JOB DETAILS

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Project Manager – Soils4Liberia.

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. Please visit http://www.iita.org/ for more information on IITA.

The project manager will take on the responsibility for project management, scientific coordination, and reporting to the EU.  The project leader will be an internationally recruited professional with proven experience in managing similar projects and EU-funded initiatives in general. In the role as scientific coordinator, a good overview of technical and scientific aspects will be needed to ensure the project’s scientific and technical integrity.

In order to successfully manage and deliver project outputs and outcomes, it is essential for the individual to possess strong administrative skills, collaborative teamwork abilities, and the capacity to develop and enhance skills within the team. The successful candidate will also be working as part of a team of experts for the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel.

Requirements

·      Lead the Liberia land knowledge project in terms of project management and coordination, communication and outreach, and stakeholder engagement across Europe and Africa.

·      Develop annual work plans and budgets in collaboration with all partners that are directly involved in project implementation, monitor their implementation, and take corrective action when the implementation is not done according to plan.

·      Facilitate the design of the land and soil information system (LSIS) and data and information services and collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify the requirements and design specifications for the LSIS, the field campaign and land use inventory, tools and applications for land suitability assessment, and soil quality monitoring.

·      Establish the scientific and technical advisory group (STAG) and the project steering committee (PSC), consult STAG regularly for the scientific coordination of the project, and convey bi-annual PSC meetings.

·      Develop strong partnerships with national public partners in Liberia and the EU-Liberia programme – ‘Productivity to Product’ to collaboratively identify critical soil information products needs by different stakeholders in Liberia.

·      Coordinate the development of use cases for soil information and establishment of a land and soil information system and centre in Liberia.

·      Lead the generation of information products for land and soil health and the co-design of application of soil fertility decision support framework along with the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel.

·      Develop, coordinate and co-facilitate capacity building programmes and mentorship for staff, partners and graduate students on land evaluation and soil science methodologies, data analysis and scientific communication.

·      Manage project partner agreements, establish and manage service agreements with third parties, and manage procurement.

·      Contribute to or lead the development of research proposals and other fundraising activities.

·      Financial management, including timely payment of partners in the project, budget management and preparing periodic and final financial statements.

·      Coordinate reporting to the donor, prepare periodic and final activity reports using the templates provided, and hold meetings with the project officer at the EU delegation on technical and administrative matters when and if required.

·      Establish and implement a communication strategy for stakeholder engagement in the project; ensure EU funding visibility and alignment with the EU communication strategy.

·      Organize and conduct annual project meetings for review of progress and planning of activities, hold regular meetings of the project management team (project director, work package and task leaders) and stakeholder meetings.

·      Facilitate interactions with the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel, including the identification of technical assistance opportunities from the Hub.

Educational Qualifications

The candidate should have a PhD in soil science, agronomy, or a related field with a strong understanding of spatial data and visualization.

Core Competencies

·      Demonstrated experience in soil science and digital soil mapping

·      At least 10 years of experience in soil science or agronomy with a minimum of 5 years in a management position.

·      Evidence of significant management and leadership skills including change management and management of successful field campaign teams.

·      Experience working with partners from academia, NGOs, CGIAR centers, and national agricultural research centers in the context of smallholder farming systems in Africa.

·      Experience working in West Africa will be considered favorably.

·      Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural and diverse environments.

·      Excellent interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills with evidence of good relationships with diverse stakeholder groups.

·      Evidence of extensive experience in resource mobilization.

·      Demonstrated ability to build and lead a diverse team of experts including building a consortium of both internal and external experts to achieve a common purpose.

·      Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; French would be a plus.

·      Strong computation skills in geospatial analyses and modelling will be an added advantage

·      Experience with EU funded projects is highly desirable

·      Strong demonstrated skills in financial management