Research Associate – Groundwater Systems

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 ‘Russia–Ukraine crisis response: Building food system resilience to global supply chain and climate shocks in Nepal’ Activity. This Activity will be implemented as part of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) to deliver a rapid and coordinated response to the effects of global supply chain distortions and their implications for smallholder farming households and poor consumers in Nepal.

This position will work under ‘Objective 2. Smallholder farmers’ resilience to economic shocks and climate change improved through sustainable and inclusive irrigation development’. Activities in this objective include locally targeted irrigation scaling strategies, management advisories, and gender-equitable business models, including access to finance for irrigation pumps (with a focus on but not limited to solar irrigation). By coordinating and sequencing these actions, CSISA’s efforts in irrigation development will build further resilience in Nepal’s agricultural systems to economic and climatic shocks, including recent fuel and agricultural commodity price volatility.

The duty of post for this position is Kathmandu, Nepal (frequent field travel)

Major duties and responsibilities.

• Work with senior staff to facilitate the research and partnership activities implemented in the CSISA Resilience and Response project for water management-related activities.
• Lead efforts to develop, propose, and implement complex research techniques and procedures for the analysis of sustainable water management in Nepal.
• Lead efforts in the design and implementation of action research activities for improving water resources management and irrigation in Nepal.
• Take the lead and responsibility in report writing and drafting relevant documents for partners in the public and private sector.
• Take the lead and responsibility in assuring statistical analytical techniques and/or fieldwork are developed in compliance with established quality standards.
• Perform research and analysis of the information collected on water resources and their management 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 a leading responsibility as a team member to develop periodic reports and tables allowing 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 field work 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 the project lead and supervisor).

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• Masters’ degree or PhD in water management, hydrology, agricultural water management or another related field.
• Knowledge of relevant administrative and operating protocols and policies required for research associates.
• Specialized knowledge of water systems and water resources management with a focus on agricultural water use and groundwater.
• Comprehensive managerial competence.
• At least 5 years of professional work experience in research and research for development projects.
• Requires conceptual knowledge of theories, practices, and procedures within water resources management with special focus on groundwater systems.
• Familiarity with GIS and remote sensing is a benefit.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports, success stories, and promotional materials.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to identify and finalize solutions to field problems (soil, water management, farm machinery, nutrient management, food transport, and processing).
• Information Technology needed: Proficiency to use standard software at an advanced level; knowledge of R and potentially Python for data analysis.
• The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Critical and Creative Thinking, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, Teamwork and Communication.

Candidates must go through the link below and submit the application with detailed information no later than February 18th, 2023.

https://cimmytrecruitment.wufoo.com/forms/n22266-research-associate-groundwater-systems/

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.