Research Officer – Global Wheat Program (GWP)

Vacancy Number: A/035/13
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Location: Addis Ababa
Duration: 2 years contract with the possibility of renewal

General: The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is an autonomous, non profit making, international scientific organization operating under the aegis of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). More specifically its mission is:

To encourage, support and undertake activities to improve the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of maize and wheat systems in the interest of the resource poor in developing countries.

The position: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is recruiting a Research Officer based in Addis Ababa, who will be a member of the CIMMYT team.

MAIN DUTIES (Terms of Reference)

The Research Officer will provide technical support to the CIMMYT-Global Wheat Program (GWP) in Ethiopia. He/she will work as a member of CIMMYT- GWP in Ethiopia, and will contribute to the development and deployment of high-yielding, rust resistant, stress tolerant, wheat germplasm with superior end use quality in the country. The position will be based at Addis Ababa CIMMYT regional office, and will involve frequent travel to the project sites in Amhara, Oromia, South Nations and Nationalities and Tigray regions. The candidate, in collaboration with the various partners (seed producers, National Agricultural Research systems (NARs), universities, NGOs, private sectors, etc.) and farmers, will contribute to the effective implementation of the Durable Rust Resistant Wheat (DRRW) project.

Key duties and responsibilities will include:

• Run wheat breeding/pathology research to assist NARs develop and release high yielding, rust resistant and stress tolerant, wheat cultivars to the resource-poor farmers in Ethiopia, in active collaboration with the existing research, extension and seed systems in the country
• Develop and execute field-based research to develop wheat germplasm through the different breeding methods
• Assist NARs in the designing and implementation of field experiments including nursery and trial seed preparation, and management
• Assist NARs in selecting best genotypes in trials conducted across locations, make different crosses
• Support national program staff in field trial management, data management and analysis.
• Build capacity and provide practical trainings to national programs on field trials, measurements and improved wheat systems
• Frequent local travels (and some occasional international travel, based on need) will be required
• Train Research Assistants (RAs), to collect data, conduct the diagnostic surveys, applied research, and impact assessment activities for wheat
• Lead the implementation of data collection and data management (computerization, cleaning) and analysis
• Assist in the write up of research results and delivery of reports on time
• The officer will be expected to engage in mobilizing resources to support research and contributing to capacity building and communication of research findings
• The research officer is expected to write high quality scientific papers that ccontributes to journal articles by collecting timely quality data and analyzing
• Contribute towards communicating research to different types of audience.
• Perform other duties/tasks as required and/or assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENT:

 Education:

• Master’s degree in wheat breeding / pathology or related disciplines

Experience:

• 5 years of relevant work experience  
  

Skills:

• Applied knowledge in wheat breeding/pathology, experimental design, nursery and field trial management, data collection and analyses.
• Knowledge in all features of data scoring and management.
• Communication skills in written and spoken English.
• Strong self-motivation and innovative skills.
• Organizational skills and ability to work under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively in diverse, multicultural partnerships.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision in a multi-disciplinary team
• Proper use of wheat breeding/pathology field books, statistics

Training:

• Any training related to wheat breeding/pathology, statistics, and database development considered highly desirable

Duty Station:             Addis Ababa

Grade:                           3B level 2.

Minimum Base Salary: 25,437 Birr per month (Negotiable depending on experience, skill and salary history of the candidate)

Terms of appointment:  This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Addis Ababa campus. Initial appointment is (fixed term) for two years with the possibility of renewal appointment, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. CIMMYT offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits in line with ILRI’s policy applicable for its Nationally Recruited Staff.  CIMMYT is an international and equal opportunity organization and believes that diversity of its staff contributes to excellence.

Applications: Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, relevant documents, testimonials, and the names and addresses (including telephone, fax and email) of three referees knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Human Resources Office, ILRI, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Telephone: (251-11)-617-20-00; Fax: (251-11)-617-20-01.  The name and reference number of the position for which the application is made should be clearly marked on the envelopes if mailed, or on the fax applications.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Qualified women are particularly encouraged to apply.

To find more about CIMMYT, visit our Website at: http://www.cimmyt.org
CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer.