The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) seeks: TAAT Sorghum & Millet Value Chain Technology Transfer Officer (West and Central Africa)
The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) is seeking applications from a dynamic and highly innovative technology transfer officer to work on cereals (sorghum and pearl millet) and in a multi-disciplinary team comprising both biological and social scientists. The Technology Transfer Officer will be based at ICRISAT Regional Hub in Bamako, Mali or Niamey, Niger and will have overall responsibilities to work in collaboration with ICRISAT scientists based in West and Central Africa and with the NARS and other partners in the region.
The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and contributing to the achievement of the objectives of the sorghum and millet value chain component of an AfDB- funded project- Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), for large-scale diffusion of sorghum and millet technologies in target countries in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan). TAAT aims to enhance diffusion of technologies of proven efficacy for improving sorghum and pearl millet production systems under the environmental, economic and social conditions of target countries. (l) This component of TAAT is expected to complement activities and create synergies through linkages with other projects/partners/stakeholders that focus on sorghum and millet value chain. The Technology Transfer Officer (Nationally Recruited Staff) will be based in Bamako (Mali) or Niamey (Niger), and work within the target countries
ICRISAT is a non-profit, non-political organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world. Covering 6.5 million square kilometers of land in 55 countries, the semi-arid tropics have over 2 billion people, and 644 million of these are the poorest of the poor.
ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru, near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and five country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. In WCA, ICRISAT has its regional hub in Mali and country programs in Niger and Nigeria.
ICRISAT, established in 1972, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. For more details, see www.icrisat.org.
The Job:
- Oversee and manage all technology transfer-related activities,
- Assess and evaluate technologies to be disseminated
- Work closely with the TAAT sorghum and millet Value Chain Coordinator in undertaking the activities of the Commodity Technology Delivery Compact (CTDC) of Sorghum and Millet Value Chain which include: agreeing with Regional Member Countries (RMCs) on approaches to deploy technologies, defining target areas, mobilizing all actors across the value chain and designing and implementing wide-scale farmer extension models
- Ensure the implementation of technology transfer activities and annual work plan
- Monitor implementation of activities with partners
- Organize workshops/meetings etc. with partners/stakeholders as and when needed
- Organize meetings/seminars and conduct practical training courses on technology transfer mechanisms for partner scientists and extension workers
- Analyse, summarize and interpret data
- Establish and update documentation on technologies disseminated and feedback received
- Present the activities, results, impacts and outcomes of the sorghum and millet value chain at professional, donor and other stakeholders’ meetings
- Undertake any other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the Sorghum and Millet Value Chain Coordinator and/or Institutional management office to meet the objectives of the value chain.
The Person:
- Must have at least an MSc with 5 to 10 years of professional work experience in technology transfer, agricultural extension within a research institute/university/private sector company or a closely related field to the value chain.
- Possess good communication and interpersonal skills;
- Have very good written and oral communication skills in English with good working knowledge of French or vice versa.
- Ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports, success stories, and promotional materials; and
- Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
Employment Conditions:
This is a nationally recruited staff (NRS) position with an attractive and competitive salary and benefits. The position is for 3 years,
Applicants should apply on or before May 06th, 2018 by email to: icrisat@icrisatml.org with a letter of motivation, a latest Curriculum Vitae (with nationality, age, gender, marital status), and the names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. The reference name of the position (Sorghum & Millet Value Chain Technology Transfer Officer), should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the email. Screening of applications will begin after the last day of submitting applications, and will continue until the position is filled. All applications will be acknowledged, however only short listed candidates will be contacted.
ICRISAT is an equal opportunity employer and is especially interested in increasing the participation of women on its staff. ICRISAT has a flexible approach to international appointments and welcomes dual-career couples.