ILRI vacancy: research assistant – ReSAKSS (closing 31 January 2012)

Vacancy Number: RA/RESAKSS/MARKETS/01/12
Department: Markets
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: 2 years contract Renewable

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality livestock science, communications and capacity building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). ILRI has campuses in Kenya (headquarters) and Ethiopia, with other offices located in other regions of Africa (Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria) as well as in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand, Vietnam) and East Asia (China).

ILRI seeks to recruit a Research Assistant to join a small team of professionals working on the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) initiative. The objective of ReSAKSS is to provide data, information and knowledge to stakeholders in order to improve the formulation, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of agricultural and rural development strategies in Africa. The successful candidate will work with the Eastern and Central Africa Node of ReSAKSS based at ILRI-Nairobi which is set up to serve the COMESA region in the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to ReSAKSS' analytical work based on regional priorities in agriculture and rural development. Areas of research may include regional trade analysis, food security research, agricultural investment analysis, agricultural investment modeling and other related areas;
• Contribute to synthesis of studies and literature around topical issues affecting agriculture and rural development in the region to generate policy relevant messages;
• Participate in the communication of ReSAKSS' work, e.g. through preparation of ReSAKSS publications such as working papers,  policy briefs, technical reports, journal publications, conference papers, posters, brochures and presentations at various policy forums ;
• Contribute to the capacity building component of ReSAKSS including organizing and implementing policy relevant training for ReSAKSS' stakeholders;
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of CAADP indicators in the COMESA region;
• Contribute to the organization of conferences, seminars, and workshops organized or co-organized by ReSAKSS.

Requirements

• A Master's degree in agricultural economics, economics or other related field with application to agriculture and rural development;
• A Minimum of 3 years relevant work experience;
• Knowledge and experience in agricultural and rural development issues in Sub Saharan Africa;
• Experience with econometrics and other forms of quantitative analysis, demonstrated in appropriate written outputs; conducting literature searches and writing professional papers;
• Experience in database management and analyzing large datasets to answer analytical questions;
• Proficiency in using Ms. Office and statistical packages such as STATA, SPSS, SAS among others;
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize a large body of knowledge into simple, easy to understand papers and policy documents.

Other qualifications

• Demonstrated good organisational skills and ability to work under minimum supervision.
• Ability to work under pressure, often to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of deliverables.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain professional contacts, and to interact with national officials and experts, other researchers, international organizations, development partners, and other ReSAKSS' stakeholders
• Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams in a developing country setting.
• Ability to make presentations to large audiences.
• A willingness to travel frequently within and outside the COMESA region.
• Good team player
• Knowledge of French is an added advantage

Terms of appointment: This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position based at ILRI's Nairobi campus, with travel to other countries where ILRI works and is open to Kenyan nationals only. The position is on a 2-year contract with renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding with a starting salary is KES 105,833 per month. This is exclusive of other benefits provided by ILRI.

Applicants should send a cover letter and CV explaining their interest in the position, what they can bring to the job and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate's professional qualifications and work experience to the Human Resources Director by registering  at this link:  http://www.myjobsinkenya.com/?s=view_recr_profile&i=100018 before 31 January 2012. Only applications that are received via this link will be considered and only short listed candidates will be contacted. The position title and reference number RA/RESAKSS/MARKETS/01/12 should be clearly marked on the subject line of the online application.

To find out more about ILRI, visit our websites at http://www.ilri.org.

To find out more about working at ILRI visit our website at http://www.ilri.org/ilricrowd/

ILRI is an equal opportunity employer.