CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Development Alternatives, Inc.
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 09 Jan 2015

On behalf of our program partner, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center ( the LSU Ag Center), DAI seeks a Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist for a long-term field assignment the USAID Liberia Food and Enterprise Development (FED) project. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will serve as a long-term technical assistance employee of the LSU AgCenter under the supervision of the FED Chief of Party or his/her delegate.

BACKGROUND

FED is a USAID-funded project that aims to increase productivity, profitability, and access within the rice, cassava, vegetable, and goat value chains; improve nutrition; and strengthen food security. FED is focused on four priority counties (Grand Bassa, Bong, Nimba and Lofa) and two secondary counties, (Marghibi and Montserrado) The FED Program is being implemented to achieve the following component objectives:

• Component 1: Increase agricultural productivity and profitability and improve human nutrition
• Component 2: Stimulate private enterprise growth and investment;
• Component 3: Build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments achieved under components one and two.

This assignment focuses on Component 3. This component focuses on workforce development and building the technical and managerial capabilities of Liberians to engage in agriculture and related business. These activities complement FED’s other components by increasing the number of Liberians with the right skills and training. The Vocational Training and Non-Formal Education Specialist should assist in making curricula dynamic and practical to the current needs of the job market and design programs and incentives to link students and their teachers to growth areas of the Liberian work force and the economy.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Component Three of the FED project focuses on workforce development and building the technical and managerial capabilities of Liberians to engage in agriculture and related business. These activities complement FED’s other components by increasing the number of Liberians with the right skills and training. Generally, the main challenge with Vocational Educational schools in developing countries is to make their teaching relevant to the current needs of the local job market. There are a lot of things that constrain their ability to do this - including poor education levels of Voc Ed students, outdated and overly theoretical curricula, lack of incentives to connect students to the job market, and lack of connections between the Voc Ed staff and current industry needs. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will assist in making curricula dynamic and practical to the current needs of the job market and design programs and incentives to link students and their teachers to growth areas of the Liberian work force and the economy.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will provide expertise in a number of areas: to help the Government of Liberia [GOL] and the Liberian staff upgrade four institutions: the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata and the community colleges in Grand Bassa, Nimba, and Lofa Counties. These activities will include new approaches to training, including in-service courses, internships, work-study, and use of ITC, etc. Development of appropriate modern curriculum and innovative training methods to provide the skills for new entrants into commercial agribusiness will be a key outcome. It is important that all curricula developed by the project be gender sensitive and socially inclusive to appropriately transfer relevant knowledge to a variety of audiences.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center is a sub-contractor to Development Alternatives, Inc.; the Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will serve as a Long-Term Technical Assistance employee of the LSU AgCenter under the supervision of the FED Chief of Party or his/her delegate.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will embrace a gender-sensitive and socially inclusive capacity building approach to all interventions in the three community colleges and BWI and support the other components to establish a network of suitable training partners in the FED counties. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will undertake a number of innovative non-traditional approaches to gender sensitive and socially inclusive educational programs and workforce development. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will ensure that interventions that are implemented to improve the performance of vocational education schools are sustainable by continually obtaining Liberian input from the various organizations engaged in training.

The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will work to sustainably build Liberian capacity to provide the right kind of training, in the right place and time and tailored to Liberia. FED’s interventions will enhance the capacity of the vocational colleges to become Centers of Excellence [COEs] in vocational education and outreach. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will be responsible for developing programs to attract more women into these institutions. The Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will work with the Ministries of Youth and Sport and Education to build upon the accomplishments of the USAID’s other education programs, to expand adult education opportunities particularly to women and to youth.

The following are key areas in which the Vocational Agriculture Education Specialist will focus:

1. Provide leadership, guidance and oversight in the implementation of FED Component 3 activities that are part of the workplan such as the National Degree of Agriculture curriculum roll out with one graduating class by the end of the project and greater youth enrollment; implementation of the science lab establishment and procedures for use and sustainability; and developing innovative practical learning exercises that are woven into the syllabi and lesson plans to ensure students gain practical skills from the program.
2. Work with FED’s Component 1 staff to define the real labor and skill needs of the agricultural sector, in general, and FED’s value chains in particular; and to define the necessary career skills for the vocational graduates, develop internships with industry players, as well as clarify the roles of the various GoL institutions and private sector organizations.
3. Take the lead in the continued development of four existing vocational centers into Centers of Excellence for vocational agricultural education through curricula and instructional capacity improvement, facilities establishment/upgrading, community outreach expansion and institutional systems strengthening.
4. Capacity-building of the agriculture departments of CoEs via coaching and exposure visits to profitable enterprises.
5. Ensure that the curricular, facilities and instructional capacity improvement activities align with the upgrading strategies for FED’s priority value chains in FED’s counties of operation, including establishment of demonstration farms showcasing the improved technologies that FED is promoting.
6. Plan and work closely with the GOL ministries and other organizations engaged in this sector to develop local technical and managerial human resources, which include supporting the trainings provided by the other Components.
7. Work with other complementary USAID and other donor-funded projects.
8. Take the lead in customizing interventions for each institution’s specific situation and needs and ensure that such assistance will be guided by the demand for skills, thus ensuring alignment of skill enhancement with specific labor market needs and commercial opportunities.
9. Ensure that curricula revisions are transformational and promote the entrance of men and women in nontraditional roles.
10. Work with vocational training center staff, students, returning Liberian expatriates and the existing alumni organizations to link students to previous graduates for career opportunities.
11. Perform other tasks as needed and requested by the Chief of Party.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:The minimum required qualifications for this position are as follows:

1. An MS or a combination of education and experience in agricultural vocational education, rural development or related field;
2. Ten years experience in international agricultural education including development of programs.
3. Excellent personnel management, interpersonal, networking and team building skills
4. Effective writing and organizational skills to prepare reports, complete analyses and make presentations.
5. Excellent written and spoken English; and
6. Computer/software skills, including the use of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

An applicant having the following preferred qualifications will receive additional consideration:

1. Knowledge of African agricultural development and familiarity with Sub-Saharan African countries particularly in agriculture, vocational education and workforce development;
2. Previous position in the field of vocational education or workforce development;
3. Knowledge of Liberia’s agriculture and workforce development in recent years;
4. Successful experience in actual enterprise management or private sector experience;
5. Experience working with information technology experts or in non-traditional education;
6. A minimum of 5 years of experience working on a USAID-funded field project; and
7. Knowledge of training approaches and curriculums for use in low literate environments.

SALARY AND BENEFITS:The successful candidate will be an employee of the LSU AgCenter’s International Programs office. Employment is anticipated to begin on or about February 2, 2015. The position will be based in Monrovia, Liberia. Applicable USG mandated allowances for an expatriate professional approved under the DAI contract and approved by the LSU AgCenter will be provided.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. The LSU AgCenter has an attractive benefits package with a wide variety of benefit options. Benefits offered include retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc.), Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses), university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas), generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System. Specific benefits depend on job category, percent effort and length of employment.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 9, 2105 or until suitable candidate is located.

How to apply:

Must apply online at https://lsusystemcareers.lsu.edu/ by attaching cover letter, resume, three references, a writing sample of up to three pages on a topic of the applicant’s choice, and salary requirements. Paper, faxed or e-mailed application materials will not be accepted. For more information, contact:

Carl Motsenbocker

International Programs

LSU AgCenter

160 C Hatcher Hall

Baton Rouge, La. 70803
email: cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu

Organization: Samaritan's Purse
Country: South Sudan
Closing date: 03 Nov 2014

The Agriculture Technician is responsible for all agriculture projects in the specified program area. This includes the procurement and distribution of seeds to vulnerable households as well as training beneficiaries in improved farming techniques. Responsibilities include supervising project staff, overseeing project implementation and management, program reporting, and working closely with government counterparts. The Agriculture Technician should demonstrate a willingness to work together for the improvement of the team.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Supervising project staff:
o Recruit and train needed staff
o Develop work plans for staff
o Manage implementation of plans for staff and ensure objectives are met
o Work to develop staff capacity in relevant areas
· Overseeing project implementation:
o Closely monitor execution of project plans and supervise the implementation of all program activities.
o Manage project budgets and lead in ensuring that budgets are appropriately spent according to donor requirements
o Lead in monitoring the progress of project outputs, ensuring quality delivery on a continual basis
· Reporting:
o Prepare and submit weekly and monthly internal reports
o Prepare and submit donor reports as needed
· Working closely with NGO and government counterparts ensuring partnerships are developed with state ministries:
o Attend cluster coordination meetings
o When possible, engage relevant line ministry staff and work with local offices on information sharing and activity updates

QUALIFICATIONS:

· Bachelor's degree in Agriculture or related field or one to two years related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience.
· Field-level work experience, preferably in Africa.
· Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
· Able to be diplomatic in communications with all NGO, governmental, and community partners.
· Demonstrated flexibility and adaptability in an ever changing environment.
· Must be culturally sensitive and respectful of church leaders from all denominations.
· Ability to speak or quickly learn Arabic and/or Dinka preferred.

5 month contract with the potential for renewal.

This is an unaccompanied assignment.

How to apply:

To apply, visit our website at http://careers.samaritanspurse.org/agriculture-technician-unity-state/jo... and click "Apply Online" at the bottom of the page.

Organization: People in Need
Country: Angola
Closing date: 16 Oct 2014

People in Need is seeking for Program Manager in Angola

Location:Bié and Huambo province

Starting date:November 2014

End date:31/12/2017

People in Need (PIN) has been active in Angola since 2006. Team of 8 expatriates and approx. 70 local staff manage programs focusing on improving education, livelihoods and food security, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions and gender-based violence. PIN programs are managed from its head office in Kuito, Bié province and field office in Huambo province. For more info see http://www.clovekvtisni.cz/en/humanitary-aid/country/angola

Program Manager is responsible for the overall management of the agriculture and livelihoods component of a 38 months program that aims to improve food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable population in Bié and Huambo provinces, through a multisectoral approach integrating agricultural and nutrition sectors.

Main responsibilities:

• Overall project management and implementation
• Local team management and capacity building
• Regular monitoring and evaluation of project activities
• Reporting to HQ and donors
• Cooperation with partners, donors, local authorities and communities

Main requirements:

• Experience in rural livelihoods and agriculture program management, university degree in agriculture is a plus (highly preferential)
• Knowledge of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) methodology and experience with smallholder farming commercialization and cooperatives’ creation and support.
• Experience in capacity building (local partners from civil society, local government and smallholder farmers)
• Sensitivity to cross-cutting topics, specially on gender and nutrition issues;
• Excellent knowledge of English
• At least intermediate knowledge of Portuguese essential (preferably with previous work experience in Portuguese-speaking countries, Angola in particular)
• Experience in project management including project development, project implementation and project evaluation (PCM)
• Team management experience (at least 3 years in management positions)
• Experience in working with communities in developing countries (experience living in a rural African context highly desired)
• Very good communication and organizational skills
• Team player

PIN offers:

• Responsible and independent working position
• Background of a well-established organization
• Start up salary 2 880 USD per month, per diem included
• Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once per every 6 months of work
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations
• Medical help desk available online
• Travel insurance
• Accommodation is in PIN guest house on PIN expenses
• 25 days of paid leave annually
• R&R: PIN will cover cost of one regional ticket up to 500 USD per year

How to apply:

If you are interested in the position, please send your CV and letter of motivation to HR@peopleinneed.cz until 16th of October 2014. Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Thank you for your understanding.

Organization: Counterpart International
Country: Senegal
Closing date: 17 Oct 2014

Counterpart International is seeking a Value Chain Specialist (VCS) to support the USAID/Senegal Naatal Mbay Project based in Senegal. The project’s goal to increase the agriculture sector’s contribution to economic growth through an inclusive, private sector-led value chain approach is supported by three key components: (a) increase agriculture productivity in the rice, maize and millet sectors; (b) improve agriculture markets; and (c) strengthen the agriculture policy environment. The VCS will be responsible for identifying maize and rice value chains linking smallholder producers to markets and exploiting these opportunities for the benefit of said farmers. This position will seek to increase overall rice and maize production of smallholder farmers and improve processing and storage to decrease post-harvest losses. Identify all players in the selected value chains and increase the ability of poor farmers to access market information, look for innovative product outlets, develop and introduce more efficient and better use of and access to inputs for poor farmers. These activities will involve the analysis of current value chains and the identification of gaps, opportunities and constraints that currently limit market access and participation to smallholder farmers. This position will work in close collaboration with the Capacity Development Specialist to ensure overall better market performance and integration of small holder producers. The VCS should also have knowledge about gender, youth and excluded persons as it relates to agricultural inputs, outputs and access to markets, which is a cross cutting theme of the program.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct value chain assessment of maize and rice; map existing value chain levels that involve private sector actors, processors, associations, and farmers.
• Identify and collaborate with maize and rice value chain actors and potential players at all levels.
• Identify gaps, challenges, constraints, and opportunities in both market access and production and storage of maize and rice.
• Facilitate market driven linkages between smallholder farmers, input/output dealers, wholesalers, processors and marketers and other relevant players.
• Oversee agricultural production activities, focused on “best fit” agricultural technologies with regional and local groups to facilitate increased innovation with project partners and technical assistance recipients.
• Improve marketing systems with stakeholders involved in the value chain associations and increase the use of business service providers to improve marketing plans, working with selected food processors, implementing partners, and suppliers.
• Provide technical agricultural and market access guidance services to grantees/implementing partners for widespread distribution.
• Recommend sustainable value chain development models for maize and rice.
• Target and integrate women, youth and disadvantaged groups into trainings and market access operations.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master or equivalent in agriculture, business management or similar social science field.
• At least six (6) years of field experience analyzing, developing and strengthening farmer’s ability to participate in value chains.
• Must have strong knowledge of value chain management, development and expansion.
• Must be familiar with Senegalese agricultural markets, specifically rice and maize.
• Work experience increasing productivities of rice and maize is required.
• Demonstrated experience introducing new methods and technologies to farmers.
• Experience with post-harvest methods preferred.
• Strong knowledge of input and output markets.
• Must have demonstrated expertise in identifying opportunities for integrating smallholder farmers into market systems.
• Prior experience with the implementation and reporting structure of USAID projects is preferred.
• Commitment to gender integration; youth and excluded persons, previous experience preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational and reporting skills
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.
• Excellent French and English writing skills.
• Fluency in French and English are required. Knowledge of local Senegalese languages preferred.

How to apply:

http://www.counterpart.org/

Organization: Counterpart International
Country: Senegal
Closing date: 17 Oct 2014

Counterpart International is seeking a Gender Specialist for an anticipated four-year, USAID/Naatal Mbay project in Senegal. The project’s goal to increase the agriculture sector’s contribution to economic growth through an inclusive, private sector-led value chain approach is supported by three key components: (a) increase agriculture productivity in the rice, maize and millet sectors; (b) improve agriculture markets; and (c) strengthen the agriculture policy environment. The Gender Specialist will work to improve collaboration among communities, civil society and government to support civic engagement efforts in Senegal. S/he will ensure that gender is appropriately integrated into program activities, methodologies and approaches in a manner that is results-oriented. The gender specialist should have competence and extensive past experience working on gender-related projects and integrating gender across a program’s components. Additionally, the gender specialist will be involved in the monitoring and evaluation process of gender-related projects including developing and ensuring good indicator reporting and writing official reports.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure that gender is appropriately integrated into community engagement, capacity building and other methodologies and tools that will be used by the program.
• Increase the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate on gender issues.
• Implement training and technical assistance for partner CSOs to increase their organizational capacity and capacity for engagement with the government on issues that affect women and increase the capacity to increase women’s civic participation.
• Work with the program’s other technical specialists to ensure that gender is properly integrated into trainings and technical assistance to partners and assistance recipients.
• Contribute to the development of annual work plans, performance monitoring systems and tools, and writing of progress, quarterly and final program reports.
• Coordinate with and support the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team in meeting all M&E activity and performance indicator requirements and reporting.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience designing, implementing or evaluating programs with significant gender components.
• Bachelor’s Degree in International Development, International Relations, Women’s Studies, Public Administration, or a relevant field; Master’s Degree preferred.
• Technical expertise in the areas of gender integration, gender mainstreaming, capacity building and/or advocacy.
• Understanding of the socio-cultural issues and nuances of working with community, civil society and local and national government settings is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated capabilities in the following areas: community engagement, gender equity and good governance, experience in Senegal preferred.
• Strong communications and interpersonal skills to meet the diverse technical and managerial requirements of the program and to effectively coordinate with a wide range of regional stakeholders.
• English and French fluency required.

How to apply:

http://www.counterpart.org/

Organization: International Potato Center
Country: Kenya
Closing date: 09 Oct 2013

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking an Agricultural Value Chain Specialist to be based in Kisumu, Kenya.

The Center: CIP is a not-for-profit international agricultural research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots and tubers improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving food security, improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partners to contribute high quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening for sustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with staff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. CIP is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. The CIP Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) main regional office is in Nairobi, Kenya. CIP also has offices in 7 other African countries.

CIP is launching a new going-to-scale project building on our successful research work on nutritious orange-fleshed sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking for energetic researchers and development specialists to lead this effort in key countries in the region and to help us reach farmers and consumers with new and innovative approaches and partnerships.

The Position: The Agriculture Value Chain Specialist will be responsible for the implementation of a going-to-scale project in Nyanza Province, Kenya to improve nutrition benefits from with pro-vitamin A rich orange-fleshed sweetpotato. This will require managing complex multi-disciplinary partnerships with government, non-governmental implementation organizations and private sector partners. The position will be part of the regional project team and reports to the regionally based Project Leader. The principal tasks and responsibilities comprise the following:

Duties and responsibilities:

• Oversee and coordinate project activities and partnerships at country level.• Provide technical support to national partners to ensure production and multiplication of high quality foundation planting material. • Manage the collaboration with private sector food processing companies and implement partners from the NGO sector to ensure timely delivery of quality. • Contribute to monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and impact assessment at country and regional levels.• Develop and report against country-level project work plans as part of the regional project management system.• Produce and contribute to scientific publications, policy briefs and other information materials, and participating in regional and international forums.• Participate in national agriculture and nutrition forums to contribute to evidence-based planning and policy development. • Coordinate and participate in periodic capacity building and training events for implementing partners and wider stakeholder groups.• Supervise and/or facilitate associated in-country research activities by national research institutions, CIP and regional or international partners.

Selection Criteria:

• Ph.D. degree in agricultural economics, nutrition, marketing or other similar degree. Specific training related to sweetpotato is an added advantage.• At least 2 years as a project leader in an agricultural research and development context, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa.• A minimum of 2 years hands-on experience working in agricultural seed systems or value chains, preferably with sweetpotato or other vegetatively propagated crops.• Strong experience with communication technologies as research and development tools.• Solid and up-to-date understanding of M&E, Impact Assessment and scaling-up principles and methodologies.• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required. Good working knowledge of Kiswahili or Luo preferred.• Ability to work in an international agricultural research center, interacting with its staff and managing research programs in a variety of institutional and ecological settings. • A good ability and demonstrated expertise to write, plan research, analyze data and complete timely reports.• Good record of publications and citations.• Aptitude for teamwork, leadership, training, and communications.• Willingness to travel frequently and work under field conditions.• Must be a citizen of an African country.

Conditions: The employment contract will be for a three-year term (with a three month probation period) with the possibility of renewal, subject to availability of funding. The salary will be internationally competitive, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

How to apply:

Applications: Applicants should apply by email, sending a cover letter summarizing their relevance to this position, a full C.V. and the names and contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to cip-recruitment@cgiar.org, copied to Jan Low (j.low@cgiar.org). The reference name of the position should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message. Screening of applications will begin on October 09, 2013 and will continue until the post is filled.

Organization: International Potato Center
Country: Malawi
Closing date: 09 Oct 2013

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking an Agricultural Value Chain Specialist to be based in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The Center: CIP is a not-for-profit international agricultural research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots and tubers improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving food security, improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partners to contribute high quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening for sustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with staff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. CIP is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. . Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. The CIP Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) main regional office is in Nairobi, Kenya. CIP also has offices in 7 other African countries.

CIP is launching a new going-to-scale project building on our successful research work on nutritious orange-fleshed sweetpotato in sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking for energetic researchers and development specialists to lead this effort in key countries in the region and to help us reach farmers and consumers with new and innovative approaches and partnerships.

The Position: The Agriculture Value Chain Specialist will be responsible for the implementation of a going-to-scale project in Malawi to improve nutrition benefits from with pro-vitamin A rich orange-fleshed sweetpotato. This will require managing complex multi-disciplinary partnerships with government, non-governmental implementation organizations and private sector partners and working closely with other CIP scientists based in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique. The position will be part of the regional project team and reports to the regionally based Project Leader. The principal tasks and responsibilities comprise the following:

Duties and responsibilities:

• Oversee and coordinate project activities and partnerships in specific districts of Malawi.• Provide technical support to national partners to ensure production and multiplication of high quality foundation planting material. • Manage the collaboration with private sector food processing companies and implement partners from the NGO sector to ensure timely delivery of quality. • Contribute to monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and impact assessment at country and regional levels.• Develop and report against country-level project work plans as part of the regional project management system.• Produce and contribute to scientific publications, policy briefs and other information materials, and participating in regional and international forums.• Participate in national agriculture and nutrition forums to contribute to evidence-based planning and policy development. • Coordinate and participate in periodic capacity building and training events for implementing partners and wider stakeholder groups.• Supervise and/or facilitate associated in-country research activities by national research institutions, CIP and regional or international partners.

Selection Criteria:

• Ph.D. degree in an agricultural economics, nutrition, marketing, or other similar degrees. Specific training related to sweetpotato is an added advantage.• At least 3 years as a project leader in an agricultural research and development context, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa.• A minimum of 2 years hands-on experience working in agricultural seed systems or value chains, preferably with sweetpotato or other vegetatively propagated crops.• A minimum of 3 years hands-on experience working with government, private sector and NGO collaborators in agricultural, nutrition, or value chain projects.• Strong experience with communication technologies as research and development tools.• Solid and up-to-date understanding of M&E, Impact Assessment and scaling-up principles and methodologies.• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.
• Ability to work in an international agricultural research center, interacting with its staff and managing research programs in a variety of institutional and ecological settings. • A good ability and demonstrated expertise to write, plan research, analyze data and complete timely reports.• Good record of publications and citations.• Aptitude for teamwork, leadership, training, and communications.• Willingness to travel frequently and work under field conditions.

Conditions: The employment contract will be for a three-year term (with a three month probation period) with the possibility of renewal, subject to availability of funding. The salary will be internationally competitive, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

How to apply:

Applicants should apply by email, sending a cover letter summarizing their relevance to this position, a full C.V. and the names and contact information of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to cip-recruitment@cgiar.org, copied to Jan Low (j.low@cgiar.org). The reference name of the position should be clearly marked on the subject line of the email message. Screening of applications will begin on October 09, 2013 and will continue until the post is filled.