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 Sub Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia, and with 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.

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT have initiated a project, titled Artemis. Artemis is developing AI technology to enable on-farm breeding. Crop breeding is one of the foundations of agriculture, under the current breeding systems a common assumption is that it takes 10 years to develop a new variety. Given the pace of climate change this timeframe is no longer viable. New approaches are needed to speed up the breeding cycle and enable a greater synchrony between plant breeding and on-farm conditions, shifting breeding from a majority on-station to majority on-farm process. Artemis is addressing this issue by leveraging the power of technology to enable breeding programs with a new generation of AI-powered and smartphone-deployable tools. The principal technology is computer vision phenotyping, with explorations into multimodal data that integrates speech and text to actively integrate farmers into the plant improvement process. Artemis is currently in the second investment phase, having been featured recently in Reuters.

The Research Associate will be responsible for acting on the ground and support our team in conducting user research activities, following a human-centered design approach. The successful candidate will play a key role in understanding user needs and enhancing the user experience of the Artemis suite of tools.

1.Plan and Conduct Context Exploration Research:

Apply evaluative methods (e.g., field observation, interviews, diary studies) to comprehensively understand the needs of breeding programs in different target countries.

Draft and translate interview scripts to facilitate effective data collection.

Lead the organization and coordination of research activities on the ground.

Document methodologies and insights derived from research activities.

Support information synthesis activities to transform findings into actionable insights.

2.Plan and Conduct Context Exploration Research for the on-farm context in Tanzania:

Utilize evaluative methods to understand the needs of Artemis tool users in the on-farm context in Tanzania.

Draft and translate interview scripts for effective data gathering.

Coordinate research activities on-site and ensure thorough data collection.

Document methodologies applied and insights gathered for reference.

Assist in synthesizing gathered information to inform design decisions.

3.Plan and Conduct Usability Testing:

Support the planning and coordination of usability testing sessions for the Artemis tool interface.

Draft and translate usability testing scripts to guide the testing process.

Conduct usability tests with breeding teams and on-farm users to gather feedback.

Measure tool performance based on user interactions.

Document insights gathered during usability testing and contribute to information synthesis efforts.

4.Support Testing and Development of Onboarding Material:

Assist in creating onboarding material for the Artemis tool.

Conduct user testing sessions with the created onboarding material to assess effectiveness.

Document user feedback and insights gained from testing sessions.

Contribute to synthesizing feedback to refine and improve onboarding materials.

Work with the user research group to better understand breeding and agronomic process flows as well as iterative testing of app model development

·   Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Plant Sciences, Data Science, or a related field.
3-5 years of experience in conducting user research, applying evaluative methods such as interviews, field observations, and diary studies.
Strong analytical skills for synthesizing complex information into actionable insights.
Full professional proficiency in Swahili and English; proficiency in other local languages is advantageous.
Previous experience in UX/UI design
Proficiency in Figma for UI/UX design tasks.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills for effective teamwork.
Familiarity with Agile methodologies and iterative design processes is desirable
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail
Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams and stakeholders in the agricultural and research fields.
Ability to apply evaluative methods and analyze data to understand user needs and tool performance.
Good Organizational and time management skills: Coordinating and managing research activities, documentation, and synthesis of information to meet project deadlines

This is a nationally recruited position based in Arusha, Tanzania. The initial contract will be for one year subject to a probation period of three months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. This position is graded at BG06 level 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.

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 RFPxxxxx – Research Associate as 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: 26th June 2024

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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