Current Vacancies at Bioversity International

Job Description

• We are seeking proactive and dedicated Associate Officers to join our Science Engagement and Resource Mobilization team within the Partnerships department. These roles are pivotal in supporting our Alliance researchers to achieve their fundraising objectives, enhancing our ability to secure essential resources for groundbreaking research projects.

Key duties & responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with Principal Investigators and Research Area Directors to identify and capitalize on funding opportunities.
• Provide strategic and procedural guidance throughout the proposal development process, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and compliance with internal protocols.
• Facilitate the coordination of cross-functional teams, including Finance, Legal, and Program Delivery, to streamline proposal submissions and maximize funding success.
• Synthesize learnings from proposal outcomes to continually refine and improve fundraising strategies and practice

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in agricultural, environmental, or biological sciences, international development, business administration, science communications, or related fIelds
• Experience: At least 5 years of experience in resource mobilization and research proposal development within international settings, with a successful track record of managing complex, multi-million-dollar proposals.
• Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Competencies: Strong analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills; adept at navigating multi-disciplinary and multicultural settings; ability to work autonomously and effectively under tight deadlines.
• A background in agriculture, environment, rural development, and/or natural or social sciences is preferred.
• Must have proven experience in preparing large, complex, technical proposals (≥US$2 million), whilst working with multi-disciplinary teams in international settings.

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• As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance agricultural resilience and financial inclusivity through innovative technology, we seek a Human-Centered Design (HCD) Expert with extensive experience in building digital ecosystem products, particularly in the fintech sector. The consultant will play a pivotal role in designing and refining the Shamba Shield innovation bundle, which integrates Risk Contingent Credit (RCC), risk scoring tools, and digital agro-advisory services into a cohesive package aimed at addressing the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in accessing credit.

The consultancy will extend over a period of 4 months, with a possibility of extension.

Objectives:

•  To leverage human-centered design principles in the development and enhancement of our digital product bundle, ensuring it meets the real-world needs of our stakeholders.
• To facilitate the integration of RCC, risk scoring, and digital agro-advisories into a unified platform that is intuitive, accessible, and impactful. This will include a and design thinking approach to integrate different elements into a comprehensive innovation bundle.
• To contribute expertise in the planning and execution of the Innovation packaging and Scaling readiness (IPSR) workshop, including partner engagement and the application of HCD methodologies to the ShambaShield product bundle.
• To assist in the drafting of workshop reports and proposals that detail the role of HCD in the development and scalability of the product bundle.

Key duties & responsibilities

Product Design and Framing:

• Apply HCD methodologies to conceptualize and design the innovation bundle, ensuring it aligns with the needs, behaviors, and contexts of the target user base.
• Work collaboratively with product teams to prototype, test, and refine product features based on user feedback and interaction data.

IPSR Workshop Facilitation:

• Engage actively in the IPSR packaging workshop, providing insights on HCD principles and practices to integrate into the innovation bundle.
•   Facilitate sessions on HCD methodologies, encouraging participation from partners and stakeholders to co-create solutions that are both innovative and grounded in user needs.

Partner Engagement:

• Collaborate with a diverse range of partners, including financial institutions, agricultural experts, and technology developers, to gather insights and align objectives with the principles of human-centered design.
• Advocate for the adoption of HCD practices in the development and scaling of financial and agricultural technologies.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Assist in the preparation of detailed workshop and project reports that capture key insights, discussions, and outcomes, emphasizing the application of HCD to our innovation bundle.
• Contribute to the drafting of proposals, articulating how HCD will be integral to the development, implementation, and scaling of the product bundle.

Key Deliverables:

• A comprehensive design framework for the innovation bundle, based on RCC, risk scoring, and digital agro-advisories; by including key HCD elements.
• Detailed report from the IPSR workshop, highlighting the integration of HCD principles.
• A proposal document outlining the application and impact of HCD in the product bundle, including strategies for implementation and scaling.

Requirements

• Proven experience in human-centered design, especially within digital product development and fintech ecosystems.
• Strong background in facilitating workshops and engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the design process.
• Excellent analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to communicate complex design principles in accessible language.
•  Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in dynamic, cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of agricultural and financial sectors, particularly in the context of smallholder farming, is highly desirable.