THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.

About the position

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is looking for a qualified Senior Research Assistant to support active projects related to the use modern breeding technologies to assist in bean varieties improvement. The use of genomic selection in plant science has been well established. Specifically, advanced breeding techniques for selection of desirable plant traits for advancement. The Alliance is working to establish breeding program to enhance breeding activities that will enable development of new bean varieties that are more resilient, productive, and nutritious. The Senior Research Assistant   will provide advance breeding techniques to promote the breeding research activities.

Key duties & Responsibilities

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• Support identification of traits in beans verities that are desirable for advancement, such as disease resistance, increased yield, or improved growth rates.
• Participate in testing new bean varieties in different growing conditions to determine how well they perform in nature.
• Assist in monitoring and identifying bean diseases and creating strategies to prevent them from spreading to other plants.
• Supporting development of new strains of bean that meet specific criteria, such as increased productivity or improved taste, color and cooking time.
• Participating in selection of the best bean verities to breed based on desired traits and characteristics.
• Participate in development of breeding strategies to produce bean varieties with the desired characteristics, including selecting parents with desired traits that can be passed on to offspring.
• Ensure timely availability of germplasm inventory reports.
• Conduct and collect necessary data for advanced breeding lines in both greenhouses and in the field locations.
• Maintain bean germplasm in the cold room.
• Good report and journal writing skill is required.
• Analyze the data and report to supervisor on time.
• Supervise daily casual laborers and other subordinate staff.
• Carry out any other duties as maybe required.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in agronomy, plant sciences, crop production, plant breeding or other related areas of study.Masters is an added advantage.
• At least one year experience in breeding activities especially in beans and other related crops will be an added advantage.
• Current knowledge of plant biology, genetics, and breeding
• Good knowledge of trial design, data management, data analysis and statistics
• Basic knowledge of plant pathology and of plant health related to identifying abnormal plant behavior due to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Experience in data collection and entry, data management, quality assurance, and timely reporting.
• High attention to detail and excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Kiswahili
• Computer proficiency including MS Office (Word/ PowerPoint, advanced Excel skills, and SPSS)
• Must be able to work independently with minimum supervision, but also participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties.
• Excellent interpersonal with advanced written and verbal communication skills in English language.
• Strong ability to co-ordinate, prioritize and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to maintain the highest level of integrity and standards of ethics, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• Professional integrity and a high performing team player who can work autonomously, remains accountable and contributes to a positive and cohesive team environment.
• Commitment to Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT’s mission and core values.

Critical Experience

• Experience in working practically in the field with Crop Breeding, Agronomy and Pathology
• Experience in managing and analyzing large data sets.

Terms of employment

This position is a nationally recruited position based in Arusha, Tanzania.  The initial contract will be for one year subject to a probation period of three months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.

This position is graded at BG 06 level, with a minimum basic salary of 2,608,534 Tanzania Shillings in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities.

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference REF: 103445-Senior Research Assistant Arusha as the position applied for. Cover letter and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Applications closing date: 21^st March 2024

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:

http://alliancebioversityciat.org