Researcher - SWA Innovations Scaling Coordinator
ICARDA, Morocco

Reports to: Research Team Leader - Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA)

Location: Rabat, Morocco

Main purpose of position

ICARDA implements several joint research projects in Morocco involving agronomy. These include precision nutrient and water interaction management, improving water-use efficiency and crop water productivity, land and water degradation management, resource conservation/regenerative agriculture, diversified cropping systems to increase income and reduce environmental footprint and others. The position will support the ICARDA Soil, Water, and Agronomy (SWA) Team in implementing existing projects as well as in helping write innovative proposals for mobilization of resources for future projects. The Coordinator will help design and implement field trials with implementing partners, will ensure quality data collection and analyses, will maintain scientific equipment, and ensure continuous quality data collection, and will help in reporting and presenting results to a variety of audience.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR.

ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (One CGIAR’) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

• Identify, verify, and implement agronomic innovations and approaches, for cereal and grain legume production that could be adaptable to smallholder farmers.
• Organize on-farm and on-station experimentation and demonstration, field days, and farmers’ training on best management practices, farm mechanization, resource conservation agriculture and related technological issues.
• Working with Program and Initiative Leads, to develop and refine/revise seasonal and annual work plans.
• Conduct needs analysis for target region via field visits, assessing in developing and conducting surveys and focus group discussions.
• Catalyse sustainable partnerships among the multiple public and private sector entities in soil, crop management and mechanization sector.
• Ensure frequent communication with other team members to work together in a highly collaborative mode that assures common understanding and coordinated approach across team activities.
• Assist in monitoring and evaluation and reporting efforts by providing quality inputs and report in timely manner as per the project need.
• Contribute to capacity-building initiatives by mentoring junior researchers, farmers, and extension workers in sustainable agronomic practices.
• Follow best practice of data collection such that data are organized, managed, stored and archived in accordance with CGIAR/ICARDA’s norms ensuring that clean, good quality, clearly labelled data sets and information are sent to the project leads.
• Coordinate efforts to raise awareness about the project activities, products, and outcomes among stakeholders, policy makers and general public, project related communications and outputs including news and updates, photos, and videos.
• Represent ICARDA in national/regional fora.
• Undertaking other related tasks as needed to advance project goals.

Requirements

Essential qualifications and competencies

• Earned PhD in agronomy or other related fields.
• At least 3 to 5 years’ experience in agricultural research and extension at national and regional level.
• Master’s degree holder will be considered if it’s accompanied by at least 7 years of professional work experience.
• Knowledge of design of agronomic trials and farm machinery testing involving interaction of different management practices.
• Comprehensive

Job Rewards and Benefits