ILRI Vacancy: Data Systems Manager

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Data Systems Manager to design and support data systems for managing and utilising research data for ILRI projects.

ILRI works with partners worldwide to enhance the roles that livestock play in food security and poverty alleviation, principally in Africa and Asia. The outcomes of these research partnerships help people in developing countries keep their farm animals’ alive and productive, increase and sustain their livestock and farm productivity, find profitable markets for their animal products, and reduce the risk of livestock-related diseases www.ilri.org

ILRI is a not-for-profit institution with a staff of about 700 and in 2016, an operating budget of about USD83 million. A member of the CGIAR Consortium working for a food-secure future, ILRI has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a principal campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and offices in other countries in East, West and Southern Africa and in South, Southeast and East Asia www.cgiar.org

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement and maintain integrated data management systems for ILRI’s complex and dispersed research projects.
• Support and contribute to the development and maintenance of ILRI’s data portal and associated data management processes (metadata standards, accessibility, confidentiality, data ownership & sharing).
• Establish and maintain links and processes between the system and teams utilising the data.
• Write programs and software to extract and produce routine summaries of data.
• Program field survey instruments (handheld PDA, mobile phones, tablets and/or netbooks) and coordinate the training of staff in their use.
• Implement and monitor quality assurance (QA) protocols and routines, including safe and remote back-up of database systems and tools.
• Provide input into impact assessment and monitoring & evaluation (M&E), designing and linking systems with M&E indicators.
• Support the work of technical staff with data management and analysis responsibilities – this will include some technical supervision and training.
• Keep up-to-date with the latest tools and resources, including open-source software, for the collection, management, storage and sharing of information.

Requirements

• MA/MSc degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline OR BSc and at least 6 years of suitable experience.
• Formal training & experience in database design, database management and computer programming necessary, including application of quality assurance standards and procedures.
• At least 3 years of post-Masters degree relevant experience – development and use of integrated database systems preferably for research projects, including large-scale socioeconomic and/or biological surveys.
• Significant professional experience with SQL language and MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle or MS SQL Server databases is required.
• Professional experience with open-source data collection tools like ODK or CSPro is required.
• Experience using Linux operative system is an advantage; knowledge of terminal and Linux commands is highly preferred.
• Significant professional experience developing software solutions using one of the following programming languages: Python, Java or PHP.
• Knowledge of C++ programming language and Qt framework is preferred.
• Experience in the development of web-based database systems an advantage.
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft packages.
• Experience working in an international organisation and/or in applied agricultural research an advantage.
• Ability to think logically and implement solutions to problems.
• Good communication ability in English, spoken and written is required.
• Excellent interpersonal communication and good personal organisation skills required, including skills in mentoring and capacity building.
• Good judgment and willingness to take initiative; ability to work under pressure often to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of deliverables.
• Willingness to travel both regionally and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain professional contacts with relevant people and organisations.

Terms of Appointment

This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Nairobi campus. It is open to Kenyan nationals only. The position is on a 3-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

Job Level

This position is job level 2D, ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes; pension, medical and other insurances for ILRI’s Nationally Recruited Staff.

How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV explaining their interest in the position, what they can bring to the job and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Director, People and Organizational Development through our recruitment portal http://ilri.simplicant.com/ on or before 24 June 2016. The position title and reference number REF: DSM/AB/06/2016 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the cover letter.

We thank all applicants for their interest in working for ILRI. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ILRI does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). ILRI also does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

To find out more about ILRI, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org/

To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/

 ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.