Project Manager, Peanut Innovation Lab

University of Georgia; Athens (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Georgia seeks a Project Manager for the Peanut Innovation Lab to lead day-to-day program delivery across multiple countries. The role manages staff, coordinates partners, and oversees timelines, deliverables, and reporting for a multi-year, $38.5 million award.

The position oversees monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge sharing, with extensive international travel and collaboration with the GINA network in Senegal and partner countries. Requires senior program management experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent plus 10 years of professional experience including 3 years of supervisory experience
• Experience managing federally sponsored or international development programs, including Feed the Future or comparable programs
• Experience coordinating subaward partners and multi-country teams, including work in West Africa
• Supervisory experience with professional staff
• Working knowledge of sponsored-project processes and OneUSG
• Working proficiency in French (preferred)

Responsibilities

• Develops the annual workplan and integrated timeline with the Director and partners, translating objectives into activities, milestones and owners
• Tracks deliverables, reports variances, and leads corrective action
• Maintains the program's risk register, dependencies, and change requests
• Establishes program management methods, templates and status reporting standards
• Manages the project staff, sets goals and conducts performance reviews
• Recruits and onboard program staff with the Director and Project Administrator
• Coordinates multi-stakeholder meetings and travel to partner countries
• Defines subaward scopes of work and reporting schedules
• Monitors partner performance and ensures deliverables before payment
• Manages budget monitoring and sponsor reporting
• Leads continuous improvement of program processes

Skills

Program management

Travel internationally

Cross-cultural communication

Leadership

Budget management

French (basic)

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Project Manager, Peanut Innovation Lab

Position Information

Classification Title: Project Manager

FLSA: Exempt

FTE: 1.00

Employment Type: Employee

Full/Part time: Full Time

Working Title: Project Manager, Peanut Innovation Lab

Posted Salary: Commensurate with Experience

Benefits Eligibility: Benefits Eligible

Additional Schedule Information: Monday through Friday, 8AM-5PM. International and Domestic travel.

Proposed Starting Date: 12/01/2026

Full time: Full Time

Posting Number: S15993P

Retirement Plan: TRS or ORP

Recruiting Type: External

Open until filled: Yes

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent plus 10 years of professional experience to include 3 years of supervisory experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in agricultural sciences, international development, public administration or a related field.
• Complex project management at an international level
• Experience managing federally sponsored or international development programs, including Feed the Future or comparable programs.
• Experience coordinating subaward partners and multi-country teams, including work in West Africa.
• Supervisory experience with professional staff.
• Working knowledge of UGA sponsored-project processes and OneUSG.
• Working proficiency in French.

Position Summary

The Project Manager runs day-to-day program delivery for the Peanut Innovation Lab, a five-year, $38.5 million multi-country award. The position manages the lab's program staff and owns its workplan, timeline, deliverables and partner coordination.

This position manages the Impact Specialist and the Communications Specialist. Through them the Project Manager directs the lab's monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment and its outreach and knowledge sharing.

The Project Manager coordinates the lab's network of international and domestic partners, including the GINA network in Senegal and spill-over countries. This position works with the Project Administrator to keep subawards, budgets and sponsor reporting on track.

This is a grant-funded position with an initial two-year appointment. Continued employment is based on the needs of the project, as well as available funding and satisfactory job performance and progress.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and/or Competencies

• Project and program management methods: workplans, schedules, risk and change control
• Federal award terms for subawards, performance reporting and allowable costs
• Facilitating meetings across cultures, languages and time zones
• Clear written and spoken communication with partners, sponsors and leadership
• Willingness to travel internationally extensively, including extended trips to partner countries

Physical Demands

• Normal for a standard office environment

Job Duties

Workplan, Timeline, and Deliverables

• Develops the annual workplan and integrated timeline with the Director and partners, and translates award objectives into scoped activities, milestones, and owners
• Tracks deliverables against the workplan and timeline, reports variances, and leads corrective action
• Maintains the program's risk register, dependencies, and change requests
• Establishes the program's project management methods, templates, and status reporting standards

Percentage of time: 25

Program Staff Management

• Manages the Impact Specialist and Communications Specialist: sets annual goals, assigns and reviews work, conducts performance reviews and plans their development
• Recruits, selects and onboards program staff with the Director and the Project Administrator
• Sets work priorities across monitoring and evaluation, communications, and partner coordination so the three functions run as one program cycle
• Resolves escalated issues within the program team

Percentage of time: 20

Partner Network and Meetings

• Plans, schedules and facilitates program meetings, including regional GINA meetings, partner network meetings and advisory or steering committee meetings
• Serves as the day-to-day point of contact for international and domestic partner institutions on program delivery
• Extensively travels to partner countries for on-site management of project deliverables and to guide any troubleshooting needed at the partner country level
• Coordinates multi-stakeholder platform activities and joint events with partners
• Represents the program with sponsor staff, partners and University leadership as delegated by the Director

Percentage of time: 20

Subaward and Partner Performance

• Defines subaward scopes of work, deliverables, and reporting schedules with partners, the Director and the Project Administrator
• Monitors partner performance against agreed deliverables and confirms deliverables before payment is approved
• Raises performance and compliance concerns with the Director and the business line and leads their resolution with partners

Percentage of time: 15

Budget Monitoring and Sponsor Reporting

• Monitors program spending against the workplan with the Project Administrator and recommends reallocations and budget revisions
• Coordinates preparation of annual workplans, progress reports and other sponsor deliverables, integrating monitoring and evaluation results and communications content
• Ensures program activities comply with University policy and sponsor requirements

Percentage of time: 15

Other Duties

• Leads continuous improvement of program processes and tools
• Performs other duties as assigned in support of the program

Percentage of time: 5

Additional Information

Retirement Plan: TRS or ORP

Benefits Eligibility: Benefits Eligible

Full/Part time: Full Time

Additional Schedule Information: Monday through Friday, 8AM-5PM. International and Domestic travel.

Posting Date: 10/29/2026

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