Closing date;
The International
Potato Center (CIP) is seeking to recruit a highly talented Senior Research
Associate on a consultancy basis.
The Position:
The International
Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic and ambitious Consultant – Senior
Research Associate (Agronomist) to contribute to Development and Delivery of
Biofortified Crops at Scale (DDBIO) – Kenya project implementation. The
Consultant will provide expertise in the design and direct implementation of a
cost effective and sustainable sweetpotato seed system for DDBIO in Kenya.
He/she will contribute to efforts to ensure and assure affordable, accessible
and quality sweetpotato planting material needed to scale up the orange-fleshed
sweetpotato (OFSP) in Kenya.
The consultant
will work closely with the DDBIO Kenya Team Leader, project implementing
partners, and with the CIP country and global teams
Key responsibilities:
- Contribute to the design
and direct the implementation of a sustainable sweetpotato seed systems
strategy for DDBIO – Kenya that will assure quality and accessibility of
sweetpotato planting material for production and commercialization of the
sweetpotato value chain.
- Design and implement a
working, cost-effective and timely planting material dissemination
approaches and root production plans with partners to enhance OFSP
production among households both for food and nutrition security as well
as commercialization.
- Work and collaborate with
national government partners (KALRO/KEPHIS) and other stakeholders to
initiate, coordinate and manage the National Performance Evaluation (NPTs)
and varietal release process for developing commercially viable OFSP
varieties.
- Participate in the
development and, where possible, delivery of appropriate training modules
in priority topics such as production, agronomy, post-harvesting
management etc. The training will target sweetpotato value chain actors
including farmers, extension agents, aggregators, processors etc.
- Provide support for the
DDBIO M&E by facilitating timely, accurate and routine data collection
required for project reports.
- Provide the technical
expertise for private commercial partners and support their agronomist and
extension staff to achieve the desired quality and quantity of raw
materials for the successful puree processing business.
- Working with other
stakeholders and colleagues develop linkages and contribute to online
platforms for exchange of information about OFSP for widespread adoption.
Selection
Criteria
- MSc in agronomy,
breeding, crop science or a related field.
- Minimum of 8 years of
experience working with public and/or private organizations in seed
systems or agronomy.
- Experience working with
sweet potato and/or other vegetative propagated crops.
- Experience in designing
and conducting and analysis of on-farm agronomic experiments.
- Experience with
participatory evaluation of new technologies, innovations with farmers.
- Experimental design,
Implementation, data collection, analysis and writing of scientific
papers.
- Fluent in Kiswahili.
- Advanced written and oral
communication skills in English.
What are the
conditions?
This is a national
consultancy position limited to Kenya nationals and permanent residents only.
The consultancy will be for a period of four
months
Visit the following link: http://cipotato.org/open-vacancies/ and
submit your cover letter and a full C.V. with your references. Screening of
applications will begin on April 10,
2020 and will continue until the post is filled. Only
short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Learn more about CIP by accessing our web site at http://www.cipotato.org**
CIP is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified women are
particularly encouraged to apply.
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