Capacity Building and Dissemination Specialist - Soil Values at International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC)

The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) is an independent non-profit organization that combines innovative research, market systems development, and strategic partnerships to identify and scale sustainable soil solutions for improved food security and livelihoods around the world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Capacity Building and Dissemination Specialist - Soil Values - Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger or Nigeria

Job ID: 20121545
Location: Abuja
Job type: Full Time

About Program/Project

• Soil Values (SV) is a 10-year program funded by the Netherlands Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS). The goal of the project is to address soil fertility constraints and achieve sustainable management of soil fertility in a way that contributes to ecologically sustainable improvements in food productivity and to increase resilience of small-scale food producers in the Sahel.
• A consortium consisting of the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), and Wageningen University (WUR) has secured funding from DGIS for the Soil Values program expected to be implemented from 2024 to 2033 in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Northern Nigeria.
• This consortium is complemented by five knowledge partners – AGRA, World Agroforestry (ICRAF), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), ISRIC – World Soil Information, and International Water Management Institute (IWMI), all of which are recognized leaders in their respective fields.

Position Summary

• The Capacity Building and Dissemination Specialist will be the driving force behind strengthening the capabilities of our to ensure the widespread adoption of proven soil fertility and Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies.
• He will be responsible for developing and executing strategies to strengthen the capabilities of local implementing partners and drive the widespread adoption of proven Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) technologies.
• This involves conducting training needs assessments, designing and overseeing cascade training programs, and creating effective dissemination channels to ensure that innovative practices reach and are adopted by small-scale food producers, market actors, and policymakers across the Sahel, thereby directly contributing to the program's core goals of enhancing soil health, agricultural productivity, and farmer resilience.

Responsibilities
Specific task:

• Develop, implement, and regularly update the program’s comprehensive Capacity Building Strategy and Dissemination Strategy for technologies and approaches;
• Conduct iterative capacity needs assessments for different Soil Values stakeholders and link this to tailored approaches per type of stakeholder;
• Strengthen the capacity of partners in participatory co-design methods and Inclusive Landscape Management approach;
• Design and oversee the delivery of tailored training programs, including cascade training models, and learning sites within selected watersheds, for partners on ISFM technologies, such as: Production and use of organic amendments, Soil and water conservation techniques and Use of improved seeds and agroforestry;
• Facilitate the large-scale dissemination of proven technologies and practices from the program’s inventory of innovations to farmers and value chain actors through facilitate workshops, field days, and learning events to promote the adoption of ISFM practices;
• Lead the use of context-specific, user-friendly dissemination materials and digital support tools (manuals, fact sheets, audio-visual tools) for identified innovations;
• Collaborate with knowledge partners (e.g. WUR, ISRIC, IWMI, ICRAF, IITA) to integrate the latest research and best practices into program activities;
• Include youth training on decision support tools to support youth business led development on DST for soil fertility management;
• Ensure all strategies are aligned with the program's objectives of social inclusiveness, gender equality (GESI), and resilience to climate change;
• Establish and manage a Community of Practice for partners to share lessons learned, challenges, and successes;
• Document and share success stories, case studies, and best practices for internal learning and external communication.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Rural Development, Extension Services, Natural Resource Management, or a related field;
• A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in capacity building, agricultural extension, technology dissemination, or rural development, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa (experience in the Sahel is a strong advantage);
• Proven experience in developing and implementing capacity-building strategies and training programs for diverse audiences;
• Strong understanding of Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), climate-smart agriculture, and agroecology;
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and presentation skills in French and English (proficiency in both is highly desirable);
• Experience working with a diverse range of stakeholders, including national governments, NGOs, research institutions, and farmer organizations.

Reporting and Work Relationships

• The Capacity Building and Dissemination Specialist is supervised by the Deputy Program Director- Technical and benefits from the coaching of the Program Director and the other Deputy program Directors.
• The Specialist works in close collaboration with the bundling lead, Country Coordinators and Soil Values colleagues from other consortium members and Knowledge partners.

Location:

• This is a national recruitment with a duty station at the IFDC office based in one of the Soil Values focus countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger or Nigeria).

Salary Clause and Benefits

• The salary grade for this position is BG 9 with $2,599 per month pegged to the Nigerian Naira.
• The determination of new employee salaries takes into account various factors. These include the salary range linked to the assigned job grade, the candidate's qualifications in relation to the job's responsibilities and prerequisites, internal fairness, the competitive state of the job market, as well as potential organizational and budgetary considerations.
• IFDC's benefits include annual and sick leave, health and group life insurance coverage, a 13th-month salary, social security and pension contribution in compliance with local laws and end-of-contract benefits.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

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