Process Engineer – Aflasafe Manufacturing Plant
IITA is an international non-profit research-for-development (R4D) organization created in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Our R4D is anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty by reducing producer and consumer risks, enhancing crop quality and productivity, and generating wealth from agriculture. We have more than 100 internationally recruited scientists from about 35 countries and 900 nationally recruited staff based in various stations across Africa. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the United States Department of Agriculture – Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) have developed a novel biological product Aflasafe that has proven capacity to reduce aflatoxin contamination of African foods. Aflatoxin is a poison produced a fungus that infects maize and groundnuts, which are common foods in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. IITA, USDA-ARS, Doreo Partners and the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) are working in a team to develop and implement strategies to make Aflasafe available to Nigerian and other African farmers. Aflasafe is an agriculture input and must be produced in a manufacturing facility. The team has secured funding to design and construct a demonstration-scale manufacturing plant in a developing country context. The plant would be used as a model to optimize/adapt manufacturing process for reduced production cost and dissemination, develop turn-key facility to replicate it in other countries, and demonstrate mass-production of commercially relevant product that could be replicated in other countries affected by aflatoxin. The demonstration manufacturing facility would also serve to lay the foundation for building awareness, demand, and aggregation channels for low-aflatoxin crops.
Position/Responsibilities:
We are seeking an innovative and energetic Process Engineer. The primary responsibilities will include to:
- Design and implement a manufacturing line of the new biological product Aflasafe that will meet production and quality targets.
- Develop and implement standard operating procedures to meet daily production goals.
- Identify areas of process improvements (e.g., capex, lower energy, lower cost raw materials) and implement these in consultation with the team.
- Take steps to reduce waste of material and time to optimize cost effectiveness of manufacturing.
- Implement a schedule of equipment maintenance to ensure continuous and smooth functioning of the plant.
- Supervise IITA personnel assigned to the manufacturing facility.
- Effectively manage the day to day activities of personnel working in the plant.
- Assist with the transfer of manufacturing know how to private and/or public sector partners interested in dispersing the technology across target regions.
Educational Qualifications:
The candidate should have a degree in Engineering.
Core Competencies:
- 5-10 years of experience with emphasis in process development and/or food/feed manufacture.
- Exposure to marketing will be considered an advantage. Duty station: IITA-Ibadan, Nigeria.
General information: Initial appointment is for two years. IITA offers a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applications including curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three referees should be addressed to the Human Resources Manager. Please complete our online application form using this link: http://www.iita.org/irs-online-application
Closing Date: The position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.
IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from women candidates.
Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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