🇳🇬 Job Vacancies @ International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) – 5 Positions

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting to fill the following positions below:

1.) Administrative Assistant
2.) Laboratory Supervisor
3.) Senior Maize Breeder
4.) BIP Operation / Truck Driver
5.) Accounting Assistant

Job Title: Administrative Assistant

Job ID.: IITA/P&C/NRS2024-014
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 3-year renewable contract

Duties

• Act as receptionist to visitors in the Unit.
• Receive customer's complaints, forward to the concerned Unit Supervisor and follow up until it is resolved.
• Assist in managing and assigning inquiries to the buyer and provide inquiry reports to the Procurement Manager.
• Expedite, track and provide Purchase Orders update as may be necessary.
• Ensure the use of Oracle/excel/word for creating and updating records.
• Ensure that records are adequately stored either on cloud or hard files.
• Keep track of purchases of all orders to ensure prompt delivery of goods.
• Assist in organizing conferences, workshops, training courses, and other related activities.
• Assist the supply chain support in the day-to-day administrative processes and functions.
• Assist in handling logistical arrangements for meetings, workshops, official travels, and accommodation (flight and hotel booking, travel authorization requests, travel advances, and retirement of claims as needed).
• Assist in raising internal, purchase requisitions and assist in following up with the Finance Office on the processing of invoices and payments.
• Assist in managing the Unit inventories, raise work orders, and follow up till the execution stage.
• Assist in coordinating, recording, documenting minutes of meetings and prepare monthly reports.
• Perform any other job-related duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Requirements

• OND/NCE in Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field with a minimum of three (3) years’ experience performing a similar role in a well-structured environment.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must:

• Have excellent writing and oral communication skills in English.
• Be proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) with demonstrated experience.
• Proficient in the use of Oracle Applications is mandatory.
• Be well organized, able to multitask, and work under pressure to meet deadlines with keen attention to details.
• Have a positive attitude, strong team spirit, and the ability to work well in a diverse team.

Benefits
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Job Title: Laboratory Supervisor

Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 6 months’ renewable

Duties

• Work with the maize improvement program of IITA to generate maize haploids by crossing DH inducer with maize elite lines.
• Identify haploids by endosperm color and ploidy analysis.
• Optimize doubling of haploids by using appropriate chemical agents.
• Use markers to predict the inhibition of R1 –nj expression or haploid induction (e.g. ZmPLA1).
• Record field and laboratory data.
• Perform data analysis and interpretation.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation to publish experimental results.
• Perform any other job-related task as may be assigned by the Supervisors.

Requirements

• BSc/HND in Plant Breeding, Agronomy or any other related field with a minimum of two (2) years’ experience performing a similar role in a well-structured environment.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must:

• Be experienced in the use of statistical analysis techniques and database software.
• Be experienced in data analysis and interpretation.
• Have Laboratory skills and pay attention to details.

Benefits
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
16th July, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Job Title: Senior Maize Breeder

Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 3 years

Job Summary

• The successful candidate will design, execute, and manage the maize breeding program, while also coordinating a breeding network targeting the West African maize prioritized market segments.
• The successful candidate will work closely with local partner organizations, including CGIAR and NARES institutions, as well as other partners, to establish a crossing and evaluation program aimed at delivering superior varieties that support rapid adoption by farmers.
• This position reports to Maize Breeding Head.

Responsibilities

• Breeding Strategy: Formulating breeding strategies aimed at achieving specific goals, such as increasing yield, improving stress tolerance, or enhancing nutritional content.
• Product Design and Development: Implement an effective breeding strategy to develop elite breeding material and a product advancement process to identify new candidate varieties for targeted market segments and product profiles.
• Demand-led Breeding: Support and contribute to revision of market segment definition and product profile development and seed system activities in the region.
• Germplasm Development: Working with NARS and selected partners, identify, obtain and develop appropriate germplasm to sustain the breeding program.
• Coordination: Coordinate the development of a stage gate multilocation product performance testing strategy, data analysis and advancement process, which is aligned with target market segments, TPEs or Agro-ecologies.
• Optimization of Breeding Processes and Operations: Ensure cost effective breeding operations, and standard operating procedures that deliver agreed quality and performance indicators.

Collaboration and Partnerships:

• Develop strong partnerships with national public breeding programs to collaboratively identify critical germplasm, product needs and define complementary breeding objectives.
• Enable and actively support the regional crop network to collaboratively plan and implement breeding activities that optimize the development of individual and shared network germplasm products and builds capacity to share knowledge, best practices, training etc.
• Capacity Building: Provide training and mentorship to breeding staff, partners and scholars on breeding techniques, methodologies, data analysis and scientific communication.
• Resource Mobilisation: Contribute to or lead the development of research proposals and other fundraising activities.
• Publication: Lead or contribute to publication of research results in international, refereed journals.
• Reporting: Produce monthly and annual reports.

Requirements

• The candidate should have a PhD in plant breeding, genetics, or a related field.

Core Competencies:

• At least 10 years of experience in plant breeding.
• Evidence of significant management skills including change management and management of successful breeding teams.
• Experience applying quantitative genetics principles, genomics and latest breeding technologies is desired.
• Experience working in West Africa will be considered favourably.
• Strong networking and facilitating skills with focus on enabling and empowering others to succeed.
• Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural and diverse environments.
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.
• Successful experience and commitment to inclusive research design and implementation.
• Evidence of experience in resource mobilization.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Benefits

• The contract will be for an initial period of three years.
• IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.

Application Closing Date
28th July, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Job Title: BIP Operation / Truck Driver

Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Description

• We are seeking a skilled and experienced Operation/ Truck Driver to join our team at IITA-BIP.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for safely operating trucks and other vehicles to transport goods, materials, and equipment, as well as providing general operational support to the team.
• The ideal candidate will have a valid driver's license, a good driving record, and experience with logistics and transportation operations.

Knowledge / Skills / Competencies

• OND with a minimum of 2 (two) years’ experience performing a similar role in a structured environment.
• Good communication skills (written and Oral.
• Good work attitude
• Good mastery of travel routes (Local and Regional)
• Possession of a valid Nigeria driver's license
• Safe driving track record
• Experience with logistics and transportation with emphasis on Agricultural materials.
• Strong communication and teamwork
• Ability to lift and move heavy loads (as needed).

Application Closing Date
25th July, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Job Title: Accounting Assistant

Job ID.: IITA/P&C/NRS2024-020
Location: Kano
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 2-year renewable contract

Duties

• Carry out payment and disbursement of cash for daily request.
• Assist in compiling and prepare daily cash and cheque request.
• Assist in maintaining a register for cash and travel advance.
• Assist in preparing monthly chargebacks of gate pass, diesel and petrol issuance.
• Assist in monthly computation and upload into Oracle platform.
• Assist with other duties such as Oracle invoicing, incoming funds and administrative function.
• Perform any other job-related tasks as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Requirements

• B.Sc / HND in Accounting or any other related field with a minimum of two (2) years’ experience performing a similar role in a well-structured environment. Possession of ICAN or ANAN is an added advantage.

The ideal candidate must:

• Be proficient in the use of ICT packages including Windows, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, OCS etc.
• Be trustworthy and discreet when dealing with confidential information.
• Have excellent communication skill and strong analytical mind.
• Have the ability to work with minimum supervision.

Benefits
We offer highly competitive salaries with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
12th July, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online