Research & Development Specialist – Kampala – International Potato Center

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a highly competent and dynamic scientist to fill the newly created position of Research and Development Specialist for Scaling-up to support the management and further development of CIP’s Strategic Program on Resilient, Nutritious Sweetpotato.

The Center:CIP is a not-for-profit international agricultural research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweetpotato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots and tubers improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving food security, improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partners to contribute high quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening for sustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with staff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. CIP is a member of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, a network of 15 research centers mostly located in the developing world and supported by more than 50 donor members.

The Strategic Program: The Strategic Program on Resilient, Nutritious Sweetpotato seeks to combat micronutrient deficiency and improve nutrition and livelihoods amongst 15 million food insecure households in Africa and Asia. The Program currently comprises a dynamic portfolio of over 30 research and development projects in 16 countries. We pay specific attention to gender and poverty aspects of our work and monitor these closely. The Program seeks to further strengthen strategic partnerships for upstream research as well as for development delivery.

The Position: The R&D Specialist will report to the Program Leader and will be based in Kampala, Uganda with extensive travel to project countries in particular in Africa. He/she will work closely with project managers, scientists, and M&E specialists to ensure that promising technologies and practices will be scaled-up in new contexts. The position demands both R&D expertise and an understanding of scaling-up approaches in agriculture and/or nutrition, as well as competencies in program management, M&E, research publications, and partnership management.

Duties and Accountabilities:
Program development for scaling-up
Support the Program Leader in coordinating implementation and further development of the Strategic Program with a specific emphasis on strengthening and documenting lessons from scaling-up projects. Focus countries and projects within the current portfolio will be agreed with the Program Leader.
Work with project managers to ensure project-level research and development activities and partnerships support going-to-scale to achieve broader program goals, generate high-quality outputs, and identify additional publication opportunities. Review technical reports to donors for content and consistency.
Support project managers at critical stages of implementation, such as during project start-up, major reviews and evaluations, and closeout.
Contribute to proposal writing and other resource mobilization efforts and work with the Program Leader and CIP Regional Leaders to pursue longer-term opportunities to support strategic program growth.
Contribute to regular program reviews, planning, and reporting, including updating the rolling 3-year Program Business Plan.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

Work with project M&E specialists to ensure alignment of project-level MEAL systems with CIP and CGIAR requirements, particularly on scaling-up, outcome and impact related results.
Coordinate collation of essential data across the program portfolio and generate regular updates on key output and outcome indicators.
Support learning across the portfolio by initiating and contributing to syntheses of results in relation to scaling up approaches, and by facilitating review meetings with partners. Research on scaling-up
Contribute to research on scalability and scaling-up options for the Strategic Program, including innovation pathways, partnerships, and policy context. Produce scientific publications from this research.
Participate in CGIAR-wide research initiatives to strengthen scaling-up approaches.
Communications

Contribute to internal communications within the Strategic Program as well as to external communications on specific technical and regional components, using a range of communication platforms.
Selection criteria:

· PhD in relevant discipline, including agricultural, biological, or social sciences. An MSc degree with particularly strong R&D experience in food security and rural development may be considered.
· At least 10 years of research experience in international agricultural research and/for development projects, of which at least 5 years include senior responsibilities in project or program management.
· Excellent knowledge of the agriculture-nutrition nexus and its gender and poverty dimensions. Familiarity with biofortification and other food-based approaches to nutrition security.
· Excellent knowledge of scaling-up approaches in agricultural development and of up-to-date research methodologies in this area.
· Excellent knowledge of development, agriculture, and nutrition agenda in Africa and Asia and of CGIAR’s role in international agricultural research. Direct work experience in sub-Saharan Africa is a strong advantage.
· Strong command of M&E approaches and methodologies, including participatory and quantitative methods, support to learning processes, and use of ICT-based methodologies.
· Proven research abilities and publication record in relevant area of work.
· Teambuilding and team management experience, including direct experience of staff supervision in international teams.
· Excellent technical and report writing skills and proven track record of proposal writing.
· Excellent English written and verbal communication skills are essential. Working proficiency in French is a strong advantage.
· Ability and willingness to travel extensively, and at times at short notice, to project locations in Africa and occasionally to other regions.

Conditions:Employment contract will be for a three-year term (with three months probation period) with the possibility of renewal,subject to availability of funding. The salary will be internationally competitive, paid in US dollars, and commensurate with experience.
CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

HOW TO APPLY:
Applications:Applicants should apply by email, sending a letter of motivation, a full C.V., and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to: CIP-Recruitment@cgiar.org. The reference name of the position should be clearly marked in the subject line of the email message. Screening of applications will begin on March 20, 2015 and will continue until the position is filled. All applications will be acknowledged, however only short listed candidates will be contacted.

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