Reports to: Senior Small Ruminant Nutritionist
Location: Rabat, Morocco

Main purpose of position

The Research Associate will be part of ICARDA’s Small Ruminant sub team within the multidisciplinary Resilient Agrosilvopastoral Systems (RASP) team. The position is key for implementing ICARDA’s novel research on measuring methane emissions in sheep feeding experiments.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR. ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org

All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure, and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

Main responsibilities

·     Responsible for organizing animal feeding trials at ICARDA’s vivo experimental facility.

·     Oversight and maintenance of animal respiration chambers and other equipment (gas measurement instrumentation).

·     Operate and maintain standard laboratory equipment such as laser absorption spectrometers linked to animal respiration chambers.
·     Ensure that laboratory areas related to animal feeding trials are fully functional.

·     Record and interpret results to be communicated with colleagues and other project members and to perform laboratory data quality checks.

·     Use computers to process data for the preparation of graphs and statistical tests (Microsoft Office and a graphic program is a prerequisite).

·     Follow up and ensure strict laboratory safety procedures and safety checks.

·     Oversee casual staff and other lab members who are working in the animal trials.

·     Source feeds for animal feeding trials, which can either be used commercially following procurement regulations or growing these on ILRI premises and organize/coordinate experimental animals or equipment needed for the trials.

·     Contribute to the development of laboratory protocols for measuring animal parameters.

·     Keep up to date with technical developments in the laboratory and recent publications related to respiration measurements, especially those which can save time and improve reliability of measurements, to keep them up to date from a technical and scientific point of view.

·     Demonstrate practical procedures during training courses to explain work instructions and to adapt general methods and procedures to meet the needs of the projects.

Requirements

Education, qualifications and experience

·     MSc in Animal Sciences or related discipline (or equivalent Qualification).

·     A minimum of 7 years’ experience implementing research projects and/or animal experiments

·     Fundamental knowledge on setting up animal feeding trials.

·     Detailed knowledge on animal respiration chambers, their functioning, maintenance and troubleshooting would be an advantage.

·     Ability to manage small teams consisting of casual workers and research assistants.

·     Experience with essential data quality control and data quality assurance procedures.

·     Conversant with Microsoft Office and graphic programs.

·     Fluency in spoken and written English with good communication skills.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This is a nationally recruited position open to Moroccan nationals for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 3 years, renewable subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance. The first year will be probationary period.

Please be advised that ICARDA accepts applications only in English, as per the organization’s standard communication language. Applications in other languages will not be considered.

ICARDA is committed to increasing women representation in its workforce and strongly encourages applications from women.

Applications will be acknowledged, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.