PLANT BREEDING AND SEED SPECIALIST (17-90)

International Potato Center POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Ref.: 17-90 PBS/India/NRS

PLANT BREEDING AND SEED SPECIALIST Assam, India

The International Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a dynamic Potato Breeder and Seed Specialist with excellent scientific and technical skills to conduct potato variety release studies and scale up effective seed systems as part of the APART project in the state of Assam, India.

The Center: CIP is a non-for-profit international agricultural research-for-development organization with a focus on potato, sweet potato, and Andean roots and tubers. Its vision is of roots and tubers improving the lives of the poor. CIP is dedicated to achieving food security, improved well-being, and gender equity for poor people in root and tuber farming and food systems of the developing world. CIP works with partners to contribute high quality science, technology, and capacity strengthening for sustainable science-based solutions. CIP is headquartered in Lima, Peru, with staff and activities in over 30 locations across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. CIPisa member oftheCGIAR Consortium. CGIARisa global agricultureresearch partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.

The Project: The Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation project (APART) is a comprehensive development project involving national and international partners funded by the World Bank. The project objective is to add value and improve resilience of selected agriculture value chains in targeted districts of Assam. CIP’s engagement is to provide technical backstopping, innovations, and capacity building along the entire potato value chain to increase its productivity, and improve the livelihoods of small-scale and marginal farmers. CIP will work in close collaboration with Assam government, university and private sector partners.

The Position: This position will be based in Guwahati, India and will report to the Project Manager. One of the position’s objective is to test new potato varieties and advanced clones in multilocation demonstrations for variety selection and release with partner institutions in Assam. Further, the candidate will support project interventions to develop sustainable local seed systems and conduct trainings and capacity building of Integrated Seed Health Management. The candidate will work with interdisciplinary science teams at CIP’s regional office in New Delhi, India and headquarters in Lima, Peru. The work duties include frequent travel within Assam.

Duties and Accountabilities:

• Support project partners in the design and agronomic evaluation of potato varieties and elite clones. • Record and manage data from field demonstrations and provide statistical analysis of phenotypic data. • Contribute to the development of variety release protocols.

• Coordinate the scaling of seed production from recommended varieties, clones and new releases for demonstrations and dissemination.

• Provide key technical advice to project partners, private sector and farmers in the development of formal and informal seed systems.

• Providekey technical input into trainingprogramsto strengthen thecapacity oflocalpartners and farmers. • Contribute to writing training materials, technical progress reports and annual reviews and workplans as directed by the Project Manager.Selection Criteria:

• Master’s degree in Agriculture or Biology.

• Extensive experiences preferable in potato research and extension work with good knowledge in potato seed systems.

• Good data management and statistical skills and proficiency in the use of key software applications (MS Word, MS Excel)

• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Hindi (knowledge of regional languages would be an advantage) .

• Extensive experiences in training programs and ability working in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.

Conditions: CIP’s assignment in the APART project is for five years. This position is for one-year, with three- month probation period, and the possibility of annual renewal based on performance and the continuing availability of funds. The position is local thus limited to Indian nationals and permanent residents. CIP prides itself on its collegial and supportive working environment, which allows space for personal and professional growth.

Applications: Applicants should apply online through our CIP’s Job Opportunities website

(http://cipotato.org/open-vacancies/), including a letter of motivation, a full C.V. with the names and contact information ofthreereferencesthat areknowledgeableofthecandidate’sprofessional qualificationsand work experience. Screening of applications will begin on January 3, 2018 and will continue until the post is filled. All applications will be acknowledged; only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Learn more about CIP by accessing our web site at http://www.cipotato.org

CIP is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified women and professionals from developing countries are particularly encouraged to apply