ILRI works to improve food and nutritional security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for efficient, safe and sustainable use of livestock. It is the only one of 15 CGIAR research centres dedicated entirely to animal agriculture research for the developing world. Co-hosted by Kenya and Ethiopia, it has regional or country offices and projects in East, South and Southeast Asia as well as Central, East, Southern and West Africa.

REF: RMC/FLP/17/22

Position level:   HG 17

Minimum Base salary:   Birr 114,379 per month (Negotiable depending on salary history of the candidate)

Position:

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) seeks to recruit a Research Management Coordinator/Forage-based Livestock Production Systems Analyst to lead two work packages in the EthiopiaGRASS project. She/he will coordinate various mixed-farming systems related research activities and manage national partnerships under the Ethiopia Alliance office.  The incumbent is expected to lead the writing of project papers in forage and land restoration topics.  She/he will be a member of the Alliance which is based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus in Addis Ababa.

General:

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) hereafter Alliance delivers research-based solutions that address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. The Alliance focuses on the nexus of agriculture, nutrition and environment. We work with local, national, and multinational partners across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and with the public and private sectors and civil society. With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people. The Alliance is organized into six key levers: 1) Food environment and consumer behavior – reshaping the food environment and consumer behavior toward healthy and sustainable diets; 2) Multifunctional landscapes – fostering innovation for environmental health and productive landscapes to improve livelihoods; 3) Climate action – mainstreaming climate action in the food system to reduce risks; 4) Biodiversity for food and agriculture – making agricultural and tree diversity available and safeguarding it for the diverse needs of food system actors; 5) Digital inclusion – promoting inclusion in the digital agriculture revolution for equitable benefits; and 6) Crops for nutrition and health – putting nutrition and health at the heart of crop improvement to address the triple burden of malnutrition.

The candidate will provide technical support to the Crops for nutrition and health and Multifunctional landscapes levers in Ethiopia. The desired candidate is an innovative, dynamic professional able to work independently with minimal supervision, but also participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties. She/he needs a deep understanding of smallholder livestock production systems and land restoration in Eastern Africa (with the focus on Ethiopia) and strong technical skills in quantitative modeling approaches and tools.

Key duties and responsibilities:

• Lead the development of agricultural solutions related to forage-based livestock production system and land rehabilitation;
• Develop and strengthen partnership between the various bureaus and regional agricultural research institutions to enhance coordinated effort towards co-developing inclusive and farmer tailored technologies;
• Provide scientific leadership in analysing and synthesizing bio-economic models, biophysical models, and citizen science to identify best-bet forage technologies across household and landscape level to support national livestock and land restoration objectives in Ethiopia and beyond;
• Carry out participatory action research in collaboration with other Alliance staff and partners in ongoing research-for-development programs for mixed farming systems;
• Oversee on-station and on-farm forage-based agronomic experiments and data collection;
• Design, implement and maintain databases storing farming system and environmental data;
• Adapt and apply farm- and landscape-level statistical and trade-off analyses tools;
• Support communication and compilation of knowledge through engaging experts and facilitating workshops;
• Publish major scientific findings in journals, book chapters, blogs and other communication outlets;
• Communicate research results to diverse audiences, including scientists, change agents, policy makers, the media, and farmers.

Minimum Requirements:

Academic and professional qualifications:

• Masters or PhD degree in programs related to agriculture, environment, ecology, natural resource management and/or related fields;
• In depth knowledge in a technical or specialized field

Work Experience:

• Masters and ten years of relevant experience Or
• PhD degree with three years relevant experience

• Experience with livestock and integrated crop-livestock production systems in East Africa, preferably in Ethiopia
• Knowledge of sustainable land management and land restoration practices in relation to smallholders’ adoption and their resilience to climate change
• Experience with adapting agricultural practices to local biophysical and socio-economic conditions

Additional skills:

• Understand farm/plot and landscape level processes, their interactions, feedbacks and emergent behaviour to customize complementary technologies
• Considerable practical agricultural experience, including experience on facilitating input evaluation, on-farm experimentation and working with farmers
• Knowledge of citizen science approach to understand farmers’ choices and preferences to technologies and practices
• Strong technical skills in quantitative environmental modelling, programming and data analysis, including R programming
• GIS mapping and spatial analysis skills are added advantage
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral, for diverse audiences including scientists and decision/policymakers
• Proven experience in writing various publications including peer-reviewed journal papers
• Organizational skills to assure quality data and modelling and traceable workflow and timely delivery
• Ability to work with various researchers across teams, regions and projects
• Ability to work in multi-cultural environments and in multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent team player, self-motivated and independent problem solver
• Commitment to advances in farm productivity, food security and poverty reduction in the developing world.