Junior Research Officer at International Water Management Institute (IWMI)

Description

• As a Junior Research Officer, the position holder will assist in the organization and implementation of field activities (such as data collection, community mobilization, grassroots stakeholder consultation and surveys) in Ghana.
• Northern Ghana serves as the agricultural production hub of the country, and unlike the south where two rainfall patterns are experienced; the north has only one rainy season within which farmers maximize production before the dry season sets in.
• The rainy season also comes with challenges such as heavy floods, which destroy farmlands, farm produce and infrastructure. Irrigation development offers the promise of food security and poverty alleviation in northern Ghana.
• However, most Rivers and some shallow groundwater normally dry up before the end of the dry season. Via several projects, IWMI team collaborate with other stakeholders to test, validate and scale water management technologies and practices to increase water productivity under irrigated conditions.

Duties AND Responsibilities:

• Participate in, and support, the experimental design of the field activities
• Conduct field trials on dry season vegetable production using solar powered irrigation technologies and oversee irrigation demonstration fields
• Participate in liaison activities with relevant partner organizations in the field
• Provide technical services, and ensure that data and outcomes a re recorded effectively and accurately
• Provide support to the management of data and outcomes (database setup/management)
• Participate in data collection and the analysis of results, preparation of reports, and in the publication of research results in diverse media
• Facilitate relevant actors and stakeholders, and the grassroots-scaling ecosystem to implement value chain-based pathways for the scaling of irrigation and water management solutions.
• Facilitate the interaction and engagement of stakeholders and actors and the MSD and grassroots scaling ecosystem across levels and scales
• Carry out other duties as may be assigned by project leaders.

Requirements

MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor of Sciences in agriculture or a related field.
• At least 3 years’ work experience in conducting field activities in Ghana

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills in English and local Ghanaian language;
• The ability/willingness to spend long periods of time working in the field;
• The ability to function effectively and reliably in carrying out duties, and to take initiative in the absence of a readily accessible supervisor;
• Very good communication and interpersonal skills;
• Well-developed personal organization and priority setting skills;
• The capacity to deliver and receive analytical criticism constructively, and provide effective feedback;
• An effective and transparent approach to sharing information;
• The capacity for working harmoniously in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams, and the ability to interact effectively with officials of other agencies; and
• Good presentation skills and the ability to interact effectively with small groups as well as individuals