Job Description
About
the position: The selected candidate
will lead and implement the market development of root and tuber crops and
drive the integration of potato and sweetpotato innovations across value chains
through strategic public–private partnerships to accelerate scaling in South
Asia. The position will focus on enhancing the efficiency, competitiveness, and
sustainability of value chains by reducing post-harvest losses, improving
product quality and value addition, strengthening market access and business
linkages, and increasing returns for farmers and other value chain actors. With
minimal supervision, the successful candidate will work closely with
multidisciplinary teams across CIP and collaborate with public and private
sector partners, including seed and processing companies, Farmer Producer
Organizations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs), agribusinesses, and other
value chain stakeholders, to strengthen potato and sweetpotato value chains in
South Asia. The role will also generate and translate market intelligence into
actionable insights to inform CIP's breeding, seed systems, and
research-for-development programs, ensuring that innovations are aligned with
market demand and industry needs.
Key
responsibilities:
Lead the development
and strengthening of potato and sweetpotato value chains in South Asia by
integrating CIP technologies and innovations through market-led approaches,
public-private partnerships, and commercialization strategies.Desing, develop and
implement market development strategies to strengthen aggregation, post-harvest
and supply-chain management, cold chain infrastructure, storage, processing,
branding, value addition, market access, and commercialization, improving value
chain efficiency and competitiveness.Build and strengthen
strategic partnerships with seed companies, processors, retailers, exporters,
FPOs, FPGs, financial institutions, government agencies, and development
partners to accelerate technology adoption, investment, and market expansion.Develop, pilot, and
support sustainable business models for FPOs, FPGs, cooperatives,
entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses to strengthen seed production, aggregation,
storage, processing, value addition, market linkages, and service delivery,
improving enterprise profitability and long-term sustainability.Lead and conduct value
chain assessments, market analyses, and investment studies to identify
constraints, market opportunities, business models, and pathways for scaling
potato and sweetpotato innovations, and generate market intelligence to inform
CIP programmes.Lead research and
technical support on entrepreneurship and inclusive agribusiness development by
identifying and supporting business opportunities across input supply, seed
production, custom hiring services, storage, processing, logistics, value
addition, branding and marketing, creating employment and income-generation
opportunities for farmers and rural youth.Lead the development
and strengthening of market linkages through buyer-seller meetings, business
forums, trade fairs, exhibitions, exposure visits, and stakeholder platforms
connecting producers, FPOs, processors, retailers, exporters, and institutional
buyers.Design and deliver
capacity-building programmes for FPOs, FPGs, private sector partners, and other
stakeholders on value chain development, agribusiness management, post-harvest
management, quality standards, market-oriented production, and business
planning.Lead research and
technical validation of post-harvest technologies, mechanization, grading,
packaging, quality assurance systems, and cold chain solutions to reduce
losses, improve product quality, and enhance market competitiveness.Generate and
disseminate high-quality market intelligence and scientificreports,
policy briefs, investment cases, project proposals, and donor reports related
to value chain development and commercialization, and represent CIP at
technical meetings, industry forums, and partnership platforms.Lead the training and
capacity development needs of CSARC and contribute to the report on
preparations and proposal developments.Develop scientific
communication and knowledge products, including training manuals, technical
guidelines, extension materials, policy briefs, and communication resources
that facilitate the adoption and scaling of root and tuber crop innovations.Publish and communicate
research findings through scientific journals, workshops, seminars,
conferences, and stakeholder engagement events. Support multidisciplinary
research teams by contributing to experimental design, data analysis,
technology validation, and dissemination of research outputs. Conduct
laboratory testing of stored materials in accordance with FSSAI protocols to
ensure food safety, quality compliance, and suitability for fresh consumption
and processing.