Vacancy: Research Assistant – IMAS (CIMMYT)
About the Organization: The International Maize and Wheat Improvement
Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT® (www.cimmyt.org), is a
not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100
countries, and through offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
We participate in an extensive global
network of people and organizations who share similar research and development
goals, including the public and private sector, non-governmental and civil
society organizations, farmers, and the development assistance community.
The Position: To coordinate and manage maize trials and nurseries
for the Improved Maize for African Soils (IMAS) project in East Africa.
Key Responsibilities:
- Supervise field breeding activities including
seed preparation, planting, managing and harvesting of nurseries and
trials
- Assist Maize Breeders in planting and
pollinations of maize breeding nurseries at various locations in Kenya
- Assist in planting and execution of low
nitrogen and maize lethal necrosis trials in Kenya
- Manage and coordinate seed and trial shipments
to CIMMYT collaborators in the region
- Supervise field technicians and skilled labour
- Conduct electronic data capture, data
management and data analysis
- Assist in drafting publications from CIMMYT
research
- Provide technical support and backstopping to
visiting scientists and students.
- Compile season summaries for technical reports
and presentations
Essential Qualifications:
- A minimum of MSc degree in plant breeding or
agricultural science.
- At least (two) 2 years of experience of field
breeding and trial management.
- Experience in use of Fieldbook for data
capture and pedigree management
- Experience of using statistical packages such
as SAS or R.
- Experience of maize pollination methods, trial
layout and trial management.
- Computer literacy (MS Office, internet)
- Good communications and organisational skills.
Ability to work with minimum supervision.
- Good interpersonal skills, team spirit,
honesty and self-motivation.
- Valid driver’s licence.
Terms of offer: CIMMYT is hosted by The World Agroforestry Centre
which is an equal opportunity employer and offers a collegial and
gender-sensitive working environment.
We believe that staff diversity
promotes excellence and strongly encourage applications from qualified
women.
This position is on local terms and
will be for an initial period of three (3) years renewable, subject to six (6)
months’ probation period.
The position will be based in CIMMYT office in Nairobi, Kenya but will require extensive travel to field sites in East Africa.
How to apply
Applications will be considered until
20th July 2015.
Please note that only short-listed
applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.
We invite you to learn more about CIMMYT and World Agroforestry Centre by accessing our web sites www.cimmyt.org and www.worldagroforestry.org
