The Organization

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. The Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation (https://alliancebioversityciat.org/ )

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people.

The Alliance is a member of the CGIAR Consortium (www.cgiar.org) a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

About The Project

Beans for Women Empowerment (Beans4Women) is a five-year project funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the Pan Africa Bean Research Alliance, PABRA under the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. Beans4Women aims at strengthening the gender equality, agency in decision-making, and resource rights of women and girls active in the bean sector in three conflict-prone provinces of Eastern DRC. The project focuses on three areas that most affect the degree of women’s empowerment in the bean sector, namely the business environment around climate-smart agriculture, the participation of women in bean sector leadership and decision-making, and the rights of women to productive resources like land and nutritious food. Eastern DRC. The project will build on partnerships with INERA and development partners to benefit 2 million people, 60% of whom will be women and girls, in poor rural communities in Eastern DRC and will indirectly benefit 10 million people over the longer term.

The Position Summary

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is seeking to recruit a Senior Research Associate-Seed Systems. The Senior Research Associate- Seed Systems will work with partners (farmer organizations such as cooperatives, associations, SMEs, and other corporates) to lead field implementation of demand-driven seed activities in the project. The position will work closely with other Beans4Women project teams; women-led seed enterprises and seed multipliers; female farmers; schools (teachers and children) and general smallholder farming households, the NARS and other public sector agencies; and seed support service providers. He or she will support the project through thoughtful seed enterprise development approaches, technical direction, and grassroots coordination in adaptation, scaling, and dissemination of successful approaches that integrate sustainable seed systems and seed business models that are women and youth-centric into agricultural systems development.

The position will also ensure that sufficient services, including digital ones, are onboarded by a critical mass of seed business actors and active farmers. The Senior Research Associate-Seed Systems will work in conjunction with the project coordinator and the seed thematic leader to deliver the outputs.

Duties and responsibilities

• Provide advice related to business development services to partner organizations and bean seed producers to enhance bean seed production and delivery in a sound business manner.
• Take the leadership to engage partner organizations and various seed and grain value and stakeholders/ partners in the evaluation of various seed systems models.
• Support partners to prepare inclusive seed systems work plans and share them with project management.
• Train extension agents of partner organizations, seed producers, traders, NARS staff, and other value chain actors on partnership development, seed road maps development, financial management, strategy development, cost benefits analysis, modalities of reducing the cost of productions, and client-oriented seed marketing strategies.
• Train extension agents of partner organizations, seed producers, traders, NARS staff, and other value chain actors to establish, monitor/evaluation and make decisions on decentralized demonstration on varieties and complementary climate resilient agricultural practices.
• Prepare the tools to engage seed value chain actors and stakeholders.
• Take the leadership in carrying out rigorous testing, monitoring & evaluation of the various seed systems models in collaboration with partner organizations and stakeholders to facilitate the ownership of the project activities and results.
• Ensure that various reports (both technical and financial /other project updates) are prepared and submitted to the project management on time.
• Co-design and co-deploy appropriate seed marketing strategies and tools to reach smallholders, particularly women.
• Support the seed producers/traders to produce and market quality seed of improved bean varieties targeting smallholders, particularly poor farmers, and women.
• Sharing the innovative market strategies of bean seeds that target small-holders, especially underserved women, men and youth farmers.
• Develop and test innovative models of collaborations between NARS and private sector partners for ensuring the viability and sustainability of the seed distribution system.
• Carry out R4D for testing innovative market strategies such as the use of apron stars and affordable packs and explore appropriate business models to increase the use of apron stars.
• Report and share widely, data / the results and findings of the seed systems evaluation within and outside the project.
• Engage national and regional policymakers and the seed value chain to appreciate the most efficient seed systems model(s).
• Mobilize the private sector to support the best-fit seed systems models.
• Carry out any other duties as may be assigned by the Project Team Leader and collaborate with project and wider PABRA team to meet the objectives of the project.

Requirements

• University degree in post-graduate degree in a relevant field such as agriculture, economics or development studies. Masters degree preferable
• Five or more years of experience in international agriculture development research, preferably working on seed systems.
• Expert knowledge of Seed Systems.
• Experience working with research organizations, NGOs, private sector seed companies or related.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively with other national and cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Strong client service orientation.
• High degree of integrity and transparency.
• Good team working skills.

Terms of employment

This is a nationally recruited position based in Bukavu, Eastern DRC. The initial contract will be for two (2) years, subject to a probation period of three(3) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. This position is currently graded at level BG07 (on a scale of 14 levels, BG 014 being the highest level).

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits. We believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. The Alliance is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit  Careers | Alliance Bioversity International – CIAT (alliancebioversityciat.org) to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number Ref: 103160 – Senior Research Associate-Seed Systems as the position applied for. Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting.

Note: The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

Applications closing date: 28^th July 2023

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