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Agricultural Innovation Scientist

Achieving sustainable food security is a major challenge for a world facing climate change, growing populations, and changing diets. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is looking for an innovative, results-oriented scientist with excellent skills in agricultural innovation to facilitate technology adoption and maximize CIMMYT’s impact. The scientist will work as a member of CIMMYT’s Global Conservation Agriculture Program (CIMMYT-GCAP), and will play a key role in a large multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional team. The selected scientist will work closely with CIMMYT’s research teams in the different regions where innovation approaches are implemented, and will partner with advanced research institutes, national research and extension programs, NGOs and private sector stakeholders. He/she will be responsible for reinforcing/evaluating and redesigning, if necessary, multi-stakeholder approaches for the co-development and increased adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Latin America, East and Southern Africa, and South Asia.

Primary responsibilities include:
• Developing and implementing an analytical framework to assess, document, analyze, and refine the functioning of CIMMYT innovation approaches in its various maize and wheat systems-focused projects.
• Enhancing stakeholder participation in co-development and technology and knowledge dissemination through the implementation of sustainable participatory approaches with farmer communities, extension services, national and international research partners and the private sector.
• Guiding and assisting agricultural scientists to implement process-oriented, smallholder and gender-sensitive strategies to enhance technology adoption and transformation and to improve adaptive research practices.
• Evaluating context-specific technical and economic information/knowledge needs for farmers and other stakeholders, and contributing to the development of Decision Support Systems in partnership with project stakeholders and the private sector.
• Collaborating with CIMMYT’s Socio-Economic Program to ensure realistic input/output market-related and value chain approaches where applicable.
• Developing and delivering training modules for the implementation of innovation approaches.
• Supporting cross-regional learning in innovation methods and approaches in agriculture.
• Contributing to research proposal development.

We are seeking candidates with the following qualifications:
• PhD in social science and/or agriculture. At least 5 years working experience in developing countries on agricultural innovation related issues.
• Good quantitative and qualitative skills.
• Good peer-review publication record.
• Proficiency in English and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary/multi-cultural team on trans-disciplinary issues.
• Willingness to travel frequently.

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT® (www.cimmyt.org), is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. The center works to sustainably increase the productivity of maize and wheat systems and thus ensure global food security and reduce poverty. The center's outputs and services include improved maize and wheat varieties and cropping systems, the conservation of maize and wheat genetic resources, and capacity building. CIMMYT belongs to and is funded by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (www.cgiar.org) and also receives support from national governments, foundations, development banks, and other public and private agencies.

CIMMYT has had enormous impact in the developing world. It is the center of excellence for work on two of the three most important food crops in the developing world. Its most famous employee, Dr. Norman Borlaug, is credited by many with saving more lives than any other individual in the history of the world. Borlaug’s work dramatically increased yields of wheat in the Indo-Gangetic plains in the 1960s and 1970s, staving off starvation for hundreds of millions. For this work, Borlaug received the Nobel Prize in 1970. Scores of other CIMMYT efforts have saved or enriched millions of lives, from releasing disease-resistant varieties and varieties resistant to drought and heat and soil deficiencies, to dispersing techniques to reduce farmer costs and post-harvest losses. In developing countries, wheat varieties developed by CIMMYT and its partners cover 75% of the area planted to modern wheat varieties.

The initial appointment is for three years, with possible renewals based on performance. The position will be preferably based at CIMMYT headquarters, near Mexico City. CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package paid in US dollars, with a range of benefits including housing allowance, life and health insurance, education allowance (for pre-school, elementary, secondary, and other pre-university grade levels), home leave, retirement fund, and relocation shipping assistance.

CIMMYT is an equal-opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.

Apply online no later than March 20th, 2012

At www.cimmyt.org, click on “About us – Job Opportunities- Position” -2012-04. Please complete the online application, including your cover letter, competencies and experience for the position, and a detailed CV/resume.

For further information, contact Dr. Bruno Gerard, Director, Global Conservation Agriculture Program, b.gerard@cgiar.org or the Human Resources Office, jobs-cimmyt@cgiar.org.

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