Research Associate, TORs - Plantain and Banana Improvement Programme at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Contract: National (2-year renewable contract)
Application Start Date: 2020-03-02
Job Type: Fixed term - Renewable

Duties
Successful candidates will among other things perform the following duties:

• Assist plantain/banana breeders in planning and implementing laboratory and field research activities for the breeding programme and manage the breeding database;
• Supervise field/laboratory research activities across plantain breeding and trial sites, breeding operations including field preparation and layout, field management, pollinations, and data collection;
• Be responsible for updating and maintaining trial records and pedigree records on banana breeding database (MUSABASE) and backstop plantain breeding staff on digital data entry and use of applicable software; and liaise with the banana breeding team in East Africa
• Assist in designing experiments, collating data, running statistical analysis (ANOVAS for comparing genotype performance for single location and multi-environment trials), conduct literature search and prepare good quality reports;
• Supervise germplasm multiplication and distribution activities for the programme; Keep track of hybrids being used worldwide and organise feed back
• Plan and ensure procurement of supplies for laboratory, field, and screen house activities, oversee hiring and supervision of casual labour for various operations while maintaining strict control of budget expenditures;
• Supervise junior staff and assist in annual performance appraisals;
• Assist graduate students on their research projects and trainees/interns as required;
• Assist the IITA plantain breeder with reporting to donors;
• Perform all other related duties that may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

• M.Sc in Plant Breeding, Crop Production, Agronomy, or related discipline with a strong background in genetics, computer science/data management and/or statistics and proven skills in reporting.
• A minimum of three (3) years' experience performing similar functions or related roles in an agricultural research organization or equivalent experience is desired.

Competencies
The ideal candidate must:

• Possess excellent computer skills in MS-Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and strong knowledge in experimental design and use of statistical analysis packages;
• Have excellent writing and oral communication skills in English.
• Be well organized and work effectively in a team, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, implement protocols, troubleshoot and train subordinates.
• *Experience in database management and use of statistical analysis software (particularly R) would be considered as an advantage.