The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT as the regional delivery partner of the Food Action Alliance (FAA) is searching for a Research Specialist – Regional Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) responsible to bring program and partner management skills and food systems expertise working in the food action Alliance (FAA) across the region. The Research Specialist will have a dual role of: i) Supporting the development, implementation, and management of the Food Action Alliance’s strategic activities in LAC to scale market-driven food systems innovation and impact through collective action in leading national food systems strategies and flagship initiatives that push the frontiers of what is possible in food systems transformation; and ii) Working with partners to strengthen and facilitate the LAC regional delivery hub as a core element of the Food Action Alliance’s global multi-stakeholder platform.

The Research Specialist will play a critical role in cultivating and delivering on the FAA’s regional platform and priorities. The selected person will take on a lead responsibility in building out the country engagements, flagship initiative portfolio, and multi-stakeholder partnerships in LAC. She/he will also engage regularly with the Food Action Alliance leadership and partners across other regions to exchange models, ideas, and lessons across the portfolio, facilitating south and triangular cooperation and refinement of global norms.

The position will be based in the operations center of the Americas, located on the Palmira Campus of the Alliance located in Palmira, Colombia.

Lead in the development and facilitation of the Food Action Alliance regional delivery hub for LAC.

Build partnerships, identifying and proactively engaging new and existing partners and stakeholders across public sector, private sector, producers, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, youth, and women’s groups.

Maintain regular dialogue flow with members and partners and ensure that the development of Food Action Alliance is continuously enriched by their perspectives and contributions.

Take responsibility for onboarding new partners and stakeholders to the regional platform or overall global Food Action Alliance.

Organization, deliver, and follow up of Food Action Alliance member and partner meetings and events for LAC.

Advise on design, resource, and implementation of Flagship initiatives in LAC countries or across the region.

Bring together partners to broker new deals and facilitate actions required by all actors.

Prepare proposals and investment cases with technical details and analytics to mobilize required resources in support of priorities from public, private and philanthropic partners.

Support the development of strategic country engagement efforts and initiatives with Food Action Alliance leadership and partners, particularly in prioritized LAC countries, including Colombia.

Bring the best of the Food Action Alliance partners to the development and refinement of food systems strategies, investment plans, and inclusive coordination mechanisms in focus countries across the region.

Engage regularly with focal points and country leads in prioritized countries to help bring the best knowledge, capacities, and resources of the Alliance to country platforms, working closely with government and inter-governmental officials and other partners in order to deliver maximum value from the Alliance.

Support the development and implementation of the Food Action Alliance learning agenda, including the role of regional hubs, the expert networks, thematic working groups, and knowledge management activities.

Distill insights and lessons for sharing and discussion across the Food Action Alliance portfolio.

Contribute to the development of Alliance reports to its Steering Committee, partners, and funders.

Contribute to the development of Alliance’s knowledge management platform, working closely with the World Economic Forum and other key partners.

Represent the Food Action Alliance on occasion in major national and regional meetings, serving as an ambassador and spokesperson.

Contribute to the Alliance’s key reports and communication products.

Experience in partnership development and program management in the agriculture and food system domain with a proven track record of positive results.

Demonstrated experience in advocacy and policy engagement, partnership development, network or alliance facilitation and public and private sector leadership is critical.

Experience and proven technical understanding of key issues around public-private partnerships for agricultural investment, value chain development, and sustainable food systems.

Bachelor with MSc business and economics, development, law, public policy, and public administration.

Experience and knowledge of food systems at regional and national level in LAC, including good understanding of some of specific areas such as food security and nutrition, markets and consumer behavior, environment, climate, and natural resources, livelihoods, and socio-economic factors, among others.

Proven experience developing strategic planning, implementation, and management, based on a deep understanding of stakeholder incentives and common bottlenecks in the enabling environment.

High-level understanding of common impact frameworks and the ability to contribute to these within a self-reporting context.

Fluency in English and Spanish (oral and written) desirable other language abilities in Portuguese and/or other languages.

This is a national recruited position placed at a BG08, on a scale of 14 levels, with level 14 being the highest.

This is a Colombian national search and will be managed through a fixed term contract of a one (1) year period, subject to a probation period according to the local legislation and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salaries and excellent benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer, and strive for gender, diversity, and inclusion in our staff, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic.

Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above position against the qualifications, competencies, and skills together with a detailed curriculum vitae, including names and addresses of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. All correspondence should be addressed to the Human Resources Office, at ( [email protected]) and should clearly indicate “Application: Research Specialist – Regional Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean–“.

Closing date for applications: April 10th, 2023

We invite you to learn more about us at:

Careers | Alliance Bioversity International – CIAT (alliancebioversityciat.org)