Program Director -Human Resources Services  – International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics ICRISAT

Applicants should apply on or before 15 May 2022

International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilo meters of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.

Aspirational targets and development outcomes:

ICRISAT has set four bold targets in the next ten years that will enormously benefit the well-being of the drylands’ poorest people:

• Help halve rural poverty by increasing farm incomes through more productive, stable, diverse and profitable crops and crop products;
• Help halve hunger by contributing innovations that increase yields by 30% on a wide scale and through policy advice that stabilizes food prices and availability;
• Help halve childhood malnutrition by enhancing the nutrient content of staple food crops and helping the poor diversify their crops, delivering more nutritious and safer food; and
• Increase the resilience of dryland farming through innovations that stabilize, safeguard, and enhance natural resource capital, biological and systems diversity, and land;
• ICRISAT, with an annual budget of over USD60 million, has a global workforce of over 3000 individuals in Asia and Africa

Vacancies 1

ICRISAT has a compelling mission to fight poverty and improve the lives of people living in the semi-arid regions around the world. The semi-arid tropics are harsh environments with some of the highest levels of poverty and malnutrition, impacted strongly by climate change and battling water shortages and environmental degradation. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be met unless we are persistent in escalating efforts towards finding solutions in these most challenged landscapes.

This is an exceptional opportunity to become a part of a modern and innovative agricultural research organization. ICRISAT has embarked on a series of changes to assure a flexible, results oriented, nimble, and impactful institution.  The Human Resources team has a key role in assuring a fair, equitable and supportive workforce environment.  ICRISAT has a 50 year history upon which to build, while ensuring that modern human resources tools are applied to support a diverse workforce.

Program Director – Human Resources Services 

The Director – Human Resources will lead a dedicated team of focused Human Resources personnel and will be based at ICRISAT’s headquarters in Patancheru, near Hyderabad, Telangana State, India. The position will report to the Director General. This position will be hired through a Globally Competitive Recruitment process on a contract for a period of three years with an attractive compensation and benefits package payable in US dollars. The suitable candidate will need to be able to act fast, engage professionally and build relationships across multiple cultures, besides working closely with the Institute’s Leadership Team and Scientists across all our locations in Asia and Africa. The successful candidate will be an exceptional leader who is a passionate, dynamic, and collaborative individual and is highly motivated to achieve excellence.

Primary Responsibilities:-

• Lead HR practices to provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce.
• Provide strategic direction and leadership on the development and implementation of appropriate HR policies across the organization to foster inclusion, equality and diversity.
• Assess current and future policy requirements to support strategic objectives of the organization.
• Monitor changes in employment legislation
• Provide direction on staff engagement so that ICRISAT can attract and retain top talent and rank high as a preferred place to work.
• Develop and implement a HR strategy to support building an agile and forward-looking organization.
• Develop and oversee performance management processes to support a high-performing culture at an individual and organizational level.
• Develop and implement an effective reward and recognition strategy to support the strategic objectives of the organization and to motivate staff.
• Oversee implementation of human resources management at all ICRISAT locations to ensure that the design and application of the approved personnel policies are consistent with the needs and expectations of staff, as well as the local values, practices and regulations.
• Advise and guide Regional Directors, Country Heads and other Unit Heads on complex and sensitive organizational and people issues to enable senior management to take appropriate action.
• Negotiate and manage the terms of outsourced HR services to ensure value for money and appropriate service standards are maintained.
• Manage the HR team to deliver quality and customer-focused services.
• Develop effective working relationships with the Staff Council and other staff representatives to ensure harmonious employee relations.
• Serve on the Leadership Team and other committees as may be necessary.

Candidate Profile:-

Qualifications and Experience –

The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following skills, knowledge, experience, and personal characteristics:

• Advanced Degree in Human Resources Management or related field
• Work experience of at least 15 years in HR of which 6 years should be at a senior management level and the most recent role should be at a strategic level with a global span.
• Proven capability to manage HR operations in a large multi-cultural, multi-location organization, including all aspects of management: managing budgets and staff, building and managing partnerships, and leading a diverse team.
• Experience in developing and enacting policy where multiple stakeholders, including internal and external parties, are involved in achieving outcomes.
• Experience in addressing governance, institutional and staffing aspects of an organization.
• Experience in designing and leading successful change management programs.
• Proactive and achievement oriented.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities and strong interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated expertise in written and oral communications in English.

Good to have

• Experience in managing HR functions in research and/or agricultural organizations and also across multiple locations
• Knowledge of other international languages, especially French, will be an advantage.
• Prior experience of living and working internationally preferred
• Demonstrated championing of the critical areas of gender, youth, nutrition, knowledge sharing and innovation.

Assignment Location:

The position will be based at ICRISAT’s headquarters in Patancheru, near Hyderabad, Telangana State, India. Hyderabad is the largest city and capital of the Telangana State. It is India?s fourth largest city; and is a fascinating combination of the ancient and the modern India.

Hyderabad has developed into one of the major hubs for the information technology industry in India. In addition to the IT industry, various biotechnology and pharmaceutics companies have set up their operations in Hyderabad owing to its established Public sector in Life Science Research and Genome Valley. The city incubates several promising start-up companies and is one of the most exciting business centers in the country.

Located at the crossroads of North and South India, Hyderabad has cultivated a unique culture that is reflected in its language and architecture. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, food and its multi-lingual culture. There are four major languages spoken in Hyderabad: Hindi, Deccani-Urdu, Telugu and English. English is the language of business and administration and is widely spoken and understood. The Hyderabadi cuisine is known for its delectable flavors. Traditional Hyderabadi Dum Biryani is the most celebrated dish from Hyderabad.

Hyderabad has world class education facilities. While it is home to the prestigious International Business School, the city also houses educational institutes and schools imparting various national and international curriculum.  ICRISAT hosts the International School of Hyderabad within its campus.

Hyderabad is an ideal destination. A vibrant international community, warm and friendly residents, negligible crime rate, sophisticated luxury hotels, sprawling shopping malls, boutique cafes and world class recreation facilities make the city an ideal destination for global citizens.

How to Apply:-

If this position interests you, please follow the below instructions to apply.

Applicants should apply on or before 15 May 2022, with latest Curriculum Vitae, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged. However, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.

Key Skills

• HR operations,
• managing budgets and staff,
• building and managing partnerships,
• leading a diverse team,
• leading successful change management programs

Additional/Preferred Skills

institutional and staffing aspects; leadership abilities, strong interpersonal skills

Preferred Qualifications Advanced Degree in Human Resources Management or related field,

Internátl Language, French

Preferred Industry Experience

INGO/NGO ; Experience in managing HR functions in research and/or agricultural organizations and also across multiple locations

Why ICRISAT?

ICRISAT offers a rewarding career opportunity in dryland agricultural research to have a lasting impact on millions of lives and communities. The state of the art research infrastructure with high performance culture, ICRISAT provides global exposure and learning. For more details, visit www.icrisat.org