Workable
Regional Director - CWANA
Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates
Reports to: Deputy Director General – Research
Location: United Arab Emirates
Main purpose of the position
Under the strategic guidance of the Deputy Director General – Research (DDG – R), The Regional Director provides visionary leadership, and strategic coordination to strengthen ICARDA’s presence, influence, and research delivery across The Central and West Asia, and North Africa (CWANA) region. The role is pivotal in aligning ICARDA’s research agenda with national and regional priorities, reinforcing partnerships, enhancing institutional visibility, and supporting operational coherence in collaboration with ICARDA’s senior leadership and research teams.
About ICARDA
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR. ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development, and capacity development that takes into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organizations, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.
Main responsibilities
Strategic Representation and Stakeholder Engagement
Lead ICARDA’s engagement with national agricultural research systems (NARS), government bodies, academic institutions, and regional policy actors.
Represent ICARDA in high-level regional forums and intergovernmental meetings, and multi-stakeholder dialogues.
Enhance ICARDA’s institutional visibility and relevance in regional hubs, particularly the UAE), positioning ICARDA as a trusted, scientific and development partner.
Regional Program Support and Delivery Oversight
Facilitate the alignment of ICARDA’s research activities with regional priorities and country-specific development strategies.
Coordinate implementation of regional research initiatives, supporting operational delivery, technical coherence, and cross-country synergies.
Facilitate cross-country collaboration, staff deployment, and technical coherence across projects.
Monitor the performance of regional programs and ensure timely reporting, planning inputs, and quality assurance to institutional systems.
Partnership Strengthening
Foster and expand partnerships with multilateral and regional partners, including regional development banks, agriculture platforms and UN agencies.
Work closely with ICARDA’s Communications and Knowledge Management teams to amplify the visibility and impact of research outputs.
Collaborate with ICARDA’s Resource Mobilization (RM) unit to map funding opportunities and support donor engagement.
Institutional Coordination
Serve as the primary liaison between ICARDA’s headquarters and country offices in the region, ensuring effective communication, responsiveness and strategic alignment.
Contribute to institutional planning by identifying regional opportunities, risks, and adaptive measures in collaboration with the DDG–R and Senior Management Team.
Ensure regional compliance with ICARDA policies, operational protocols, reporting standards, promoting a culture of accountability and excellence.
Requirements
Education, qualifications, and experience
Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in agriculture, natural resources, international development, or a related field.
Minimum of 20 years of progressively responsible experience, including at least 15 years in a senior leadership role managing regional programs, partnerships, or stakeholder engagement in an international context and especially in the Gulf.
Proven ability to work effectively in diverse regional settings, with strong diplomatic, political, and cultural sensitivity.
Demonstrated experience managing relationships with government agencies, donors, regional bodies, and research institutions.
Track record of leading regional coordination or partnership development within complex or matrixed organizations.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic.
Familiarity with regional priorities and political landscapes in the target geography (e.g., CWANA, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia).
Experience in supporting regional advocacy, visibility campaigns, or joint programming with intergovernmental agencies.
Work experience in a comparable international research or development organizations.
Proficiency in additional languages will be an added advantage.
Benefits
Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits This is an internationally recruited position for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, housing allowance, non-contributory retirement plan, medical insurance and leave provisions. All benefits are denominated and paid in US Dollars. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of three years, renewable subject to satisfactory performance. The first year of appointment will be probationary period. ICARDA accepts applications only in English which is the organization’s official communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.
Only shortlisted applications will be contacted.
Negotiable Salary
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