Role purpose

The Digital and Data Department focuses on building a digital and data-empowered CGIAR that adapts to change and harnesses the power of technology to operate in an efficient, effective, and timely manner. The department is responsible for harmonizing CGIAR's IT infrastructure, establishing governance structures to support the development of cross-cutting digital research capabilities, and creating an enabling environment for digital innovation in food security research and development. To deliver on the CGIAR mission, the department is also responsible for advancing the 2023 research strategy through strategic contributions which enable Business, Science, Partnerships and Innovation across CGIAR units.

The Director of Digital and Data Product Management is CGIAR’s Chief Product Officer and is responsible for formulating the overall product vision and strategy directing the creation of specific product strategies and guiding the delivery of product development to ensure that stakeholder needs are achieved whilst ensuring alignment between product strategies and CGIAR’s 2030 research strategy. The role identifies and develops high-value digital products through partnering with science and business leaders to understand needs, identify where integration and improvements add value and provide expertise to identify products that provide breakthrough solutions. Central to CGIAR’s mission, the role provides oversight for the development of global solutions with a focus on aligning systems and people to assure a positive user experience, facilitating continuous systems improvement and organizational learning to ensure that CGIAR operates efficiently and effectively.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Build a Product Management (PM) practice centered around customer satisfaction and value creation whilst mentoring CGIAR units in applying customer focus throughout the product development cycle.
• Direct the development of the strategy by identifying where new innovations and integrated products will add the most value to the delivery of CGIAR's mission.
• Identify and bring together specialist capacities across CGIAR and externally to own and manage product design and development in the identified area, ensuring that new products are effectively created, launched and continuously improved.
• Establish integrated frameworks that enable the successful launch and delivery of new products, effective enterprise data management, and technological stability to ensure consistency with standards and best practices.
• Advise senior leaders across CGIAR on the merits of innovative and integrated solutions while collaboratively developing organization-wide strategies to ensure that cost-effective, high-value digital products are prioritized to meet organizational needs and establish CGIARs reputation as a center of excellence in digital and data products.
• Develop a strong network among CGIAR units, to build a sustainable flow of projects by constantly looking for new opportunities and encouraging product owners and managers to pursue innovative approaches in aligning their product concepts with clients’ goals and requirements ensuring the creation of high-value products.
• Empower CGIAR units by integrating and training teams to ensure the successful development and delivery of new products.
• Motivate external stakeholders and organizational partners to build collaborative relationships and understand emerging needs, providing expert input and advice on priorities and best practices.
• Establish, monitor and take appropriate action on key performance metrics for delivery timeframes which will guide the timely creation, implementation and successful usage of new products and the deployment and utilization of resources.
• Oversee the establishment of processes and timelines for continuous collection of data to understand the evolving needs of stakeholders, internal and external, and unresolved areas which can be supported by product development.
• Develop indicators to critically assess the quality of digital solutions employed across teams to effectively capture the impact of transformation and integration and ensure that digital solutions continue to evolve to meet needs and address root causes of problems.
• Integrate best practices related to PM that are learned across the organization into a platform that is sustainable, evolving, and comprehensive.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Advanced Degree in Business or Management, Computer Science or Engineering or other related discipline with a focus on digital and data.
• Extensive experience of providing digital solutions at a senior level in a global organization.
• Demonstrated experience of partnering with scientific researchers and senior leaders to provide innovative solutions which meet evolving research needs.
• Demonstrated experience in digital and data fields, in user experience design, in enterprise data collection, and analytics, and ideally in business intelligence.
• Demonstrated experience managing international projects and product teams.

Key Competencies

• Demonstrated abilities to influence, persuade and align people with an organization-wide strategy and associated prioritization.
• Proven ability to innovate, coordinate and facilitate the implementation of a transformational strategy collaboratively with others and ability to work effectively across a complex and adaptive system within a context of ambiguity and transformational change.
• Proven ability to integrate, inspire and develop multidisciplinary teams without formal management authority and manage talent, with a strong commitment to promoting diversity, knowledge sharing, and staff development.
• Ability to effectively communicate a shared vision to diverse internal and external stakeholders and to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and ability to work collaboratively with people at all levels in a decentralized, respectful, multi-cultural, multidisciplinary organization.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an agent of change to build a unified CGIAR culture and dynamic, integrated, and agile organization and successfully support people through technology and data solutions and systems changes.
• Uphold the highest ethical standards by inspiring trust and treating all people with respect and personal integrity.

Language(s)

• Fluency in English (oral and written).
• A second language would be desirable.

Terms of Appointment

CGIAR offers an attractive compensation package, with favourable taxation arrangements as applicable in the country of the duty station and subject to a successful candidate’s circumstances.  A comprehensive employee benefits package is offered, including extensive insurance coverage and a non-contributory retirement plan in most locations. Support is provided in the case of relocation for the staff member and eligible dependents, including education grants. The successful candidate will be offered an initial 3-year contract, renewable.

Role Location

At any location across one of CGIAR’s Center headquarters.

Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion

CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation contributes to excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational, multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment with a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and flexible working arrangements. We are creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

How to Apply

If you wish to be considered for this position, please complete the Application Form below on or before 19 June 2023. In addition, we encourage you to please attach a copy of the most recent English version of your CV.

All information will be in the strictest confidence.

SRI Executive is exclusively retained by CGIAR to undertake this assignment.