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Jobs in Tanzania: Economist, Africa Rising-ESA Project at IITA | Deadline:
6th September 2018
6th September 2018
Economist, Africa RISING – ESA Project (Ref: DDG-R4D/AR/ESA/08/18)
Background: IITA seeks a qualified Agricultural/Development/Institutional Economist for
the Africa RISING East and Southern Africa project (https://africa-rising.net/where-wework/east-and-southern-africa/).
He/she should have a solid profile in economic and scientific
research methods and concepts, and a clear vision on addressing current and future challenges
for smallholder agricultural production to mitigate hunger and poverty from a sustainability
viewpoint. IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Its award-winning research-for-development (R4D) approach addresses the development needs of tropical countries. IITA works with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 in Nigeria and governed by a Board of Trustees. IITA works on the following crops: cowpea, soybean, banana/plantain, yam, cassava, and maize. It is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.
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The successful candidate is expected to work closely with the project’s Chief Scientist and a team of multi-discipline researchers and development partners who are committed to meeting the project’s goal of providing pathways out hunger and poverty by offering demand-driven, locally tailored, resource-saving innovations for sustainable intensification that improve household welfare and, at the same time, enhance sustainability. He/she is expected to develop, and conduct activities aimed at evaluating the profitability, sustainability and adoptability of technologies and packages validated and demonstrated in the project areas by the project’s implementing partners.
Position Responsibilities:
Specific tasks:
• Contribute to multidisciplinary research design, development and implementation of activities aimed at evaluating/validating technologies and technology packages for sustainable intensification agricultural systems in the project sites and beyond.
• Give direction and leadership to project team members on the importance of inclusive socioeconomic research components in integrated agricultural systems research. Analyze how proposed agricultural technologies fit into farm households’ current conditions for sustainability (labor requirements, timing of labor requirements, social acceptability, gender, cash requirements etc.).
• Develop multi-criteria decision support tools and databases for better targeting and greater impact of project interventions.
• Evaluate the economic profitability, environment benefits and social acceptability of alternative technologies or options addressing challenges identified through co-learning (R-in-D).
• Conduct ex-ante impact assessment of selected technologies on the project’s five sustainability domains for prioritization and scaling up of project interventions.
• Undertake economic and social impact assessment of individual interventions or treatments from plot to farm (household) and landscape (community) scales.
• Conduct selected adoption studies of the project’s technologies and technology packages to measure uptake and benefits in project sites.
• Collaborate with the project’s M&E specialist to produce and ensure availability of information on key indicators of success of the project, especially Feed the Future and sustainable intensification indicators.
• Contribute to overall Africa RISING program impact assessment.
• Publish research findings and contribute to dissemination of research results and development outcomes to stakeholders.
• Maintain regular communication with Africa RISING scientists in the intervention countries.
• Mentor and supervise project socio-economic research associates, field technicians, interns and postgraduate students.
• Become an active member of IITA’s social science group and contribute to efforts aimed at defining and implementing IITA’s social science research agenda.
• Contribute to resource mobilization.
• Carry out any other assignment given by your supervisors.
Educational Qualifications
The candidate should have a PhD in the field of agricultural, development or institutional economics from a highly recognized university with five years of postgraduate experience in an international setting.
Core Competencies
• Good knowledge of New Institutional Economics approaches for inclusion in farming systems research.
• Competence in the development of socio-economic survey tools and their application in the collection of farm and field data in smallholder agricultural systems
• Competence in the multi-criteria statistical analysis of the farm and field data for the assessment of effects and trade-offs in the agricultural intensification domains, and a strong commitment to relating the outputs to societal goals.
• Experience with developing simulation or optimisation models for agricultural intensification.
• Strong knowledge and experience with economic evaluation of agricultural technologies
• Ability to work in a team with people from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, and a flexible, positive, and problem-solving attitude.
• Proven publication record in international journals.
• Experience with the development and writing of research proposals for support from different donor agencies.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English.
• Knowledge of agricultural systems in East and Southern Africa is desirable.
Duty station: Arusha, Tanzania
General information: The contract will be for an initial period of three years.
IITA offers internationally competitive remuneration package paid in U.S. Dollars.
Applications:
Applications must include covering letter which should address how the candidate’s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, curriculum vitae, names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service. Please complete our online application form using link at the end of this advert.
Closing Date: 6th September 2018 IITA is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from women candidates Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Source: The Guardian 29 August, 2018
