Associate Program Director: Systems Development and Scaling

About the role

CIMMYT is looking for an Associate Program Director to provide strategic and operational leadership for the Systems Development and Scaling portfolio of SAS. The goal is to ensure tested innovations are adopted at scale and contribute measurably to CIMMYT's 2030 strategy, while feeding insights back into CIMMYT's Discovery portfolios. The position is based at a CIMMYT office in Latin America, Asia or Africa.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the Systems Development strategy for SAS, aligned with CIMMYT's Excellence in Science and Innovation objectives, identifying high-impact innovations, combinations, countries and pathways with cost-benefit evidence.
• Strengthen coherence across country and regional projects so that investments build lasting institutional capacity and systems change.
• Contribute to research in scaling science, aligning outcome delivery with monitoring and learning.
• Embed innovations in public delivery systems (policy, extension, seed systems) and in market and enterprise systems (private distribution, value chains, digital platforms).
• Build the investment case and pipeline to align innovations with government programs, development banks, climate finance and private capital.
• Identify and co-develop ways to reduce policy, regulatory and institutional barriers, and build long-term partnerships with national research systems, universities, private sector, NGOs and international agencies.
• Ensure inclusion of beneficiaries, safeguard rights and manage legal and intellectual property in partner agreements.
• Lead fundraising through projects, institutional partnerships, donors and private-sector engagement, set targets and monitor scaling impacts.
• Mentor and lead multi-country, transdisciplinary teams, oversee budgeting, compliance and risk, and manage direct reports.
• Interface with Discovery Research on readiness criteria and feed field evidence and farmer feedback back into research priorities.

Required profile

• PhD (or master's with exceptional experience) in agricultural or development economics, sustainable development, agricultural systems, rural development, agroecology, public policy or a related field.
• At least 10 years of distinguished leadership in agricultural development, scaling or program delivery in an international research or development organization, academia or industry.
• Proven interdisciplinary, cross-sector team leadership across multiple countries.
• Demonstrated experience in project design, implementation, performance management and evaluation, with sustained outcomes through public, private or civil-society delivery systems.
• Proven track record of securing public, development and private funding.

What we offer

• Fixed-term appointment of three years, with further employment subject to performance and available funds.
• Internationally competitive salary and benefits including housing allowance, car, health and life insurance, children's education assistance, paid vacation, annual home travel airfare, retirement plan contribution and relocation assistance.