Senior Research Associate

The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a non-profit, international public research-for-development organization. CIMMYT addresses challenges encountered by low-income farmers in the developing world including food and nutritional insecurity, environmental degradation, economic development, population growth and climate change in collaboration with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org

CIMMYT is seeking an experienced professional to be a part of Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA), A One CGIAR regional integrated initiative to support actions that improve equitable access to sustainable healthy diets, improve farmers’ livelihoods and resilience, and conserve land, air, and water resources in South Asia. For more information: Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia – CGIAR

The duty of post will be Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Specific duties:

• Work with senior staff to facilitate the research and partnership activities implemented in TAFSSA’s Work Package 2 on ‘Transforming agroecosystems and landscapes to boost income and diversified food production’.
• Lead efforts to develop, propose, and implement complex research techniques with a focus on field trials (incl. research field measurements with high-tech equipment), survey data, multivariate statistics, machine learning and analytical procedures of field data.
• Take lead responsibility in assuring that fieldwork and/or analytical techniques are developed in compliance with established quality standards (e.g. appropriate frequency and quality of data collection).
• Supervise field activities as assigned and report abnormal situations that arise in the development of the project assigned.
• Keep a check on inventories of products and materials used and request a replacement when required.
• Take a leading responsibility as a member of the team to develop periodic reports and tables that allow the program scientists to track their projects.
• Take lead responsibility to carry out special investigations as assigned by the supervisor/project lead.
• Perform statistical analysis of the information collected in each of the stages of the cropping and farming systems cycles and lead the development of a database to present the results achieved by the project, under the supervisor’s guidance.
• Coach other staff members on data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and curation
• With the support of field office and TAFSSA staff ensure the maintenance and archiving of data records, enter data into electronic databases, and maintain proper data archiving and back-up systems.
• Review publications for their inclusion into the database and collect information on the agricultural sector, to prepare articles and economic reports.
• Participate in the publication of research results through annual reports, presentations, and publications.
• Assist in writing papers for international scientific journal standards.
• Participate in special projects with other research institutions and international organizations.
• Strongly contribute to the training and updating of knowledge and research techniques, to the rest of the staff working in the unit and keep updated on new research techniques or processes.
• Take a coordinating role in liaising with other research institutions and international organizations (incl. visits of other CIMMYT and/or TAFSSA field trials and/or research fields of collaborators).
• Coordinate efforts to raise awareness about project activities, products, and outcomes among stakeholders, partners, policymakers, and the general public.
• Assisting in monitoring and evaluation and reporting efforts by providing quality input and reports in a timely manner (as indicated by project lead).
• Any other assignment as instructed by your supervisor.

Required academic qualifications, skills and attitudes:

• Masters’ degree in biological sciences, agronomy, agricultural economics, or relevant social sciences of agriculturally related discipline.
• Experience working in rural Bangladesh.
• Systems Agronomy and Field experiments.
• Data analysis.
• Proficiency in computer programming and/or statistical computing (e.g. Python, R, STATA, MATLAB) is desirable.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• At least 8 years of professional work experience in agricultural research projects.
• Specialized knowledge in multivariate statistics and machine learning analysis.
• Medium to advanced managerial competence.
• Ability to work with a leadership team consisting of multiple CGIAR institutions other than CIMMYT.
• Demonstrated record of quality peer-reviewed publications, ideally led by the candidate.
• Requires conceptual knowledge of theories, practices and procedures within agricultural and farming systems research science.
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment.
• Complexity of thinking needed: Work is complex and technical in scope.
• Regularly requires a combination of mental abilities such as probing, analysis, careful judgment, flexible and original thinking, and creativity.
• Ability to identify and finalize solutions to field problems (seeds, soil and water management, integrated pest management, farm machinery, nutrient management, post-harvest operations).
• Demonstrated experience with data visualization tools.
• Travel of up to 50% time is also anticipated.
• The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Negotiation and conflict resolution, Critical and Creative Thinking, Communication, Problem-solving and decision-making and Teamwork.

The position is for Bangladesh Nationals for an initial fixed-term contract of 1-year subject to completion of probationary period as per policy, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT will provide a nationally competitive salary and benefits that include comprehensive health and life insurance, paid vacation, contributions to a retirement plan, and a range of other benefits as required by Bangladesh law.

To apply for this position B22179, please apply online here  https://cimmytrecruitment.wufoo.com/forms/b22179_senior-research-associate-si/ no later than 13 Oct, 2022. For more information on the process please email to Human Resources, CIMMYT (Email: CIM-Recruitment-BD@cgiar.org).

Incomplete applications (without CV and cover letter) will not be taken into consideration.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.