Program Leader – Policy Trade and Value Chains

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) seeks to recruit a Senior Economist and Program Leader within its Integrated Sciences Division to lead ILRI’s evolving and expanding portfolio of research in Policy, Trade and Value Chains. The program leader will lead team members with expertise in devising tailored tools and methods for policy monitoring, policy evaluation, and value chains analysis. The research objective of the Policy, Trade and Value chains program is to understand how public policies on one hand and institutions and organizations created by market stakeholders on the other hand, impact on the performance of domestic and international agrifood value chains, with a strong focus on livestock products.

ILRI works to enhance the roles livestock play in pathways out of poverty in developing countries. ILRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium, a global research partnership of 15 centres working with many partners for a food-secure future. ILRI has two main campuses in East Africa and other hubs in East, West and Southern Africa and South, Southeast and East Asia. www.ilri.org.

CGIAR is a global agricultural research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by 15 research centres that are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations. www.cgiar.org.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a geographically-dispersed international team of economists, social scientists, and modelers addressing a range of research on livestock policy, trade and value chain development in developing countries;
• Lead the conceptual development of analytical frameworks, methods and tools for the study of livestock product markets, value chains, trade regimes, and regulatory and investment policy environments relevant to livestock development. Such work includes action-oriented piloting of value chain interventions and strategies;
• Build collaborations with relevant institutions and organizations internationally and nationally to conduct and deliver World class research;
• Coordinate the Policy, Trade and Value Chains program with ILRI’s participation in the CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs);
• Policy research and evidence-based advocacy;
• Participate in ILRI management, particularly in achieving co-ordination with other programs and in provision of economics and other social science support to multi-disciplinary initiatives;
• Support development projects led by NGOs and other development partners to ensure use of best practice value chain interventions, and to generate objective evidence from piloting those interventions;
• Conduct and support the communication and promotion of research products and processes;
• Develop proposals to raise resources to support new research addressing the policy, trade and value chain program agenda.

Requirements:

• A passion for the generation of scientific knowledge that advances pro-poor development;
• A Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agribusiness or other Social Science with application to agriculture or rural development, with a minimum of 8 years of experience post-PhD;
• A proven research record reflecting experience in research design, quantitative and qualitative analytic methods and producing peer-reviewed outputs;
• Experience in managing a multi-disciplinary and multi-national team of researchers and development practitioners, and in the associated human resource and financial management;
• Demonstrated strong experience with analysis of smallholder value chain performance, sector and trade modeling, returns on investment, consumer demand, and access to markets and services;
• Understanding of outcome-oriented research design and implementation with pro-poor and gender orientation, including communication and advocacy strategy development;
• Strong econometric and/or mathematical modeling skills, and the ability to apply them in pro-poor development research;
• Demonstrated ability to deliver multi-disciplinary research outputs and to initiate and manage cross-disciplinary research activities;
• Familiarity with aspects of livestock production and marketing, crop-livestock systems, and rural market institutions and services in developing countries;
• Strong English language skills, both written and spoken (proficiency in other languages is an advantage);
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently, sometimes to rural areas in developing countries.

Post location: The position is based at ILRI’s Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Extensive travel to other countries and regions will be required.

Position level:The position is Scientist/Research Level 3 dependent on qualifications and experience.

Duration:3 years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and continued funding.

Benefits: ILRI offers a competitive international salary and benefits package which includes 15% Pension, Medical insurance, Life insurance and allowances for: Education, Housing, Relocation, Home leave, Annual holiday entitlement of 30 days + public holidays.

*Benefits are tax free subject to compliance with tax regulations of country of citizenship.

Applications:Applicants should provide a cover letter and curriculum vitae: a list of publications and names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience should be included in the curriculum vitae. The position title and reference number: PL/PTVC/04/2014 should be clearly indicated in the subject line of the cover letter.

All applications to be submitted online on our recruitment portal: http://ilri.simplicant.com. Screening of applications will start on 1 May 2014 and continue until the position is filled.

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

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

Suitably qualified women and citizens of developing countries, with experience of working internationally, are particularly encouraged to apply.