Job Vacancies at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) – 5 Positions
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is recruiting to fill the following positions:
1.) Crop / Value Chain Specialist
2.) System Administrator - Bioinformatics
3.) Data Curator
4.) Security Information Assistant
5.) Data Manager, Breeding
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.
See job details and how to apply below.
1.) Crop / Value Chain Specialist
Location: Ogun or Plateau
Selected Crops: Cassava, Yam, Maize, Rice, Cashew
Background
- IITA has received a grant to conduct a deep dive study on selected value chains to support the implementation of GIZ’s program on Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET) in Nigeria. This study will identify the value chains/crop clusters with the highest potential for (self-)employment creation for the Youth and scalability to other states. The study further aims at mapping suitable private sector actors for the implementation of a collaborative and competency-based training (CBT) system in selected agricultural trades.
- The Crop/Value Chain Specialist will conduct and lead the field data collection of the study, be responsible for the validity of the data, and provide extensive support to IITA in the analysis and reporting. The consultant works under the supervision of the Agricultural Markets Economist and the Head of Capacity Development Office (CDO).
Tasks
The assignment comprises a main phase and an option for additional works in a second phase.
Phase 1 (main): Value Chain and Private Sector Mapping:
- Data Collection / Field Visits:
- Provide support in the preparation and planning of data collection methodology and tools
- Attend a training on the use of data collection tools and on how to collect valid data
- Conduct data collection: individual interviews, company visits, focus groups discussions, surveys of main market and institutional players
- Supervise a team of enumerators and ensure the first level of quality control & assurance of the information collected before transferring them to IITA.
- Value Chains and Private Sector Mapping:
- Provide support in data preparation and analysis
- Provide support in elaborating the value chain mapping and SWOT analysis
- Validation of the value chains or crop clusters and private sector mapping
- Assist IITA in preparing the materials (reports, PPT presentations) for (virtual) stakeholder meetings
- Attend the (virtual) workshops and provide support in the reporting
- Provide any other supports on activities related to phase 1 as required by the Agricultural Market Economist and/or the Head of CDO.
Phase 2 (option): Skills Gap Assessment and Training Provider Mapping:
- This consultancy includes an option for extension to a second phase subject to the value chains/ crop clusters selected at the end of the value chains mapping.
- The consultant will perform the same tasks as in phase 1.
- However, in phase 2, the market players to interview and the questionnaires will be oriented on Skill Gap Assessment and Training Provider Mapping.
Qualifications and Core Competencies
- The consultant should possess at least an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, Applied Economics, or other relevant fields (Agronomy, Agricultural Extension, etc.)
- He/she will demonstrate experience of at least 5 years in the value chain of the selected crop in Nigeria.
- Experience in conducting studies (data collection and analysis) in research settings
- Experience in developing TVET Training programs and/or Skill Gap Assessment for Training Programs for Youth in Agriculture will be considered as a strong asset
- Previous works on Agricultural Value Chains and/or ATVET in Ogun and/or Plateau will be considered as an asset
Conditions
- Duration: The contract is expected to start on Jan 15, 2020 for a duration of 3 months and a maximum of 56 working days in phase 1. The additional phase 2 will also cover 2,5 months.
- Duty Station: The data collection will be conducted in Ogun or Plateau States.
- IITA will cover all the cost associated with the perdiems, accomodation and transportation for the data collection.
- The consultant will be required to attend training sessions on the data collection at IITA headquarters in Ibadan for each phase of the study. He/she will might also participate in work sessions at IITA headquarters.
Application Closing Date
16th January, 2021.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates shouldapply to the Head of Human Resources, by submitting a copy of their Curriculum Vitae (including the selected crop he/she is applying for), names and addresses of three referees.
Click here to apply online
Click here for more information (PDF)
Note
- Only selected candidates will be contacted and then asked to submit a financial offer to be negotiated with IITA.
- IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from women candidates.
2.) System Administrator - Bioinformatics
Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)
Duties
- Work with the Bioinformaticians and the Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) on the setting up of a newly purchased HPC server.
- Installation and maintenance of all needed software for the bioinformatics and breeding requirements on the server
- Maintain an accessible database for all installed software
- Support the bioinformatics and breeding teams with bioinformatics tasks
- Maintain the new and existing servers updated, OS and installed software
- Control the use of the servers, CPU-, RAM- and storage-use and provide metrics on usage and defined cost recovery figures
- Train staff, students and partners on usage of bioinformatics tools on the HPC especially for polyploid crops;
- Perform any other additional duties assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics or other related fields with five (5) years relevant experience in systems Administration.
Competencies:
The ideal candidate must have:
- Excellent knowledge of Unix and high performance in computing.
Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.
Application Closing Date
20th January, 2021.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.
Click here for more information (PDF)
Note: IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
3.) Data Curator
Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)
Duties
- Work with Data Manager and the Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) on the adoption of a data management system (Enterprise Breeding System – EBS) for storing and retrieval of information;
- Curate historical data from the Maize crop improvement program into templates for migration to the EBS;
- Check the quality and integrity of the data to be uploaded to the EBS;
- Ensure that the CG-core metadata standards are adhered to for all Maize improvement data;
- Perform data wrangling of large datasets to fill defined templates;
- Define and implement data standards and best practices for Research Data Management by developing ontologies, phenotyping protocols, quality standards, Trait dictionaries, templates and fieldbooks.
- Maintain coherent repository of Crop Information (genealogy, phenotype and genotype) allowing public access and secondary use for predictive breeding and comparative biology;
- Assist members of the Maize breeding program to capture data electronically and use the EBS to manage the day to day activities of their breeding programs;
- Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor.
Qualification
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Biometrics, Research Methods, Bioinformatics or other related field with five (5) years relevant experience in data management.
Competencies:
The ideal candidate must have:
- Computer, data management, R Data wrangling skills.
Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.
Application Closing Date
20th January, 2021.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.
Click here for more information (PDF)
Note: IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
4.) Security Information Assistant
Ref: STS2021 - 001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (Short-term Contract)
Duration: 2 years
Duties
- Under the supervision of the Head of Security, the Security Information Assistant (SIA) is responsible for the management of information relevant to security, including collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to be used as a decisionmaking and planning tool by the Head of Security in tropical Africa to enhance the safety and security of IITA personnel, assets and operations in the countries.
- Maintain security information awareness of all aspects which could potentially affect the safety and security of the IITA including up-to-date knowledge of events relating to the security environment through monitoring of security incidents, daily situation reports, local media and other open sources.
- Responsible for the identification and coordination of security information requirements, development of trend analysis, gathering comprehensive information on all factors on security and safety as well as determining the relevance and validity of security information and the reliability of information resources.
- Responsible for disseminating security information in a timely manner to the Headquarters, Hubs, and stations.
Qualification and Experience
- BSc / HND in Political or Social Science, Military Science, Criminology, International Relations or related field with a minimum of four (4) years’ experience performing similar or related role in a well-structured organization
Competencies
The ideal candidate must have:
Professionalism:
- Knowledge and understanding of methodologies for information collection, collation, analysis, and presentation.
- Knowledge and understanding of Country Security Plans, Contingency / Emergency planning, Evacuation / Relocation, Business Continuity Plan, Crisis Management Plan and Security Risk Assessment methodology
- Knowledge and understanding of physical security design, survey, and upgrade
- Knowledge and understanding of technical security systems like CCTV, alarm, and other intrusion detection system
- Have ability to communicate complex issues to clients and supervisors, clearly present research findings and formulate security advisories and alerts.
- Have ability to use presentation tools like PowerPoint maps and charts so as to regularly update the Security Unit Intranet webpage and to deploy mass security / safety notification systems
Communication:
- Speaks and writes clearly and effectively.
- Listens to others and correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately.
- Asks questions to clarify, exhibits interest in having two-way communication and tailor’s language, tone, style, and format to match the audience.
- Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
Planning and Organizing:
- Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies.
- Identifies priority activities and assignments and adjusts priorities as required.
- Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work;
- Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning;
- Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary;
- Uses time efficiently.
Core Competencies:
- Integrity, professionalism, respect for gender, Diversity, and Inclusion (GDI).
- Good communication skills (written and oral), working knowledge of French is an added advantage.
Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.
Application Closing Date
20th January, 2021.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.
Click here for more information (PDF)
Note: IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
5.) Data Manager, Breeding
Ref. No: DDG-R4D/DM/B/12/20
Location: Ibadan
Recruitment Type: 3-year contract
Job Description
- IITA seeks a highly-motivated Data Manager with significant experience in working with crop improvement programs.
- This position will report to the Head of Breeding, IITA and will also regularly review progress with staff of the Excellence in Breeding platform.
Position Responsibilities
- Work with IITA plant breeders and the Excellence in Breeding (EiB) platform in the modernisation of breeding programmes for enhanced genetic gain, particularly with respect to the deployment and adoption of breeding data management systems and digitization tools.
- Help in the development and implementation of a strategic plan for adoption of software, digitization and standardized protocols for IITA, West Africa and key national partners.
- Coordinate curation for maize and other crop breeding data to enable adoption of EBS.
- Liaise with Biometrics and IT teams for specific user requirements and support.
- Coordinate the standardisation of phenotypic, genotypic, genealogy data, protocols and relevant metadata.
- Contribute to developing and reporting relevant performance metrics / KPIs for adoption of the breeding systems at IITA together with EiB.
- Continuously improve the adoption of software tools and processes, to identify gaps to adoption and work with breeding programs and Excellence in Breeding to resolve gaps.
- Contribute to improvement plans for individual crops and to institutional arrangements in support of plant breeding.
- Perform other job-related duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.
Educational Qualifications
- The candidate should have M.Sc. in Information Systems, Data Science, Plant Breeding or related quantitative area of science (PhD preferable).
Core Competencies:
- Significant experience (5 years) working as part of crop improvement teams in the public or private sector.
- Considerable experience of using and developing modern informatics tools for plant breeding.
- Considerable experience in managing data from high throughput technologies used in plant breeding (molecular and phenotyping).
- Experience of the implementation of relevant software solutions.
- Experience in Continuous Improvement projects.
- Experience with Project Management.
- Ability to influence colleagues outside of a formal management structure/in a matrixed organisation.
- Fluency in written and spoken English. Some knowledge of French would be an advantage.
- Ability to work well across disciplines and in a multicultural environment.
Remuneration
IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in US Dollars.
Application Closing Date
14th January, 2021.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.
Click here for more information (PDF)
Note: IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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