Key skills
Project Management
Strategic Planning
Stakeholder Engagement
Data Analysis
Team Leadership
Budget Management
Capacity Building
Additional/Preferred Skills
Project Management
Stakeholder Engagement
Data Analysis
Capacity Building
Resource Mobilization
Policy Advocacy
Cross-Cultural Communication
Preferred Qualifications
Master of Business Administration
Master of Public Administration
PhD in Agricultural Sciences
PhD in Education
PhD in Social Sciences
PhD in Development studies
Masters in Educational Planning and Administration
Senior Manager/Coordinator, Dryland Academy
ICRISAT seeks applications from dynamic and motivated Professionals for the position of Senior Manager/Coordinator, Dryland Academy under the Dryland Academy within the Global Research Program – Transforming Agrifoods Systems. The incumbent will lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of capacity-development programs under the Institute’s flagship Dryland Academy. This role is based at ICRISAT Headquarters, Patancheru, Hyderabad, India, with occasional travel to field locations and partner institutions.
ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi- arid or dryland tropics has over 2 billion people and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor. ICRISAT and its partners help empower these disadvantaged populations to overcome poverty, hunger and a degraded environment through better agricultural production systems.
ICRISAT is headquartered at Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and eight country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics. Its mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation in the dryland tropics. ICRISAT conducts research on its mandate crops of chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in the arid and semi-arid tropics. The Institute focuses its work on the drylands and in protecting the environment. Tropical dryland areas are usually seen as resource-poor and perennially beset by shocks such as drought, thereby trapping dryland communities in poverty and hunger and making them dependent on external aid. Please visit - www.icrisat.org
About the Dryland Academy
The Dryland Academy is a global learning platform that strengthens skills, knowledge, and leadership for transforming dryland agri-food systems. It delivers high-quality training, experiential learning, and digital resources for researchers, extension staff, youth, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and development practitioners. ICRISAT is looking for a dynamic, motivational, results-oriented and transformational professional to join its Transforming Agri-Food Systems Global Research Program as Senior Scientist and Manager and oversee ICRISAT’s Dryland Academy R&D operations and services. This role will lead the Academy's capacity-building and knowledge-sharing initiatives, including links with ICRISAT’s South-South Agri-cooperation initiatives with the Government of India.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of effective capacity development and knowledge sharing solutions across all ICRISAT’s programs in collaboration with its partners.
- Plan and coordinate capacity sharing events and training programs (onsite, online, and blended) in collaboration with ICRISAT scientists across regions and global partners.
- Develop educational solutions and support curriculum development, training manuals, e-learning modules, and other learning materials.
- Coordinate South-South agri-cooperation events through ICRISAT’s Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (ISSCA).
- Lead resource mobilisation efforts for capacity sharing programs/ events for the Institute, as well as manage and monitor the Academy’s budget for efficient operational delivery.
- Manage student training programs, including contracting, onboarding, and offboarding processes for students, Visiting Scientists, Adjunct Scientists or Fellows through the Learning Support Unit of the Academy.
- Manage and strengthen the Academy’s partnerships with governments, universities, CGIAR centers, donors, and technical agencies and undertake promotional activities to increase the volume and adherence of students/professional enrolling in target capacity sharing and development programs of the Academy.
- Enhance visibility of the Dryland Academy through communication, outreach, and digital platforms, while ensuring that the content and delivery of ICRISAT’s Academy meet institutional quality standards and contribute to long-term knowledge sharing and capacity development.
- Drive innovation in digital learning through learning management systems (LMS) management and adoption of contemporary training approaches /technologies to enhance learning.
- Supervise program logistics, participant engagement, communication, and documentation.
- Oversee training participants’ databases, reporting, monitoring, evaluation, learning (MEL), and financial compliance. Document and generate regular reports detailing processes, outputs, outcomes and impact of training and capacity sharing programs based on key metrics and performance indicators.
- Coordinate R&D with ICRISAT Scientists to identify diverse actors’ capacity needs with leverage potential towards food systems transformation.
Qualifications and Experience
- PhD Degree in Agricultural Sciences, Education, Learning and Development, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or related fields is desirable. A master’s degree in any of the above fields with considerable work experience would be considered.
- The incumbent must have a minimum of 10 years of experience in training coordination, capacity development, knowledge-sharing, skills development, agricultural extension or program management or related fields in research or development organisations.
- The incumbent must have strong expertise in capacity development and knowledge sharing theories, with proven experience in applying these methods effectively. Experience collaborating with international partners, government agencies, or CGIAR centers is an advantage.
- Effective communication, organizational, and stakeholder engagement skills in both formal and informal settings.
- Familiarity with digital learning tools, LMS platforms, and modern training methodologies is desirable.
Competencies
- The incumbent must be enthusiastic about in-service delivery and exhibit critical thinking to translate complex scientific knowledge into accessible formats for diverse audiences.
- Teamwork, client orientation, problem-solving, and decision-making, negotiation and conflict resolution.
- Ability to manage multiple programs and deadlines.
- Ability to design and implement knowledge dissemination strategies across platforms and audiences.
- Excellent facilitation and people skills.
- Strong analytical, documentation, and reporting abilities.
- Comfort working in multicultural teams and dynamic environments.
- Proficiency in English; regional language skills are an added advantage.
General:
This is a contractual role for a period of 36 months (3 years) renewable based on the performance of the incumbent, budget availability and the institute’s continuing need for the position.
How to apply:
The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is identified. Shortlisting will start from 03 September 2026.All Applicants should apply with their latest Resume, and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable about their professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged; however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining a progressive and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether they have a disability.