The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks
to recruit a Development Partnerships Specialist who will ensure effective
management of the diverse adoption partners to deliver development results
through adoption of bioscience innovations under the Africa Agricultural
Productivity Partnership. The position holder will be responsible for managing
the performance of adoption partners working in research-for-development
project teams. This is anticipated to include private sector (e.g. Cereal
Millers Association of Kenya for the Aflatoxin Project), civil society (e.g.
GAIN and Farm Inputs Promotions (Africa) for the Aflatoxin and Amaranth
projects), local government (e.g. Busia County in Kenya and Busia and Tororo
districts in Uganda for the African Swine Fever Project), national agencies
(e.g. national veterinary services for the PPR project) and other regional
programs (e.g. Bio-Innovate Program).
ILRI works with partners worldwide to enhance the roles that
livestock play in food security and poverty alleviation, principally in Africa
and Asia. The outcomes of these research partnerships help people in developing
countries keep their farm animals’ alive and productive, increase and sustain
their livestock and farm productivity, find profitable markets for their animal
products, and reduce the risk of livestock-related diseases.
ILRI is a not-for-profit institution with a staff of about
700 and in 2014, an operating budget of about USD83 million. A member of the
CGIAR Consortium working for a food-secure future, ILRI has its headquarters in
Nairobi, Kenya, a principal campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and offices in
other countries in East, West and Southern Africa and in South, Southeast and
East Asia.
ILRI leads the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock and Fish,
leads a component of a CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and
Health on the prevention and control of agriculture-associated diseases, and
contributes to six other CGIAR research programs. Staff members work in
integrated sciences and biosciences programs that develop and deliver
science-based practices, provide scientific evidence for decision-making and
develop capacities of livestock-sector stakeholders. With the African Union/New
Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordination Agency, ILRI also
hosts and manages the Biosciences eastern and central Africa (BecA)-ILRI Hub.
ILRI also manages the Biosciences eastern
and central Africa (BecA) Hub at ILRI, the centre
for excellence in modern plant and animal biology in Africa. BecA is an
initiative developed within the framework of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD)/ African Union African Biosciences initiative. It consists
of a Hub based on the ILRI campus in Nairobi, Kenya and a network of regional
nodes and other affiliated laboratories and organizations throughout the
region. The BecA Hub facilities are world class, including a range of
molecular, plant transformation, and genomics laboratories and equipment (e.g.
454 and Illumina next generation sequencing, Biosafety level 3 laboratory,
plant growth facilities). The Hub hosts and conducts research in crop, microbe
and livestock areas where new developments in science offer promise to address
previously intractable problems constraining Africa’s development. Capacity
building is a major goal of all activities. The scope covers agriculture and
food security and their intersections with human health and nutrition, and the
sustainable use of Africa’s natural resources.
The position: The Development Partnerships
Specialist will work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
scientist to oversee and quality assure processes for project-level monitoring,
data analysis and reporting to support effective Results Based Management by
adoption partners as integral members of each research-for-development team.
S/he will liaise with and support short term advisers working with BecA-ILRI
Hub to strengthen brokering and negotiation of partnerships, impact assessment
and systems analysis as well as performance management.
This position will uphold relevant CGIAR, ILRI and Australia
Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) policies including
child protection, gender, disability and fraud and corruption control. S/he
will complement the work of BecA Director and BecA Partnership Coordinator to
support the day-to-day management of the project implementation by each
principal investigator.
Responsibilities:
- Assist
the BecA Director to manage delivery by adoption partners to enable early
adoption of bioscience innovations in East and Central Africa.
- Provide
strategic and operational advice to the Partnership Management Committee
(PMC) on delivery of development results.
- Provide
strategic and operational advice to the BecA Director and the Partnership
Coordinator on the negotiation, establishment and maintenance of effective
adoption partnerships.
- Work
with principal investigators for each research-for-development project to
plan, report and seek PMC approval on work plans, reports and coordination
of all technical inputs and resources, personnel and project assets in up
to 5 projects.
- Ensure
cross-cutting issues (e.g. child protection, fraud control, prevention of
corruption, environmental management) are integrated into planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of research-for-development
projects.
- Support
each project team and its partners to comply with the DFAT Child
Protection Policy including support to prepare a child protection strategy
during inception of each project, supervision of compliance and reporting
of performance against the policy.
- Work
closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to oversee and
quality assure processes for project-level monitoring, data analysis and
reporting to support effective Results Based Management by adoption
partners as integral members of each research-for-development team.
- Complement
the work of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist by ensuring that
performance management feedback is provided to adoption partners and
related stakeholders and that this feedback is reflected in changes to
annual plans, implementation approaches and field delivery.
- Provide
oversight of adoption partner engagement in the regular cycle of planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation, reflection and learning.
- Mentor
and coach research partners and adoption partners in their roles as change
agents.
- Support
BecA to (a) identify local adoption partners to support early adoption of
bioscience innovations in East and Central Africa; (b) coordinate with
complementary donor-funded activities in the region; and (c) communicate
development results and benefits resulting from BecA innovations.
- Participate
in annual reflection workshops and other communication and learning
processes at the request of the BecA Director.
- Actively
align the management of BecA-ILRI Hub’s adoption partnership program with
Bio-Innovate program to facilitate delivery of generated innovations to
the end users.
Requirements:
- Relevant
degree-level qualifications in agricultural development, international
development practice, project management or agricultural economics.
- At
least 5 years’ varied experience in a leadership role on multidisciplinary
teams delivering rural development results in complex project management
environments of East or Central Africa.
- At
least 10 years’ experience working with adoption partners (e.g. private
sector, civil society, local government and national agencies) to plan,
implement, monitor and manage rural development projects in East or
Central Africa.
- At
least 5 years’ experience with operational use of project finance
management, monitoring and management systems (including procurement) at
field level.
- Experience
in strengthening organisational level strategic planning, budget,
performance management processes.
- Experience
in negotiating and communicating with private sector enterprises and
farmers, government officials, community leaders and civil society
agencies.
- Experience
in community-based initiatives and projects that support vulnerable
groups, such as women and youth
- Understanding
of contemporary rural development theory, research-for-development
concepts and practical performance management.
- An
understanding of change management in the context of rural adoption and
diffusion.
- Understanding
of the integration of cross-cutting themes into program activities.
- An
understanding of aid effectiveness (e.g. general knowledge of the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action and the
Busan Partnership For Effective Development Cooperation).
Post location: The position is based at ILRI’s
Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya with extensive travel to other countries.
Position level: Internationally-recruited; equivalent
to Senior Scientist depending on skills and experience.
Duration: 3 years with the possibility of
renewal, contingent upon individual performance and continued funding.
Benefits: ILRI offers a competitive
international and salary and benefits package which includes 15% Pension,
Medical insurance, Life insurance and allowances for: Education, Housing,
Relocation, Home leave, Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + public holidays.
*Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax
regulations of country of citizenship.
Applications: Applicants should provide a cover
letter and curriculum vitae: a list of publications and names and addresses
(including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about
the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience should be
included in the curriculum vitae. The position title and reference number: DPS/BECA/06/2014 should
be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.
All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment
portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com by 11
October 2014.
ILRI is an equal opportunity employer. Suitably
qualified women and citizens of developing countries, with experience of
working internationally, are particularly encouraged to apply.
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