ILRI vacancy: Capacity Development and Innovation Expert

Vacancy Number: A/065/13
Department: Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP)-LIVES Project
Duration: Two years contract

General:  The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with other offices located in other regions of Africa (Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria) as well as in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) and East Asia (China).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value-Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is an initiative designed by ILRI, IWMI (the International Water Management Institute) and their Ethiopian partners to enhance income and gender equitable wealth creation for smallholders and other value chain actors through increased and sustained market off-take of high-value livestock and irrigated crop commodities. It will design and implement interventions to improve market orientation of semi-commercial farmers for enhanced competitiveness, sustainability and equity in value chains in four regions of Ethiopia.

The positions: ILRI is recruiting Capacity Development and Innovation Expert position who will be based in Addis Ababa and who will be a member of the LIVES Project in ILRI-Ethiopia.

MAIN DUTIES:

§  Based on a developed capacity assessment methodology assess and identify capacity development  needs of value chain actors, the  public sector and private service providers

§  Develop capacity development response strategies for plans of the project and follow-up implementation of same

§  Identify, develop and implement action research ideas on project capacity development activities

§  Identify entry points to strengthen and mainstream cross-cutting issues including gender and environmental sustainability into capacity development efforts.

§  Evaluate impact of project capacity development  interventions at institutional and organizational levels; contribute to the project results-based monitoring and evaluation (RBM&E) work

§  Lead or contribute to the conceptualization, design and facilitation of trainings

§  Assess existing extension service approaches and develops innovative response strategies in terms of delivery models, such as through ICT and social media approaches

§  Develop and implement research ideas on innovation history and innovation platforms

§  Develop  strategies and lead the implementation of scaling up/out of methodologies to promote the expansion of successful practices; ensure documentation of best practices and lessons learned

§  Contribute to the overall program value chain development objectives

§  Provide mentoring and technical guidance to field workers and key implementing partners in innovation systems analysis and development and regarding how to effectively support the implementation of the capacity development strategy

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Education:

§  MSc degree in Extension, Rural Development, Development Economics, Agricultural Economics or closely related fields.

Experience:

§  At least 5 years of relevant work experience

Skills:    

§  Understanding of value chain concepts

§  Understanding of extension, and innovation systems concepts

§  Good communication skills

§  Good writing & analytical skills

§  Good interpersonal skills

§  Proven record of publications in journals or other peer reviewed outlets

Duty Station:  Addis Abeba

Job level
•    This position is job Grade 3C.
  
Monthly Base Salary:     Base salary of Birr 32,220 (Negotiable, depending on experience, skill and salary history of the candidate)

Terms of appointment:  This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI’s Addis Ababa campus.  Initial appointment is fixed term for two years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. The ILRI remuneration package for nationally recruited staff in Ethiopia includes very competitive salary and benefits such as life and medical insurance, offshore pension plan, etc. 

The ILRI campus is set in a secure, attractive campus on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.  Dining and sports facilities are located on site.

Applications

Applicants should send a cover letter and CV (3 pages maximum) explaining their interest in the position, including relevant documents and testimonials and the names and addresses (telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. Applications should be sent to the Human Resources Office, ILRI, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Telephone: (251-11)-617-20-00; Fax (251-11) 646 46-45. The name and reference number of the position for which the application is made (A/065/2013), should be clearly marked on the envelopes if mailed or fax applications.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Closing date:    November 4, 2013.