Job description
The International Potato Center
(CIP) is seeking a highly competent and dynamic scientist to fill the newly
created position of Research and Development Specialist for Scaling-up to
support the management and further development of CIP’s Strategic Program on
Resilient, Nutritious Sweetpotato.
The Center: CIP is a not-for-profit international
agricultural research-for-development organization with a focus o
n potato,
sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots and tubers
improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving food security,
improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber
farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partners to
contribute high quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening for
sustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with
staff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and Latin
America. CIP is a member of the Consultative Group for International
Agricultural Research, a network of 15 research centers mostly located in the
developing world and supported by more than 50 donor members.
The Strategic Program: The Strategic Program on Resilient,
Nutritious Sweetpotato seeks to combat micronutrient deficiency and improve
nutrition and livelihoods amongst 15 million food insecure households in Africa
and Asia. The Program currently comprises a dynamic portfolio of over 30
research and development projects in 16 countries. We pay specific attention to
gender and poverty aspects of our work and monitor these closely. The Program
seeks to further strengthen strategic partnerships for upstream research as
well as for development delivery.
The Position: The R&D Specialist will report to the
Program Leader and will be based in Kampala, Uganda with extensive travel to
project countries in particular in Africa. He/she will work closely with
project managers, scientists, and M&E specialists to ensure that promising
technologies and practices will be scaled-up in new contexts. The position
demands both R&D expertise and an understanding of scaling-up approaches in
agriculture and/or nutrition, as well as competencies in program management,
M&E, research publications, and partnership management.
Duties and
Accountabilities:
- Program development for scaling-up
- Support the Program Leader in coordinating
implementation and further development of the Strategic Program with a
specific emphasis on strengthening and documenting lessons from scaling-up
projects. Focus countries and projects within the current portfolio will
be agreed with the Program Leader. - Work with project managers to ensure project-level
research and development activities and partnerships support
going-to-scale to achieve broader program goals, generate high-quality
outputs, and identify additional publication opportunities. Review
technical reports to donors for content and consistency. - Support project managers at critical stages of
implementation, such as during project start-up, major reviews and
evaluations, and closeout. - Contribute to proposal writing and other resource
mobilization efforts and work with the Program Leader and CIP Regional
Leaders to pursue longer-term opportunities to support strategic program
growth. - Contribute to regular program reviews, planning, and
reporting, including updating the rolling 3-year Program Business Plan.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning
(MEAL)
- Work with project M&E specialists to ensure
alignment of project-level MEAL systems with CIP and CGIAR requirements,
particularly on scaling-up, outcome and impact related results. - Coordinate collation of essential data across the
program portfolio and generate regular updates on key output and outcome
indicators. - Support learning across the portfolio by initiating and
contributing to syntheses of results in relation to scaling up approaches,
and by facilitating review meetings with partners.
- Research on scaling-up
- Contribute to research on scalability and scaling-up
options for the Strategic Program, including innovation pathways,
partnerships, and policy context. Produce scientific publications from
this research. - Participate in CGIAR-wide research initiatives to
strengthen scaling-up approaches.
- Communications
- Contribute to internal communications within the
Strategic Program as well as to external communications on specific
technical and regional components, using a range of communication
platforms.
Selection criteria:
- PhD in relevant discipline, including agricultural,
biological, or social sciences. An MSc degree with particularly strong
R&D experience in food security and rural development may be
considered. - At least 10 years of research experience in
international agricultural research and/for development projects, of which
at least 5 years include senior responsibilities in project or program
management. - Excellent knowledge of the agriculture-nutrition nexus
and its gender and poverty dimensions. Familiarity with biofortification
and other food-based approaches to nutrition security. - Excellent knowledge of scaling-up approaches in
agricultural development and of up-to-date research methodologies in this
area. - Excellent knowledge of development, agriculture, and nutrition
agenda in Africa and Asia and of CGIAR’s role in international
agricultural research. Direct work experience in sub-Saharan Africa is a
strong advantage. - Strong command of M&E approaches and methodologies,
including participatory and quantitative methods, support to learning
processes, and use of ICT-based methodologies. - Proven research abilities and publication record in
relevant area of work. - Teambuilding and team management experience, including
direct experience of staff supervision in international teams. - Excellent technical and report writing skills and proven
track record of proposal writing. - Excellent English written and verbal communication
skills are essential. Working proficiency in French is a strong advantage.
- Ability and willingness to travel extensively, and at
times at short notice, to project locations in Africa and occasionally to
other regions.
Conditions: Employment contract will be for a three-year term (with
three months probation period) with the possibility of renewal, subject to
availability of funding. The salary will be internationally competitive, paid
in US dollars, and commensurate with experience.
CIP prides itself on its
collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal
and professional growth.
Learn more about CIP by
accessing our web site at http:www.cipotato.org.
CIP is an equal
opportunity employer. Qualified women and professionals from developing
countries are particularly encouraged to apply
How to apply
Applications: Applicants should apply by email, sending
a letter of motivation, a full C.V., and the names and contact information of
three references that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional
qualifications and work experience to: CIP-Recruitment@cgiar.org. The reference
name of the position should be clearly marked in the subject line of the email
message. Screening of applications will begin on February 25, 2015 and will
continue until the position is filled. All applications will be acknowledged,
however only short listed candidates will be contacted.
