The Position: The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Research Fellow on behalf of the International Potato Center (CIP) who will assess the seed potato quality assurance system in Ethiopia, validate the effectiveness efficiency of the technologies and methodologies employed in seed potato QA, recommend innovations for improving seed potato QA, draft a case study report and share findings with critical seed potato value chain actors (VCA) in the country and other project partners in Tanzania and Nigeria.

General:  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: 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 CGIAR Consortium. CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.

Responsibilities:

• Designs data collection tools and methodology for a case study of the seed potato system in Ethiopia;
• Assesses the operations of selected regional and federal seed potato health testing laboratories and protocols, identifying strengths, weaknesses and gaps to be addressed to improve efficiency and impact on seed potato QA;
• Undertakes timely preparation of project work plans and progress reports;
• Organizes and coordinates stakeholder workshops including planning, consultative and reviews meetings in line with seed potato QA in Ethiopia;
• Contributes in designing strategies for improving seed potato QA, its adoption in routine seed potato quality control at institutional and producer levels;
• Collects and indexes seed potato samples against latent Ralstonia solanacearum and viral infections by producer categories, seed class and collate the data by producer category, seed class, districts, zones or region(s) in Ethiopia;
• Validates different technologies, methodologies and protocols that are being used in seed potato QA and determine their effectiveness in assuring seed quality at all levels in the seed production chain;
• Assesses possibilities and bottlenecks of adopting a decentralized QA approach in seed potato;
• Determines ability and capacity of current seed potato producers to meet and adopt QA standards in Ethiopia and recommend interventions for improvement;
• Determines ability and willingness for QDS producers to pay for QA services;
• Drafts a case study on the seed potato QA in Ethiopia;
• Provides feedback to core seed potato VCA in Ethiopia mainly through the Irish Potato Coalition in Ethiopia (IPCE).

Minimum Requirements:

• M.Sc./PhD in Agronomy, Horticulture or related Agricultural Sciences
• Possesses work experience in seed potato systems innovation, potato disease diagnostics and management particularly bacterial wilt, viruses and late blight and have knowledge in participatory innovation systems and approaches.

• Be proficient in major statistical software packages such as: SPSS, R, Stata, Genstat, SAS and qualitative data management software package.

Post location:   Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with regular travel to the field.

Terms of Appointment

This is a one-year assignment involving both field and office work to be conducted in at least four five zones very important for potato production with emphasis to seed in Ethiopia.

The workstation for this appointment will be Addis Ababa in CIP Ethiopia office which is located at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).  The ILRI campus is set in a secure, attractive campus with dining and sports facilities.

The successful candidate will receive a gross monthly stipend commensurate to the living conditions in Addis Ababa and supported with necessary logistics for field work.

How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV expressing 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 by clicking on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com/.

The position will remain open until it is filled.

The position title and reference number REF:  CIP/20/2020 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

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.