Several Job Positions at The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Position Responsibilities:
The Gender Specialist will undertake the following activities:
• Lead the gender mainstreaming, adoptive and strategic gender research activities of the SARD-SC project.
• Participate and assist in identification and development of gender innovative approaches,   qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods for designing gender and social inclusive interventions, data collection, improving the gender M&E indicators and reporting on gender related outputs and outcomes of the SARD-SC project.
• Contribute to gender based partnership building in the innovation platforms through enhancing and facilitating the technical as well as the advocacy, policy and collective action capabilities of partners and collaborators. 
• Conduct comparative case studies in order to understand commonalities among gender norms and role of agency embedded in diverse cultures, languages, customs, beliefs and values.
• Development of gender implementation plan for the project that is standardized and harmonized to specific agro-ecological zones.
• Liaise with IITA and other CRPs implementing gender specialists and partners to identify training and capacity building needs and gaps and organize trainings to enhance the quality of gender research activities of the project. 
• Play an essential role in ensuring gender and social inclusiveness such as youth and other marginalized minority groups in ongoing and planned research activities.
• Strengthen collaboration and synergy with IITA and other CRP implementing partners’ gender specialists and social scientists.
• Contribute to the development of gender and youth centred/focused Concept Notes and Proposals within the mandate research areas of the SARD-SC project.
• Contribute to gender outcome/adoption/impact studies and journal publications.
• Contribute to the visibility and communication of gender dimensions of the project.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a minimum of a Post graduate degree (MSc or Ph.D) in social science especially gender studies or a relevant discipline from a recognized university and more than seven years of increasingly responsible professional experience in the substantive area, of which five years is at the international level.   

Core Competencies:
• Experience in the application of qualitative methods and an interest in research about topics related to the role of women in agricultural development.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Training in qualitative research techniques and interview analysis is a must; knowledge of analytical software and statistical programs is desirable.
• Familiarity with results based management. 
• Experience with project activity implementation and monitoring.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent spoken and written English; knowledge of French would be an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish articles in peer reviewed international journals.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the West Africa sub-region.
• Research experience in sub-Saharan Africa is an asset.

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Position Responsibilities:
The Agribusiness Specialist will undertake the following activities:
• Organize and facilitate location specific activities to strengthen small holder capacities in quality management of cassava and maize processing and utilization.
• Link cassava and maize producers to identified markets and help organize producers to meet demands of the identified markets.
• Collect and analyze cassava and maize marketing and utilization information to help guide activity re-planning.
• Develop baseline information for enterprise beneficiaries as basis for monitoring and evaluation of enterprise development progress in target sites.
• Provide timely response to enterprise-related project concerns noted during monitoring and evaluation.
• Propose technical resources and partnership opportunities that hold promise to solve priority problems affecting cassava and maize enterprises and utilization.
• Help strengthen the functional relationship between IITA and GOs and NGOs working on the promotion of cassava and maize production, processing, and utilization technologies.
• Increase local/public awareness of the various processed cassava and maize products, their uses, and their actual and potential impact.
• Provide information and data required to develop project proposals to further promote cassava and maize production, commercialization and utilization.
• Develop, mobilize and disseminate cassava and maize enterprise information resources.
• Prepare national project technical and progress reports.
• Participate in resource mobilization.
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a Post graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness, Business Management, or a closely related field from a recognized University and more than 7 years’ cognate experience in the field of Agribusiness.

Core Competencies:
• Good knowledge of the Cassava and/or Maize Value Chain.
• Experience with project activity implementation and monitoring.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent spoken and written English; knowledge of French would be an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish articles in peer reviewed international journals.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.

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Position Responsibilities:
The Agricultural Economist will undertake the following activities:
• Design and lead cross-country impact studies for tracking the adoption, outcomes, and impacts of production technologies and related innovations.
• Assemble secondary data on experimental yields and related parameters for a range of technology options promoted by the project which are needed for measuring and attributing impacts on crop yields and incomes.
• Assess the extent, determinants, and pathways of adoption of improved technologies.
• Develop and apply innovative methods for quantifying the impacts of improved technologies on food security and poverty reduction.
• Undertake strategic/ex-ante economic analyses of technology options for better targeting and priority setting of project interventions in the target countries and beyond.
• Develop and operationalize a mechanism for regular sharing of research results and other critical feedback information with project management and partners involved in technology development and dissemination.
• Translate research findings into recommendations for policy action for greater technology adoption and impacts.
• Publish research findings in international peer reviewed journals.
• Contribute to capacity strengthening of national partners; and
• Participate actively in annual review and planning meetings and resource mobilization.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a PhD in agricultural economics, economics, or development economics from a highly recognized university.

Core Competencies:
• Demonstrated experience with impact evaluation of agricultural technologies, market or sub-sector studies, or value chain analysis.
• Knowledge of innovation systems, innovation platforms, and social network mapping. 
• Proficiency with econometric modeling methods and software (e.g. Stata).
• Knowledge of data collection tools and analytical methods for adoption and impact assessment as well as for value chain analysis.
• Demonstrated experience with large-scale technology adoption and impact surveys.
• A high degree of personal organization and ability to multi-task and work under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish journal articles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (knowledge of French is an advantage); and
• Ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment.

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Position Responsibilities:
The Nutritionist will undertake the following activities:
• Provide leadership in designing, planning and implementation of activities relating to nutrition
 and health improvement.
• Provide technical backstopping to countries on nutrition and health improvement activities.
• Organize and lead training courses for different stakeholders as necessary.
• Compile, collate and prepare technical reports.
• Conduct nutritional analysis of cassava and maize.
• Conduct research in post-harvest processing, product development, food safety, and
nutritional aspects of cassava and maize.
• Contribute technical expertise in post-harvest processing, product development, food safety,
and nutritional studies as needed.
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a Post graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in Nutrition, Food Science or a closely related field from a recognized University and more than 7 years’ experience in nutrition and/or food technology research.

Core Competencies:
• Proven skills and experience in nutrition or food science research.
• Proven skills and experience in the use of participatory research and
extension   approaches.
• Ability to work with smallholder producers and processors.
• Experience with project activity implementation and monitoring.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent spoken and written English; knowledge of French would be an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish articles in peer reviewed international journals.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the West Africa sub-region.
• Research experience in sub-Saharan Africa is an asset.

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Position Responsibilities:
The Seed Scientist will undertake the following activities:
• Establish and manage the multiplication and dissemination of improved maize, cultivars in collaboration with partners in the national systems and the private sector.
• Develop and implement concrete plans in production and maintenance of breeder and foundation seeds of parental lines of IITA maize hybrids to support certified seed production and commercialization by relevant public institutions and private seed sector.
• Assist in hybrid seed production research and establishment of distinct uniform and stable (DUS) and value for cultivation and use (VCU) for IITA products in partnership with the public institutions and the private sector to enhance release and production of cultivars.
• Work with partners in promotional activities to enhance adoption of IITA varieties and hybrids in the various target countries.
• Work with national and regional partners involved in harmonizing the release, production and deployment of improved cultivars in several countries.
• Involve in building capacity of public and private sectors to produce breeder, foundation, and certified seeds of improved cultivars of maize, cowpeas and soybeans and market them to farming communities.
• Engage in mobilizing resources to further expand dissemination coverage of improved maize cultivars.
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a PhD in Plant Breeding, Seed Science or a closely related field from a recognized university and more than 10 years of post-PhD experience in system development especially with the maize crop.

Core Competencies:.
• Applied knowledge in production of seeds of maize, cowpeas, and soybean varieties.
• Experience in field experimentation, trial management and quality control of improved seeds as well as familiarity in variety release procedures and seed regulations are highly preferred.
• Experience in working with the informal and formal seed sector in dissemination of improved cultivars.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English with good working knowledge of French preferred. 
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural setting and to interact with scientists and staff working in multi-disciplinary research areas.
• Track record of publications in peer reviewed journals.
• Strong innovation, communication and organizational skills as well as ability to teach.

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Position Responsibilities:
The Soybean Scientist will undertake the following activities:
• Strengthen soybean production technology testing and delivery platforms in Nigeria for effective capacity building and soybean technology delivery.
• Develop a sustainable soybean seed system. Intensify community based seed systems through development of input supply chain and delivery systems
• Create awareness amongst farmers on the advantages of planting larger areas of soybean in mono and strip cropping within the maize Innovation platforms.
• Enhance the usage of good agronomic practices for soybean production including mechanization and the use of Rhizobium inoculum. Facilitate partnership for dissemination campaign and sustainable supply of inoculants (NoduMax) and P-fertilizer.
• Facilitate the linkage of actors in the soybean value chain and develop capacity of partners working on soybean value chain.
• Expand the utilization of soybean in Nigerian households. Facilitate the use of pre- and post-harvest labour saving tools for higher net profit from soybean production and processing.
• Media events and publicity for popularization of improved soybean varieties and use of inoculant (NoduMax)
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a Post graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in Soybean breeding, Agronomy or a closely related field from a recognized University and more than 7 years’ experience in soybean research.

Core Competencies:
• Applied knowledge in production of seeds of maize, cowpeas, and soybean varieties.
• Experience in field experimentation, trial management and quality control of improved seeds as well as familiarity in variety release procedures and seed regulations are highly preferred.
• Experience in working with the informal and formal seed sector in dissemination of improved cultivars.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English with good working knowledge of French preferred. 
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural setting and to interact with scientists and staff working in multi-disciplinary research areas.
• Track record of publications in peer reviewed journals.
• Strong innovation, communication and organizational skills as well as ability to teach.

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Position/Responsibilities:
The Postharvest Specialist will undertake the following activities:
• Oversee the general operations and effective functioning of the various cassava processing and equipment fabrication centers or units established in the various project target countries.
• Develop and implement a strategy for cassava post-harvest management. This will include, technical training in appropriate processes and logistics and food safety and technical assistance for the establishment and management of processing facilities.
• Advise pertinent parties concerning processes and precautions to be followed in the field at postharvest and financially viable facilities for transportation, collection centers, pack houses, food drying and processing facilities that will enable cassava products to meet specifications and requirements including food safety, of specific buyers.
• Work with the M&E and communications staff to analyze baseline information and report findings and results of activities including success stories.
• Coordinate with the value chain and other technical personnel including the market development, environmental compliance, and agribusiness finance staff to design, develop, and teach appropriate procedures and processes for postharvest handling.
• Increase the quantity and quality of cassava new products available to specific buyers, by improving post-harvest techniques and facilities for grading, sorting, and packing.
• Improve food safety and quality in order to expand access to more demanding but higher paying and larger markets and to mitigate the incidence of food poisoning and food borne disease.
• Investigate the establishment and management of appropriately scaled product collection centers and pack houses in order to facilitate sales and efficiencies, and decrease post-harvest losses between the farms and the markets.
• Demonstrate appropriate post-harvest handling technologies and equipment and evaluate the results to promote utilization where proven to be effective.
• Work to identify local fabricators, assemblers and traders/buyers with existing handling and or storage facilities that are in need of upgrading and sharing their technologies.
• Any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a Post graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in Agricultural Engineering or a closely related field from a recognized university and more than five years of post-graduate experience.  

Core Competencies:
• Experience with project activity implementation and monitoring.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent spoken and written English; knowledge of French would be an asset.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the various African hubs where the Cassava value chain of the project is being implemented.
• Experience working with national partners in sub-Saharan Africa is an asset.

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Position Responsibilities:
• Design and conduct a comprehensive community, household, and plot level survey to generate high-quality data for rigorous adoption and impact assessment of improved varieties.
• Assemble secondary data on experimental yields and related parameters for a range of technology options which are needed for measuring and attributing impacts on crop yields and incomes.
• Assess the extent, determinants, and pathways of adoption of improved varieties.
• Develop and apply innovative methods for quantifying the impacts of improved varieties on food security and poverty reduction in a manner that goes beyond establishing causality and estimating average effects.
• Publish research findings in international peer reviewed journals.
• Prepare technical reports and establish adoption and impact database.
• Translate research findings into recommendations for policy action for greater technology adoption and impacts.
• Contribute to capacity strengthening of national partners; and
• Participate actively in annual review and planning meetings.

Qualification and Experience
The candidate should have a PhD in agricultural economics, economics, or development economics from a highly recognized university.

Core Competencies:
• Demonstrated experience with impact evaluation of agricultural technologies on food and nutrition security and poverty reduction.
• Knowledge of data collection tools and analytical methods for adoption and impact assessment.
• Knowledge of econometric modeling methods and software (e.g. Stata) for adoption and impact assessment.
• Demonstrated experience with large-scale technology adoption and impact surveys.
• A high degree of personal organization and ability to multi-task and work under pressure.  
• Demonstrated ability to write and publish journal articles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; and
• Ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary and multi-cultural environment.

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Background and Responsibilities
• Assist in establishing, managing  field and screen house experiments on yam breeding and genetic both on and out-stations;
• Assist in preparing weekly plan for field workers;
• Assist in collection, organising and managing data entry from yam breeding experiments for statistical processing;
• Assist in managing, propagating, characterization and dissemination of improved yam Germplasm in response to requests;
• Assist in regular communication with clients and partners of the unit;
• Train students and relevant staff of partner agencies on yam breeding methodologies;
• Perform any other function as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualification and Experience
• ND in General Agriculture or related field with minimum of five (5) years’ relevant experience.