Latest Recruitment at Bioversity International

The Thematic leader Research Data  and Knowledge  Management for Open Science reports to the Leader of the Performance, Information and Strategic Analysis for Impact (PISAI) program. The Thematic Leader provides strategic leadership for developing and governing innovative research data, information, and open science strategy to leverage data and information products as strategic assets of the organization. The position leads a global team that oversees center-wide research data governance and management, research data engineering and data systems development, information management, and statistical services to support the Alliances objectives.

The Thematic Leader works closely with institutional leaders to ensure these functions integrate across the entire research life cycle, improve research quality, and assure impact at scale. The position fosters an open science culture that ensures research outputs are widely distributed and used as strategic assets in international agricultural research by all stakeholders. 

Responsibilities:

• Define and govern the research data, information and open science strategy in accordance with Alliance policies for stewardship and utilization of data and information as strategic assets of the organization for impact.
• Provide leadership and strategic guidance to a global team identifying and implementing improved mechanisms for research data and information management at an institutional level and within project research life cycles.
• Lead the design and implementation of flexible and integrated data and information management systems for multi-disciplinary research
• Identify and implement  digital technologies that help to make the research process more efficient.
• Lead a global team that promotes data quality by providing services for research characterized by well-documented and ethically responsible research designs, methods, and appropriate statistical analysis.
• Oversee the development and implementation of standards and processes that integrate the Alliance data and information for strategic use and make it widely and transparently available according to globally accepted standards to drive the dissemination and impact of research.
• Contribute to or lead the development and implementation of successful proposals.

Engagement:

• Engage with institutional leaders from Research Levers, PISA, Program Delivery Unit, Partnership and Communications and the legal office to ensure data and open science functions are strategically integrated across the entire research life cycle.
• Collaborate with the Director of Technology Integration, to establish policies, guidelines and processes that ensure the availability of relevant data architecture for research while ensuring data security and privacy.
• Represent the Organization in data and information management related forums within the CGIAR and the CGIAR Programs and Platforms to ensure the Alliance is a leader in the stewardship, use and dissemination of research data and information products.
• Collaborate with external groups, organizations, and associations and participate in relevant significant events to improve data and information management, research methods, and open science within the Alliance

Delivery

• Govern a strategy that ensures stewardship, management and dissemination of research data and information for utilization as a strategic asset of the Alliance.
• Oversee efficient and high-quality design, collection, storage management, security, analysis and sharing of research data and information, in compliance with organization policy and ethics and to meet organization and funder research and impact goals.
• Oversee creation of research data and information systems that improve efficiency of research to facilitate timeliness of research outputs.
• Oversee the management of data and information process and platforms to ensure timely dissemination of Alliance information products in compliance with open access policy. Timely provision of research output indicators to the organization, CGIAR and funders.

Key qualifications and competencies:

• PhD or master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems or a related field
• Proven experience in leading global and diverse teams, preferably within a scientific or research organization
• Extensive expertise in substantive work, providing strategic direction and/or program management
• Strategic planning and execution skills with experience turning strategic organizational objectives into actionable plans
• Advanced knowledge of data and digital principles, practices, and technologies especially in relation to the scientific research lifecycle
• Strong technical skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, software development, data analytics and other emerging technologies
• Strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills
• Experience with Open Access, FAIR data and Open Science principles and practices is an added advantage
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, in English.  Knowledge of Spanish will be an added advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively in a highly dynamic, interdisciplinary, and multicultural team
• Strong ability to lead, prioritize, and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure

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The Driver & Logistics Assistant is part of the Procurement and Logistic team and has the responsibility of managing official vehicles in Nairobi and providing logistics support to the procurement and logistics unit.

Main duties and responsibilities include:

Driver Responsibilities:

• Drive staff and/or materials to the field and delivery of official documents
• Monitor and follow-up with garage to ensure efficient servicing of all official vehicles
• Conduct normal pre-drive checks and ensure cleanliness of official vehicles are maintained
• Maintain a database of all official vehicles and coordinate allocation of vehicles to staff for official trips
• Record vehicle mileage details in Excel and send monthly reports to Accounts office.
• Manage a schedule of vehicle running costs incurred by various projects, and provide a summary report to the Accounts office on a monthly basis

Logistics support:

• Assist in the facilitation of the procurement process ensuring that the IITA procurement rules are respected in identifying suppliers and sourcing for quotations.
• Liaise with ICIPE Protocol and procurement office for clearance of official shipments ensuring documentation to facilitate the process are in place.
• Assist in all areas of Fleet Management in Liaison with ICIPE Transport office as applicable i.e vehicle registration, insurance, maintenance, security, usage monitoring, vehicle ownership transfers and disposal.
• Update staff on various emerging Traffic trends in Kenya.
• Follow-up with ICIPE on Protocol matters for the organization and its eligible staff - includes handling of visas, work permits, diplomatic identity cards, shipment of personal items for eligible staff etc.
• Assist in the filing, following up, recording and sending out of VAT exemption certificates.

Qualification and Experience

• Diploma in Transport & Logistics Management
• Valid and clean driving license and certificate of good conduct
• At least two (2) year’s work experience gained in an international organization with good mechanical knowledge and good knowledge of Nairobi and its environs
• Good computing skills with knowledge of MS Office applications, particularly MS Excel
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Courtesy, tact and the ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural background.

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The Consultant-Data science will support KALRO in managing and analyzing large datasets, contributing to the development of a data stack, Federated Learning and performing various data science tasks necessary for the successful implementation of project activities. This role is critical in ensuring that the data-driven insights generated by the project are effectively used to inform policy and practice in agricultural innovation and resilience.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

Data Management and Development:

• Assist in developing and maintaining the KALRO data stack, including data pipelines, databases, and cloud-based tools to achieve a single identity across multiple databases.
• Harmonize diverse data sources, including databases, APIs, and external services.
• Participate in the development of federated learning technologies and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes for data ingestion, data stewardship, transformation, and storage.

Data Analysis:

• Conduct data cleaning, enrichment, and transformation for analysis and reporting.
• Perform statistical analyses, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis to generate farmer typologies.
• Develop and deploy data visualization tools and dashboards to support decision-making processes.
• Machine Learning & Predictive Modeling:
• Assist in the development and application of machine learning models for predictive analytics, classification, and anomaly detection.
• Contribute to the evaluation and optimization of these models for use in agricultural decision-making processes.

Collaboration & Coordination:

• Work closely with KALRO, CGIAR and University of Leeds scientists, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless integration and application of data science tools.
• Participate in workshops, meetings, and other collaborative activities to support the co-development of advisory services and the review of ISRA metrics.
• Facilitate the dissemination of data-driven insights to smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the region.

Research Support:

• Support field research activities, including household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews in Kisumu, Siaya, Vihiga, and Busia counties.
• Assist in the preparation of research reports, policy briefs, and academic publications based on data analysis results.

Requirements

• The candidate should have completed a Master's degree (Preferably an MBA or MSc) with specialization in Finance, Marketing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Agribusiness.
• 5+ years of professional experience supporting the start-up of commercial agribusiness production, sales, and marketing operations.
• Experience promoting the introduction and adoption of new agriculture technology in Rwanda and East Africa.
• Experience advising small and medium private agribusinesses involved in agri-food systems and/or circular ventures.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience related to SMEs, access to finance, the private sector, and entrepreneurship development.
• Experience in successful engagement with public sector institutions.
• Excellent communication skills, able to interact with a multi-cultural and interdisciplinary team of scientists and development partners in layman language. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and working proficiency in French, and Kinyarwanda.
• Affinity with multi-stakeholder approaches
• Proactive and independent problem solver, and excellent team player.
• A good understanding of the circular economy theories, approaches, and policy landscape in Rwanda is an advantage.
• Proven capacity in publishing technical, and/or scientific documents such as journal articles, and policy briefs are an advantage.
• Proven project management skills.
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation of research for development interventions is considered an advantage.