Principal Scientist (Natural Resources / Systems Agronomy) at ICRISAT

INTERNAL CROP RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SEMI ARID TROPICS

POST: Principal Scientist (Natural Resources / Systems Agronomy )

ICRISAT is seeking applications from dynamic and highly innovative Principal Scientist in Natural Resources / Systems Agronomy.

THE POSITION: The Principal Scientist will be based in Maputo, Mozambique and will be part of ICRISAT’s Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Regional Program.

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics is home to over 2 billion people, with 650 million of these the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower those living in the semi-arid tropics, especially smallholder farmers, to overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition and a degraded environment through more efficient and profitable agriculture. ICRISAT is headquartered in Greater Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and belongs to the Consortium of Centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

ICRISAT’s Regional hub for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) is located in Nairobi, Kenya, with scientists also located in research centers in Lilongwe, Malawi and Bulawayo Zimbabwe.  ICRISAT's work covers all countries in ESA. In the region, ICRISAT has core competencies in the areas of agronomy, soil science, dryland cereal and legume breeding, crop-livestock interactions, crop physiology, IPM, socio-economics and GIS.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

•Provide leadership in researching integrated crop, livestock, land, water and/or climate management options for smallholder farmers in the ESA region.

•Integrate into interdisciplinary teams from ICRISAT, other CGIAR centres, National Agricultural Research Institutes and development partners.

•Contribute to ICRISAT’s resource mobilization efforts through research proposals writing and strengthening of partners’ capacities, including co-supervision of postgraduate thesis research.

•Act as the country representative for ICRISAT in Mozambique.

THE PERSON:

•PhD degree in natural resource management, water, soils or related agricultural discipline with 3-10 years experience in systems related research.

•Proven ability to think strategically about research for development.

•Innovative, energetic individual with demonstrated contributions to the field of agriculture and committed to seeing measurable impacts at farm level.

•Strong statistical skills, knowledge of computer applications and software for data management and analysis.

•Excellent in English (both spoken and written). Knowledge of Portuguese would be an advantage.

•Good publication record, as evidenced by research papers in refereed journals.

•Proven good track record in attracting project funding.

•Experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders and interest to work in interdisciplinary team.

•Experience with variety development and release as well as effective seed dissemination.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT, SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Employment contract will be for a three-year term. Salary will be internationally competitive, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience. ICRISAT provides additional benefits, including employer-paid medical, life and disability insurance and retirement benefits. Allowances toward hardship, relocation, housing, home leave travel, dependent children’s education and annual leave are also provided. ICRISAT provides a collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

HOW TO APPLY:

Applicants should apply by email, sending a letter of motivation, a full Curriculum Vitae, and names of three references (with full contact information) that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to : ICRISATjobs@cgiar.org. The reference name of the position (Principal Scientist – Natural Resources/Systems Agronomy) should be indicated in the subject line of the email.  Please send your application latest by 31 December 2011.  All applications will be acknowledged, however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer, and is especially interested in increasing the participation of women on its staff. ICRISAT has a flexible approach to international appointments and welcomes dual-career couples.

FOR DETAILS, PLEASE REFER http://www.icrisat.org/careers/Natural-Resources-Systems-Agronomy.htm