Research Supervisor at IITA - International Institute of Tropical Agriculture

DUTIES: 

Confined Field Trial Implementation (30%).

• Receive, document, and manage transgenic cassava plantlets from tissue culture laboratories.
• Oversee acclimatization, hardening, and vegetative multiplication (including SAH) of transgenic materials.
• Coordinate field planting of confined field trials in line with approved trial designs and biosafety permits.
• Outcome: Properly established confined field trials complaint with biosafety and experimental protocols.

Trial Management & Agronomy (25%)

• Supervise all agronomic operations throughout the growing season (planting, fertilization, weed control, pest management).
• Ensure adherence to confined field trial procedures and institutional biosafety requirements.
• Coordinate harvest operations and regulated disposal of transgenic materials.
• Outcome: Healthy, well-managed trials with full compliance and minimal operational risk.

Data Management & Digital Systems (25%)

• Establish field trial designs using Cassavabase.
• Create and manage FieldBook templates for all data collection activities.
• Supervise and conduct field data collection using FieldBook.
• Validate, upload, and curate trial datasets in Cassavabase.
• Outcome: Complete, accurate, and timely trial datasets available for analysis and reporting.

Facilities & Operations Oversight (10%)

• Manage confined trial nursery and field facilities, equipment functionality, and consumables.
• Monitor and document plant survival rates across propagation and field stages.
• Outcome: Functional facilities and reliable operational records supporting audits and reporting.

Supervision & Coordination (10%)

• Provide day to day technical supervision to field and nursery staff supporting confined trials.
• Coordinate daily implementation activities across nursery and field operations.
• Coordinated efficient task execution and team performance.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

QUALIFICATION:

• BSc/HND in Crop Science, Agriculture or any other related courses. The ideal candidate must have minimum of two (2) years’ experience performing similar role in a well-structured environment.

COMPETENCIES:

The ideal candidate must:

• Have knowledge of field trial establishment and agronomic practices.
• Be experienced with digital data collection tools (FieldBook).
• Be familiar with Cassava-base or similar breeding databases.
• Have an understanding of biosafety and confined field trial procedures.
• Possess supervisory and coordination skills.
• Have strong attention to details and record keeping.