World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Recruiting a Research Assistant-TSBF-CIAT

The Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of CIAT (CIAT-TSBF) is an autonomous international agricultural research institute directed at the development of sustainable soil fertility management practices. This is an institute of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and is hosted by World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya. Position:

TSBF-CIAT is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of a Research Assistant. The incumbent will be based in TSBF-CIAT’s office in Maseno, Western Kenya and shall occasionally be required to backstop work in Nairobi. Reporting to the Agricultural Economist, the incumbent’s responsibilities include:
* Assisting in designing research questionnaires;
* Carry out survey and data collection from the field;
* In charge of data management, data processing and analysis;
* Assist in project report writing.

Requirements:

* MSc. in Agricultural Economics or related discipline with over 4 years of experience in agricultural research.
* Experience and strong capacity in quantitative, qualitative analysis of data analysis, mostly obtained from farm economy surveys.
* Excellent communication skill in written and spoken English and an ability to work with biophysical scientists.
* Familiarity with working with farmers, rural communities and community-based organizations.
* Experience in working with multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary teams.
* Ability to effectively work with minimum supervision.
* Flair for data analysis using various applications including SPSS, Genstat, SAS and Microsoft Excel.
* Familiarity with prevailing farming systems of the East African region.
* Ability to drive is a pre-requisite.

Terms of offer ICRAF/TSBF-CIAT is an equal opportunity employer offering a competitive salary and benefits package, and a collegial working environment. The contract is for an initial period of two (2) years, renewable subject to a nine (9) months probation period, assessment of performance, and availability of resources. Applicants are invited to send a cover letter illustrating their suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications/competencies/skills and a detailed curriculum vitae, with names and addresses of three referees (including telephone and fax numbers and email address). Applications should indicate “Application for Research Assistant”on their application letters OR email submissions. All correspondence should be addressed to the Human Resources Unit, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), P.O. Box 30677, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya OR via email:[email protected]. Applications will be considered until 27 July 2007. Only short-listed applicants meeting the above requirements will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about TSBF by accessing the web site:http://www.tsbf.org