Scientist I, Crop Livestock Tree systems

Job Description

SCIENTIST I – CROP-LIVESTOCK-TREE SYSTEMS

THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

About the position

The Crops for Nutrition and Health lever of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is seeking to recruit a Scientist to support the Tropical Forages team in Asia and work in the CGIAR initiative on Mixed Farming Systems. The candidate needs to develop a deep understanding of smallholder crop-livestock-tree production systems in South-East Asia. The desired candidate should be an innovative, dynamic professional able to work independently with minimal supervision, but also to participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties.

Key duties & responsibilities

· Lead strategic planning and engagement in participatory approaches for crop-tree-livestock systems in Lao PDR, including cassava and maize based systems interconnected with livestock and and tree crops.

· Develop or apply innovative/existing tools and methods for systems research in the target systems.

· Support on-ground piloting, data collection, and participatory/action research in integrated management of crop-tree-livestock systems.

· Communicate research results and practical implications to a variety of stakeholders.

· Provide technical guidance to project teams under his/her supervision and advise the research team on outcomes that feed into the wider knowledge base of the initiative.

· Sustains relationships with, donors, external stakeholders, and internal partners linked to the program, in particular colleagues in the SI-MFS initiative.

· Contribute to proposal development on mixed farming systems and systems research.

· Write policy briefs, project progress and final reports and publications.

### Requirements

Required qualifications and experience.

• PhD degree related to agriculture, environment, ecology, natural resource management and/or related fields.
• Good understanding of crop-livestock-tree production systems, preferably in South-East Asia. Experience on forages is an added advantage.
• Experience with participatory co-design approaches of mixed farming systems
• Experience in setting up and monitoring field trials, data analysis and reporting.
• Experience with R programming, GIS mapping and spatial analysis skills are an added advantage.
• Proven experience in leading and managing research projects.
• Experience or aptitude for communicating research findings to diverse audiences, including policymakers, stakeholders, and the broader scientific community.
• Effective communication and interpersonal abilities for managing a diverse team and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral.
• Proven experience in writing various publications including peer-reviewed journal papers.
• Ability to work with various researchers across teams, regions and projects.
• Willingness to travel, including to remote locations for field work.

Terms of employment

This is an internationally recruited position based in Vientiane (Laos) with regular travel to other South-East Asian countries. The initial contract will be for two (2) years, subject to a probation period of six (6) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.

This position is graded at BG09 level, in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference number

Ref: 103508 – Scientist I, Crop Livestock Tree systems as the position applied for. Cover letter and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Applications closing date: Friday, 19th April 2024

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