Digital Agriculture Action Manager at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture () is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, preserve natural resource integrity, and enhance system resilience to biotic and abiotic threats and climate change to enable agriculture transformation in sub-Saharan Africa. IITA is a member of, a global agriculture research partnership for food, nutrition, and income-secure future for all.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Digital Agriculture Action Manager

Ref. No: DDG-R4D/DAA/M/05/23
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Employment Type: Contract
Contract Duration: 3 years

About IITA’s Digital Agriculture Action (DAA)

• IITA's strategy incorporates information communication technologies (ICTs) and big data for the digitalization of the research, development, and delivery process, communications, knowledge sharing, and service delivery through tailor-made digital tools and solutions, data repositories, and web apps. As part of the revised strategy 2023-2030, IITA will implement an initiative on "Integrating Big Data and ICTs for Smart Transformation of African Agriculture".
• The initiative aims to harness the power of digital technologies to design and scale new digital tools, solutions, services, and approaches to accelerate the delivery of agricultural innovations to empower rural and urban households and transfer knowledge and skills to enhance capacity and generate income-earning opportunities, especially for the youth and women.
• The DAA emphasizes bridging the digital divide by developing inclusive strategies and solutions sensitive to gender, different socioeconomic and age groups, language, user preferences, and capabilities, especially to benefit marginalized communities due to low digital literacy.

Digital Agricultural Action (DAA) Manager:

• IITA seeks a candidate for appointment as a 'Manager' who ill provide leadership and strategic direction for DAA. The incumbent will work with the Digital Working Group of IITA along with the relevant IITA staff and counterparts in the partner organizations in defining requirements, co-design fit-for-purpose ICT solutions, and implementing activities to realize the objectives of the Digital Agriculture Action.
• The position will be part of the RAFS Science Area of the R4D Directorate.

Position Key Responsibilities
Develop/Improve Integrated ICT Platform For Digital Agriculture Action:

• Integrate digital data and develop/enhance the use of available ICTs for discovery research, decision support, development, delivery, and knowledge sharing to ensure widescale adoption for impact.
• Develop a strategy to improve the efficiency of ICT uses within IITA and its partner programs and encourage bundling of complementary apps for simultaneous promotion.
• Create avenues for interoperability of databases and ICT apps using APIs for metadata analysis and analytics for decision support and machine learning models and AI for trends, analytics, data visualization, data-driven decisions, and forecasting.
• Co-develop and execute a Digital Agriculture strategy aligning with the goals and objectives in accordance with the Digital Agriculture initiative plans and in consultation with the IITA Digital Working Group and the senior management team.
• Coordinate the development of a suite of ICT packages for targeted digitalization of value chains, including development/improving existing ICTs (Web and Mobile Apps, and others) to promote and modernize research, service delivery, and extension.
• Co-design digital advisory services to enable crop advisory information access to various user groups and typologies to improve service delivery to farmers and other value chain actors.
• Set up a dynamic graphical dashboard on the IITA webpage to summarize the progress and key achievements of the IITA activities, and access actionable information.

Coordinate Activities of the Digital Agriculture Action:

• Lead the Digital Agricultural team in implementing and managing activities and collaborating with different staff in IITA and partners to integrate digital initiatives into broader strategies.
• Prepare annual work plans, targets, performance indicators, and progress reports and provide advice and guidance for implementing the Digital Agricultural Initiative.
• Oversee the development and implementation of use cases and promotion campaigns, including website and social media presence, to encourage a higher adoption rate of digital solutions in agriculture.
• Support IITA staff and partners in identifying opportunities to introduce and strengthen digital technologies to support agriculture research, development, and delivery, facilitate market access for farmers and entrepreneurs, including youth and women, and exchange information.
• Develop ICT Community of Practice (iCOP) at IITA and coordinate its activities, including creating an enabling platform for the co-development of digital solutions, nurturing new ideas, designing promotional campaigns, conducting capacity development activities, and documentation of best practices and success cases.

Evaluate User Landscape and Guide the Development of fit-for-purpose ICT applications:

• Facilitate an assessment of the digital agriculture landscape at IITA and partners to identify gaps, opportunities, and areas for strengthening in consultation with stakeholders (including developers, input providers, policymakers, enablers, users, and beneficiaries) with a focus on scope, content, digital services needs for various applications in alignment with IITA strategy.
• Provide recommendations for developing novel digital tools and improving existing tools to enhance the decision support systems, communications, outreach, capacity development, and operational efficiency.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships in promoting and supporting digital agriculture with public and private sectors.
• Organize training and awareness activities for various stakeholders on developing and applying digital tools for the most efficient use and data sharing.
• Facilitate cost-benefit analyses of use cases of various digital tools and provide recommendations for improving efficiency and benefits from using digital tools, including business models for promotion and adoption of various ICT decision support tools.
• Organize feedback surveys for stakeholders and user feedback on content, suitability, the relevance of applications to end-means, operational costs, sustainability for learning, and continuous improvement.
• Document and disseminate the best practices and success cases.

Develop sustainable plans for Digital Agriculture Action:

• Engage in resource mobilization activities in collaboration with the IITA team and partners on generating new solutions, enhancing available tools, and promoting their uses, and capacity development activities.
• Ensure the security of ICT assets from malware and phishing threats and compliance with data security and privacy policies.
• Participate in the technical review and consultation meetings organized by the IITA and other stakeholders to promote and gain support for digital agriculture.
• Stay up to date on digital trends and new technologies and make recommendations for their adoption and implementation.
• Provide regular reports to senior management on the performance of the Digital Agriculture Action and recommend areas for improvement.
• Perform any other job-related duties relevant to Digital Agriculture Action assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements
Educational Qualifications and Experience:

• The candidate should have a Master's Degree / MBA in a relevant field, such as Computer Science, Information Technology, Digital Marketing, Agribusiness, Quantitative Methods, or Development Studies.
• Working knowledge on developing Web and mobile applications, AI/Machine learning, and developing digital products for development are advantageous.

Core Competencies:

• Strong technical skills in developing and using digital technologies and tools in the agriculture value chain and good knowledge of Web and Mobile Apps, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and geospatial tools.
• At least five years of experience in a leadership role in projects relevant to digital agriculture, ICT development/extension, or digitalization.
• Proven experience designing ICT applications and digital advisory products focusing on user relevance.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful digital strategies, project management methodologies, and delivering outputs on time and within the budget limit.
• Strong technical skills, knowledge of digital marketing platforms, tools, and techniques, and continuous improvement.
• Experience working with multi-stakeholders, including development partners, farmers, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and engage in multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to manage and work with a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.
• Experience in planning and managing budgets and system-level risk assessment and control.
• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Benefits

• The contract will be for an initial period of three years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.

Application Closing Date
21st June, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Applications must include a Cover Letter which should address how the candidate’s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, and names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or former place of work).
• The application should be addressed to the Head of People and Culture. 
• IITA is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce, particularly welcoming applications from women.
• While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.