IITA seeks a qualified Coordinator/Agronomist to lead the implementation of the Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Smallholder Farmers in Africa Project (N2Africa) activities in Borno State, Nigeria.
The Country Coordinator will assemble all project partners towards the development of mutually agreed upon work plans, monitor their implementation, ensure technical and financial reporting is completed in line with project requirements, and facilitate partnerships with the science and development community towards delivery of N2Africa products at scale.
The successful candidate will report to the research-for-development (R4D) Director on Natural Resource Management and the R4D Director for West Africa. More specifically the Borno State Coordinator will:
IITA seeks a qualified Coordinator/Agronomist to lead the implementation of the Putting Nitrogen Fixation to Work for Smallholder Farmers in Africa Project (N2Africa) activities in Borno State, Nigeria.
The Country Coordinator will assemble all project partners towards the development of mutually agreed upon work plans, monitor their implementation, ensure technical and financial reporting is completed in line with project requirements, and facilitate partnerships with the science and development community towards delivery of N2Africa products at scale.
Job Description
The successful candidate will report to the research-for-development (R4D) Director on Natural Resource Management and the R4D Director for West Africa. More specifically the Borno State Coordinator will:
- Lead the implementation of all project activities.
- Constitute in-State teams with the required expertise for specific action plans.
- Facilitate partnerships with dissemination and market partners.
- Lead technical and financial reporting to the project leadership.
- Oversee the science of N2Africa within the State.
- Represent N2Africa within Borno State to various stakeholder groups.
- Engage with the N2Africa, Nigeria team to ensure that project activities are implemented efficiently in Borno.
- Engage with the M&E specialist to ensure that M&E tools are administered in a timely manner.
- Engage with the Senior Business Development Officer to explore opportunities for partnerships for developing input and output market for the target legumes within the State.
- Participate in and/or organize technical meetings, conference calls and consultations of experts from stakeholder and partner organizations as required in liaison with the Project Coordinator as required.
- Co-supervise of MSc and PhD projects.
Initial appointment is for two years.
Minimum Qualification & Experience
The candidate should have a PhD in agronomy, soil microbiology, or a related field and have demonstrated expertise (at least 5 years) in research for/or development within African smallholder farming systems.
Skills & abilities
- Proven expertise with facilitating networks of partners across the research to development continuum.
- Excellent knowledge of legume agronomy and the role legumes play in relation to rural livelihoods.
- Excellent knowledge of the essential components and bottlenecks in legume input supply and output market value chains.
- Ability to manage own workload without close supervision and work independently, making decisions and solving problems on routine and complex problems.
- Ability to work effectively in a dynamic team environment, in a flexible office environment with periods of high pressure activity.
- Team player with personality traits that enable him/her to motivate and communicate with all levels of the professional and support staff.
- Reputation of integrity, high intelligence, creativity and the ability to exercise good judgment.
- Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to establish rapport and credibility with people at all organizational levels, forming strong relationships, both internally and externally.
- Committed to transparency and continuous improvement in a cooperative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning.
- Willingness to travel extensively.
- Excellent spoken and written English.