Senior Research Associate

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a not-for-profit agricultural research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is seeking an experienced professional to support the One CGIAR South Asia Regional Integrated Initiative ‘Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia’ (TAFSSA). TAFSSA aims to support efforts to move South Asia’s agri-food systems towards more diverse, productive, profitable, inclusive, and environmentally sound futures that support sustainable healthy diets for all.

The position will be based in CIMMYT’s offices Kathmandu, Nepal.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Work with senior staff to facilitate the research and partnership activities implemented in TAFSSA’s Work Packages 2 & 5 on ‘Transforming agroecosystems and rural economies to boost income, generate jobs, and support diversified food production within environmental boundaries’ and ‘Building resilience and mitigating environmental impact’
• Lead efforts to develop, propose, and implement complex research techniques and procedures for the analysis of environmental systems and food systems with a focus on ecological boundaries and footprints of food systems in South Asia (e.g., water, nitrogen, GHG emissions, life cycle analyses).
• Lead efforts coordinating research teams in the design, the research, and the implementation of techniques for modeling the environmental sustainability and resilience of food systems in South Asia.
• Take lead responsibility in assuring those analytical techniques and/or fieldwork are developed in compliance with established quality standards.
• Perform research and statistical analysis of the information collected on ecological boundaries and footprints and lead the development of a database to present the results achieved by the project, under the supervisor’s guidance.
• Coach other staff members on data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and curation
• Assist in writing papers for international scientific journal standards.
• Supervise field activities as assigned and report abnormal situations that arise in the development of the project assigned.
• Take lead responsibility to carry out special investigations as assigned by the supervisor/project lead.
• Review publications for their inclusion into the database and collect information on the agricultural sector, to prepare articles and research reports.
• Take a leading responsibility as a team member to develop periodic reports and tables that allow the program scientists to track their projects.
• Participate in the publication of research results through annual reports, presentations, and publications.
• Participate in special projects with other research institutions and international organizations.
• Strongly contribute to the training and updating of knowledge and research techniques to the rest of the staff working in the unit and keep updated on new research techniques or processes.
• Visit and supervise other CIMMYT fieldwork programs and/or field programs of collaborators.
• Take a leading role in conducting field surveys and interviews with farmers and other stakeholders, and analyze this information, for inclusion in CIMMYT publications.
• Coordinate efforts to raise awareness about project activities, products, and outcomes among stakeholders, partners, policymakers, and the general public.
• Assisting in monitoring and evaluation and reporting efforts by providing quality input and reports in a timely manner (as indicated by project lead and supervisor).

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• Masters’ degree in environmental sciences, hydrology, systems analysis in agriculture, ecology, or another related field.
• Advanced knowledge of relevant administrative and operating protocols and policies required for research associates.
• Specialized knowledge of environmental systems (esp. water, nitrogen, carbon cycles, live cycle analysis and/or environmental footprinting, ecosystem services) and their interactions with agricultural systems.
• At least 8 years of professional work experience in research and research for development projects.
• Requires conceptual knowledge of theories, practices, and procedures within environmental sustainability of food systems including working with large spatial datasets.
• Familiarity with GIS and remote sensing is a benefit.
• Familiarity with crop modelling and gridded spatial modelling is a benefit.
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports, success stories, and promotional materials.
• Involves the application of concepts from environmental sciences and agriculture.
• Ability to identify and finalize solutions to field problems (soil, water management, farm machinery, nutrient management, food transport, and processing).
• Proficiency to use standard software at an advanced level; knowledge of R and potentially Python for data analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Critical Thinking, Communication, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Team Leadership and Teamwork.

To participate in the process for this position, please apply online here no later than Wednesday, September 21st, 2022. Incomplete applications (without CV, cover letter and reference) will not be considered.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
CIMMYT-BISA is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.
Women candidates are encouraged to apply.