Senior Agronomist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Agronomist

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-0019
Location: Yola, Adamawa
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)

Duties
Successful candidate will among other things perform the following duties:

• Facilitate partnerships with dissemination (extension) and market partners. Provide strategic support in a wide variety of areas including value chain development and upgrading strategies, improving access to agricultural inputs, access to agricultural extension, and marketing;
• Oversee and co-ordinate all agronomical and technical field activities carried out by stakeholders (small holder farmers, community-based seed producers, partner seed companies etc.) and provide necessary agronomical technical backstopping to them in the two target states (Adamawa and Borno);
• Provide leadership in designing, planning and implementation of demonstrations of soil, crop and livestock management technologies in farming communities;
• Provide necessary inputs into the Activity’s annual workplan (especially on Component 1) and prepare quarterly/annual workplan performance report;
• Strengthen seed production systems for cereal and legume crops in Northeast Nigeria. Help to establish and strengthen community-based seed multiplication and dissemination schemes of improved crop varieties;
• Organise and lead capacity building activities for different stakeholders including extension agents, input dealers andother service providers;
• Lead in the recommendations and dissemination of improved crop-based production systems in Adamawa and Borno states;
• Compile, collate and prepare technical reports for component 1 of the Activity;
• Perform any other job-related task as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualifications

• Master’s in Agronomy, Crop Science or related field;
• With a minimum of fifteen (15) years experience in agricultural extension and new technology delivery functionsin a well-structured environment or donor funded organization.

Competencies
The ideal candidate must:

• Facilitate partnerships with dissemination (extension) and market partners. Provide strategic support in a wide variety of areas including value chain development and upgrading strategies, improving access to agricultural inputs, access to agricultural extension, and marketing.
• Oversee and co-ordinate all agronomical and technical field activities carried out by stakeholders (small holder farmers, community-based seed producers, partner seed companies etc.) and provide necessary agronomical technical backstopping to them in the two target states (Adamawa and Borno).
• Provide leadership in designing, planning and implementation of demonstrations of soil, cropand livestock management technologies in farming communities.•
• Provide necessary inputs into the Activity’s annual workplan (especially on Component 1) and prepare quarterly/annual workplan performance report.
• Strengthen seed production systems for cereal and legume crops in Northeast Nigeria. Help to establish and strengthen community-based seed multiplication and dissemination schemes of improved crop varieties.
• Organise and lead capacity building activities for different stakeholders including extension agents, input dealers and other service providers.
• Lead in the recommendations and dissemination of improved crop-based production systems in Adamawa and Borno states.
• Compile, collate and prepare technical reports for component 1 of the Activity

Remuneration

• We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Closing Date
2nd August, 2021.