Jobs at Bioversity International

About the position

• The Partnerships Officer for Africa works with the Africa Managing Director, scientific community, and the Partnerships and Communications team to Identify and foster opportunities for resource mobilization at the regional and country level. This role contributes to maintaining excellent relationships with national governments and regional bodies, as well as maintaining a robust regional fundraising pipeline resources for implementation of the Alliance’s research-for-development agenda. The Partnerships Officer for Africa is co-supervised by the Managing Director for Africa and the Global Director of Partnerships and Communication. Although regionally focused, the role contributes to the Alliance’s overall resource mobilization and partnerships objectives, working closely with the global Partnerships team.

Key duties & responsibilities

• Develop, nurture, and facilitate coordination of strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in Sub Sharan Africa to facilitate implementation of the Alliance’s agenda in the region.
•  Oversee development and implementation of Government Relationship Strategies in targeted countries to build and maintain strong partnerships with public authorities.
• Work with the Managing Director on developing strong and trustworthy relationships with the donors and partners to position the Alliance as strategic, effective, and impactful implementing partners.
• Negotiate partnership agreements and MOUs to formalize collaborations, including relationships to establish relevant consortia for proposal development.
• Identify and gather intelligence on funding prospects at country and regional level with an affinity for research, development, and policy change aligned with the Alliance’s mission and strategic objectives.
• Co-design with the Alliance’s scientific community and senior leadership, funder engagement strategies (cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, campaigns) that lead to financial and in-kind contributions.
• Plan, design and ensure the Alliance’s participation in key regional and national events and policy dialogues related to the Alliances’ mission to build and maintain funder and partner networks and generates funding opportunities.
• Plan and oversee funder prospective funder visits to Alliance offices and research sites to stimulate meaningful long-term relationships, including preparation of briefs and taking points.
• Coordinate development and submission of high quality, strategic, competitive, and timely proposals to funders, and follow through until approval. Act as a strategic and technical support.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders.

Requirements

Required qualifications and experience.

• Master’s degree in related field (International Development, Political Science, Business Administration, Agriculture, Environment) etc.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral, French will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5 years working in international research-for-development organizations.
• Excellent skills in teamwork, negotiation, communication, and diplomacy, with the ability to interact courteously and effectively with people at all levels in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment, including external stakeholders.
• Excellent eye for detail, critical thinking, high standards of excellence, personal organization, prioritization and time management skills, flexibility, and the ability to deliver on agreed deadlines.
• Ability to work with a considerable amount of autonomy in fast-moving environment.
• Must be able to work independently, but also participate as a team member in the accomplishment of duties.
• Strong ability to coordinate, prioritize and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure.
• Willingness to travel within Africa and beyond.
• Experience working with CGIAR or other international organizations and experience working in Sub-Sahara Africa.

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• The Senior Research associate in finance and Investments will play a pivotal role in integrating research activities with the delivery of support in financial tools for agriculture risk management, through bundled business models, in support of turning policy priorities into bankable and profitable solutions for public and private sector, whilst contributing to net zero and climate resilient development for vulnerable communities. The candidate will also ensure effective delivery of projects within the Climate Action lever of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, supporting the achievement of goals in the Finance and Investments research Area.

Key duties & responsibilities

Objectives

• Contribute to the Implementation and delivery research projects and initiatives, aligning with organizational goals and ensuring adherence to schedules and resource allocations.
• Manage design related field work, data collection, and reporting mechanisms to bolster research project execution, drawing upon an extensive background in finance and investment processes.
• Engage proactively with both internal research teams and external partners, guiding data collection efforts and ensuring research requisites are fulfilled efficiently, to support product delivery for end users (SMEs, MFIs, and Smallholder farmers).

Collaboration and Advisory

• Provide expert advice on operational capacities, refining processes, and protocols to mitigate potential project execution challenges.
• Establish and maintain robust coordination with external entities for the effective gathering of on-site data, aligning with overarching research objectives.
• Cultivate a cooperative atmosphere among stakeholders, leveraging supervisory skills to anticipate and rectify issues impacting research progress.

Legacy Responsibilities and Innovations

• Employ an analytical approach to refine research methodologies, informed by experience in process-oriented roles within the finance and investment sectors.
• Integrate and enhance investment strategies for climate-smart agriculture, including detailed analysis and development of investment packages focused on sustainable practices.
• Conduct comprehensive mapping of both national and international financial institutions, identifying potential partnerships and investment opportunities.
• Develop business models and investment packages for financial products and offerings, emphasizing climate adaptation and mitigation solutions with additional socio-economic benefits.
• Lead advanced analytical initiatives, assessing business models, cost-benefit analyses, and investment returns, incorporating sensitivity analyses to inform strategic decisions.
• Innovate and develop analytical tools to support stakeholder decision-making, improving program development and implementation across government and non-governmental sectors.
• Develop training manuals for financial products for climate risk management.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in economics, finance, accounting, or related field
• A professional background in Finance, Investments, or a closely related field, with a preference for candidates holding a master’s degree.
• Demonstrated experience in managing process-driven work, supervisory roles that required leading research teams towards successful outcomes an advantage.
• Proficiency in English at an intermediate level, with additional language skills considered beneficial.

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Background of the position

• We are seeking a Research Fellow to support climate-smart agriculture scaling as part of the Accelerating the Impact of CGIAR Research for Africa (AICCRA) project funded by the World Bank. This position will provide support in facilitating scaling efforts within the AICCRA Theme 2 “Climate-Smart Technologies and Practices”. It will be instrumental in coordinating scaling activities with AICCRA Country and Thematic Clusters, in an inclusive manner, building capacity of project staff and partners, fostering partnerships, and advancing the project's objectives while concurrently engaging in rigorous academic research as well as monitoring and evaluation aligned with and boosting/enhancing the AICCRA project's goals. The ideal candidate will provide technical guidance to advance the science and practice of scaling within AICCRA and more broadly across the Climate Action lever of the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT. The ideal candidate will also play a crucial role in project management and reporting for AICCRA and contribute to fundraising on an as need basis.

Key duties & responsibilities

Scaling Coordination:

• Co-develop and support implementation of a new scaling strategy/framework to scale project interventions across diverse geographical regions in Africa, placing particular emphasis on ‘responsible’ dimensions such as social inclusion and accounting for environmental trade-offs while also supporting adherence to the World Bank’s ‘Environmental and Social Safeguards’.
• Coordinate with project stakeholders and partners, including researchers, policymakers, NGOs, and communities, to contribute to the effectiveness of scaling activities and through knowledge exchange, facilitate the sharing of lessons learned to maximize impact and sustainability.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of scaling initiatives, gathering feedback and insights for continuous improvement, particularly in relation to the new framework.

Research:

• Conduct independent research aligned with and advancing the overarching goals of the AICCRA project, i.e. on participatory, community-led innovation methods.
• Design and execute research as well as M&E methodologies, including data collection, analysis, and interpretation that can contribute to AICCRA’s repository of approaches in the “Learning Zone”.Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at relevant conferences, contributing to the academic discourse on climate change research in Africa.
• Support project teams in the integration of research findings into scaling strategies and programmatic activities.
• Stay up to date with the latest developments in climate policy and science, including emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities, and integrate this knowledge into research projects and initiatives.

Project Management:

• Assist in project planning and reporting related to scaling activities.
• Track progress against milestones and deliverables, ensuring alignment with project timelines and objectives and suggest adjustments as relevant.
• Support cross-functional teams in coordinating activities and addressing challenges related to scaling and research integration.

Outreach and Capacity Strengthening:

• Lead and work with a team to organize and conduct capacity strengthening of African institutions, policy makers, students in fostering climate policy and investment action. This includes developing training materials, developing university/student curricula, organizing, and leading training events, and evaluating the effectiveness of capacity strengthening activities.
• Communicate research findings through various channels, including blogs, policy briefs, discussion papers, social media, popular media, among others.

Requirements

• A master's degree in a relevant field such as environmental science, climate change, development studies, or a related discipline. A Ph.D. candidate or holder is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in project coordination, preferably in the context of climate change research or development projects in Africa.
• Strong research background with experience in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
• Proven experience in working with gender and inclusion research tools and methodologies
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, multicultural environment.
• Familiarity with the theory and application of monitoring and evaluation frameworks and tools is an asset.
• Proven commitment to advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in Africa.
• Strong English and at least intermediate French language skills are an asset.