Recruitment at IITA (Cassava Commodity Specialist)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture-IITA is a non-profit agricultural research-for-development R4D organization, and a member of the CGIAR Consortium.We thank you for your interest in IITA and invite you to explore many exciting and diverse career opportunities in a work environment that enables you to be the best you can, advancing your professional and personal growth in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural environment

Job Title: Cassava Commodity Specialist

Location 
Oyo

Job Field
Agriculture, Agro-Allied 


Position and Responsibilities 
Lead the technical work on cassava and along the value chain.
Lead the preparation of the technical reports of the cassava value chain as required by the donor and in conformity with the IITA requirements.
Make necessary arrangements and work out logistics for project workshops, meetings, and monitoring tours related to the cassava value chain.
Work out logistics for all training activities related to the cassava value chain planned under this project.
Lead a series of regional trials of near-finished cassava cultivars in all participating countries.
Provide leadership in designing, planning, and implementing on-Farm/Demonstration Trials.
Include the youth in project implementation as a way of generating jobs in agribusiness.
Present the activities, results, and impacts of the cassava value chain of the project at scientific meetings within and outside the region; and present scientific papers for publication in peer- reviewed journals s appropriate.
Assist and collaborate fully with specialists involved in project areas such as Socio-Economics, Farmer Participatory Research, Agronomy, Natural Resource Management and External Advisory Committees; and
Undertake any other project-related task assigned by the Outreach Program Coordinator or the Director General of IITA or his designated representative.

Qualification and Experience
Education: PhD in agriculture with a major in plant breeding, agronomy, or a related field.
Working Experience: A minimum of 10 years experience in tropical agriculture, five of which will be with the development of cassava value chains in Africa.
The ideal candidate must:
Have the capacity to work effectively in a team;
Be competent in the use of Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
Have demonstrated evidence of the ability to lead research work with clear results on this
Experience in working with the youth in agribusiness would be an additional asset.
The candidate should communicate fluently orally and in writing in the English language.