projects and programs with the Programs highlevel outcomes and theory of change.
• Leads the Programs Leadership team comprising Area of Work Leads and CoLeads and Center Delegates defining a vision for the program and shared accountability.
• Actively participates in CGIARs Global Science Team driving coordinated science and innovation leadership across the Portfolio to achieve collective impact.
• Guides and directs engagement with global enabling and engagement functions a Program level Independent Advisory Group and CGIARs partnershipwide independent advisory and assurance bodies (i.e. Independent Science for Development Council the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment and Internal Audit) combining scientific and political acumen.
• Acts as a spokesperson engaging with partners funders and when required CGIARs partnershipwide governing bodies on matters related to the Program including the CGIAR System Council and CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board.Top of Form
• Directs the delivery quality of science and prioritization of activities and outputs and assumes overall accountability for the use of such funds for their intended purpose under the Program.
• Establishes performance and results management of the Program including the development of technical and financial reporting and the implementation of regular pause and reflect processes.
• Assigns and provides functional oversight of Area of Work Leads and CoLeads and Program Management Unit staff in Centers.
• Delivers highquality actionable and scalable outputs by bridging research and application enhancing resilience and food security across vulnerable systems.
• Expands monitoring evaluation and learning (MEL) frameworks for continuous improvement scaling successful interventions and addressing systemic barriers in alignment with CGIAR impact pathways.

Education and Experience

• Advanced degree (masters or PhD) in International Development Social Science Agricultural Economics Environmental Science or a related field with a specialization on scaling innovations integrated systems or sustainable development in food land and water systems.
• Extensive experience leading largescale multistakeholder programs particularly in scaling innovations and addressing challenges such as land degradation climate adaptation biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic equity.
• Demonstrated expertise in scaling science and transdisciplinary approaches including codesigning and implementing innovation pathways evidencebased solutions and policy frameworks to achieve measurable impact.
• Proven ability to build and manage partnerships across public private and development sectors with a track record of securing and managing financial investments to drive sustainable largescale solutions.
• Extensive experience in resource mobilization building strategic partnerships and overseeing financial and operational management of multistakeholder programs ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and maximizing impact.

Key Competences

• Strategically aligning Program goals with CGIARs organizational strategies global priorities to deliver innovative demandled solutions for transforming food land and water systems prioritizing inclusivity and sustainability.
• Strong strategic and adaptive thinking with pragmatism required to make decisions that balance scientific ambition with operational feasibility.
• Systems thinking to address systemic barriers to scaling including governance challenges policy and market gaps and sociocultural constraints.
• Effective communication with diverse stakeholders including research partners donors policymakers and private sector stakeholders to articulate a compelling vision and drive engagement.
• Fostering collaboration and consensus navigating diverse perspectives and influencing decisionmaking across multidisciplinary teams and multistakeholder networks to achieve shared objectives.
• Exceptional leadership skills with a proven ability to inspire and integrate multidisciplinary teams and manage talent while promoting knowledge sharing staff development and diversity.
• Adherence to the highest ethical standards fostering trust and treating all people with respect.

Languages

Fluency in English essential to communicate in writing and speaking. Knowledge of a second language desirable.

The selected staff member will be offered terms and conditions commensurate with the grade of the position qualifications and experience.

Submitting Your Application

If you face challenges in submitting your application please email with the position title in the subject line.

Please note that shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our partner SRI Executive.