THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

About the Project

The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT through Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) Program is committed to addressing the challenges posed by climate change on agriculture, particularly in bean farming systems and value chains. We are seeking a Systems Agronomist/Climate Change Specialist to contribute to our efforts in developing and implementing climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies that will enhance the resilience and productivity of bean farming systems.

About the position

The primary objective of this position is to support the Bean & PABRA program in integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation technologies/strategies including good agricultural practices, integrated soil fertility management, improved cropping systems and integrated seed systems for climate resilient varieties to optimize resources efficiency and increase bean farming profitability, thereby enhancing their sustainability and resilience.

Key duties & responsibilities

• Collaborate with the PABRA breeders (Alliance and NARS) and value chains actors (farmers, traders and processors and seed producers) to evaluate new beans lines and varieties widely and adequately   with the value chains.
• Develop and test with partners climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies suitable for bean farming systems.
• Conduct research on climate change’s impacts on bean farming systems and identify effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to be adopted for sustainable and profitable bean production.
• Enhancing collaboration with interdisciplinary teams to integrate farmer preferred agronomic, socio-economic, and environmental data for comprehensive analysis to increase bean farming profitability.
• Co-develop and deploy appropriate demand-led approaches to promote and deliver integrated and profitable crop management practices.
• Develop scientific partnerships with other national, regional, and international institutions and organizations supporting cropping systems and climate actions research and investments.
• Contribute to the preparation of research proposals and related fundraising tasks.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret agronomic and climatic data to assess the effectiveness of implemented strategies.
• Engage with policymakers to advocate for policies that support climate-smart agriculture and sustainable bean farming systems.
• Develop/strengthen partners’ capacity to develop training materials, organize workshops, and field days to disseminate knowledge and technologies.
• Provide training and technical support to farmers organizations, extension workers, private sector, and other stakeholders on cropping systems and climate-smart agriculture practices.
• In collaboration with the seed system group, contribute and oversee seed systems activities and support partners to integrate seed systems and cropping systems
• Provide training and technical support to fellow researchers from institutions partners to develop research protocol guidelines for data collection, scientific reporting, and publication particularly in areas of cropping systems and climate actions.
• Lead and manage projects/activities related to climate actions and bean cultivation, including planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Co-develop with stakeholders the research and project implementation tools for guiding project management, monitoring, evaluation, data collection and scientific reporting particularly areas of cropping systems and climate actions.
• Develop and lead the implementation of participatory and applied cropping systems/climate actions and seed systems research approaches that involve technology end-users (farmers and consumers) in the design, planning, implementation, evaluation, and reporting.
• Prepare technical reports, research papers, and policy briefs to communicate findings to various audiences.
• Represent CIAT and the Bean PABRA program in national and international forums related to climate actions and cropping systems.

Requirements

• PhD degree in Agronomy, Climate Science, Agricultural Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience in agricultural research, particularly in the context of climate change and sustainable farming systems.
• Strong knowledge of climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies.
• Expertise in agronomic practices and sustainable farming systems.
• Experience in project management, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team environment.
• Proficiency in data analysis software and tools.
• Strong understanding of climate change science and its implications for agriculture.
• Ability to translate research findings into practical recommendations for farmers and policymakers.
• Experience working with National Agriculture Research Institutes, CGIAR or other international organizations, experience working in, DRC, Burundi and Rwanda, or other countries in East and Central & Southern Africa will be an added advantage.
• Excellent communication skills in English and French, both written and spoken, including scientific communication and report writing – Swahili language will be desirable.
• Excellent skills in teamwork, negotiation, communication, and diplomacy, with the ability to interact courteously and effectively with people at all levels in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment, including external stakeholders.

Terms of employment

This is an internationally recruited position based in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo with travels to other PABRA countries. The initial contract will be for two years subject to a probation period of six months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. This position is graded at BG09 with a minimal basic salary of USD55,317 per annum in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number RFP103765- Scientist I System Agronomist the position applied for. Cover letter and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Applications closing date: Friday, 5^th July 2024

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:  

                                        http://alliancebioversityciat.org