Scientific Officers (Research Associate) in Marketing Development at ICRISAT Nigeria

ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics is home to over 2 billion people, with 650 million of these being the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower those living in the semi-arid tropics, especially smallholder farmers, to overcome poverty, hunger, malnutrition and a degraded environment through more efficient and profitable agriculture. ICRISAT, established in 1972, and is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Scientific Officer (Research Associate) in Marketing Development

Location: Nigeria

Job Description

• The research associate in market development will work under the supervision of the Market Development Specialist.
• Each of the successful candidates will be posted at any of the 4 Sorghum hubs with frequent travel to the project communities

The Job
Develop and coordinate market development strategy and interventions in the Sorghum sector:

• Support the design of Sorghum sectors market development strategy within the context of ATASP-1 executed in Nigeria
• Plan and implement Sorghum market development interventions in Sorghum seed systems development, Sorghum inputs and output market sub-sectors
• Organize capacity building for stakeholders (NARIs staff, extension agents, producers groups, seed companies, etc) on Sorghum sector market/ value chain development

Support the establishment and strengthen market linkages in Sorghum value chain:

• Support marketing activities for Sorghum value chain actors in Sorghum sectors development hubs in Nigeria
• Support establishment of contracts with potential partners (e.g. market actors), develop concrete offers for partnership and negotiate agreements between key actors
• Initiate contract farming arrangement between seed companies and seed out growers and for farmers groups and paddy off-takers based on best practices and trust
• Organize and implement market exposure visits for Sorghum farmers and processors for learning and awareness creation purposes
• Actively participate in monitoring and evaluation of project implementation

Desired Skills and Experience
The Person:

• A Nigerian National with Degree in Business Administration, Agricultural Economics or related fields, and/or additional training in Agricultural Market Development/ Entrepreneurship Development or a related field
• Should have a minimum of 5 years working experience with relevance in agriculture and agribusiness;
• Previous experience with private sector and hands on market linkages will be an added advantage
• Must be energetic, creative, and willing to learn
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Must have previous experience in agribusiness and be willing to spend long periods travelling and staying in rural areas
• Computer literacy with proficient knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications
• Proficiency in English language with excellent communication skills
• Thorough knowledge of Sorghum market development and information systems particularly within Nigeria

Remuneration
This is a nationally recruited staff position with an attractive and competitive salary and benefits package payable in US dollars. The position is initially for two years, and extendable depending on performance of the incumbent and funding availability. An attractive compensation will be offered for the right candidate.

Application Closing Date
25th May 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online