Senior Scientist, Innovation Systems, Kenya

 Closing Date: Monday, 31 December 2012
ILRI Nairobi Campus

Vacancy Number: SSIS/MARKETS/12/12
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: 3 years with the possibility of renewal

Base salary from USD 55000-75,000 per annum depending on experience. Total salary & benefits package circa USD 93,000-105,000 (tax free*)

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 Centres of the CGIAR Consortium. ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with offices located in other regions of Africa (Mali, Mozambique, and Nigeria) as well as in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam) and East Asia (China).

ILRI seeks to recruit a Senior Scientist; Innovation Systems to lead a small group of researchers addressing innovation systems as part of ILRI’s responsibilities in the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs)  in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.  The work entails using innovations systems approaches and other socio-economic tools to facilitate the development and analysis of Innovation Platforms of multiple actors involved in livestock production and value chains, aimed at improving farm and value chain productivity, and at enhancing actor capacity for innovation.  The work will form part of integrated action research by the CRPs that bring together a range of technical and organizational interventions to address issues of poverty alleviation, gender equity, and rural development.

Responsibilities

    Lead and manage a group of social scientists and post-docs comprising the innovations systems team, as well as develop and manage key partner relationships;
    Lead the development of an ILRI Innovations Platforms analytical framework;
    Contribute to research on Innovation Systems in the CRP’s that ILRI is participating in, potentially playing a lead role in some cases
    Evaluate effectiveness and lessons learned related to Innovation Systems and ILRI’s research projects;
    Contribute to building capacity of ILRI staff and partners using Innovation Systems where needed;
    Link policy to action research; Publish research findings related to Innovation Systems.

Requirements

    Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension,  Innovation Systems or related social science;
    5-10 years of experience in supervising research staff and projects related to Innovation Systems, Research for Development (R4D) platforms, or other approaches to development of rural agricultural knowledge and capacity;
    A proven research record on Innovation Systems or related research extending to study design, quantitative and qualitative analytic methods and peer-reviewed outputs;
    Familiarity with aspects of livestock production, and/or agricultural extension systems in developing countries.

Other competencies

    Demonstrated ability to develop and manage multiple partnerships and to develop successful funding proposals;
    Ability to work in a fast paced environment with interdisciplinary teams;
    Ability to supervise staff and graduate students;
    Ability to manage budgets and donor requests;
    Ability to develop and facilitate processes and systems related to research outputs;
    Strong English language skills, both written and spoken (proficiency in French is strong advantage);
    Willingness to travel frequently, often to rural areas in developing countries.

Post location: The position is based at ILRI’s Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.

Position level: The position is Scientist/Research Level 2 or 3 dependent on qualifications and experience.

Duration: 3 years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and continued funding.

Terms of appointment: ILRI offers a competitive international remuneration and benefits package which includes: – Pension – Medical insurance – Life insurance and allowances for: – Education – Housing – Security – Disturbance – Relocation – Home leave; 15% pension contribution. Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + 11 public holidays.
*Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship.

Applicants should address a cover letter and CV to Human Resource Director 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. Email your application to ilri-SSIS@cgiar.org before 31 December 2012. The position title and reference number: SSIS/MARKETS/12/12 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the online application.

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

Suitably qualified women and citizens of developing countries, with experience of working internationally, are particularly encouraged to apply.