Senior Agronomist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Agronomist

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-0019
Location: Yola, Adamawa
Recruitment Type: National (1–year renewable contract)

Duties
Successful candidate will among other things perform the following duties:

Facilitate partnerships with dissemination (extension) and market partners. Provide strategic support in a wide variety of areas including value chain development and upgrading strategies, improving access to agricultural inputs, access to agricultural extension, and marketing;
Oversee and co–ordinate all agronomical and technical field activities carried out by stakeholders (small holder farmers, community–based seed producers, partner seed companies etc.) and provide necessary agronomical technical backstopping to them in the two target states (Adamawa and Borno);
Provide leadership in designing, planning and implementation of demonstrations of soil, crop and livestock management technologies in farming communities;
Provide necessary inputs into the Activity’s annual workplan (especially on Component 1) and prepare quarterly/annual workplan performance report;
Strengthen seed production systems for cereal and legume crops in Northeast Nigeria. Help to establish and strengthen community–based seed multiplication and dissemination schemes of improved crop varieties;
Organise and lead capacity building activities for different stakeholders including extension agents, input dealers andother service providers;
Lead in the recommendations and dissemination of improved crop–based production systems in Adamawa and Borno states;
Compile, collate and prepare technical reports for component 1 of the Activity;
Perform any other job–related task as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualifications

Master’s in Agronomy, Crop Science or related field;
With a minimum of fifteen (15) years experience in agricultural extension and new technology delivery functionsin a well–structured environment or donor funded organization.

Competencies
The ideal candidate must:

Facilitate partnerships with dissemination (extension) and market partners. Provide strategic support in a wide variety of areas including value chain development and upgrading strategies, improving access to agricultural inputs, access to agricultural extension, and marketing.
Oversee and co–ordinate all agronomical and technical field activities carried out by stakeholders (small holder farmers, community–based seed producers, partner seed companies etc.) and provide necessary agronomical technical backstopping to them in the two target states (Adamawa and Borno).
Provide leadership in designing, planning and implementation of demonstrations of soil, cropand livestock management technologies in farming communities.•
Provide necessary inputs into the Activity’s annual workplan (especially on Component 1) and prepare quarterly/annual workplan performance report.
Strengthen seed production systems for cereal and legume crops in Northeast Nigeria. Help to establish and strengthen community–based seed multiplication and dissemination schemes of improved crop varieties.
Organise and lead capacity building activities for different stakeholders including extension agents, input dealers and other service providers.
Lead in the recommendations and dissemination of improved crop–based production systems in Adamawa and Borno states.
Compile, collate and prepare technical reports for component 1 of the Activity