International Livestock Research Institute Careers

Purpose

• Ensure IRRI’s audiences in Africa are appropriately engaged by managing and developing a communication and messaging portfolio in coordination with the global communications team and the Africa Director.
• Develop communications material for resource mobilization, including investment pitches and stories that support the pitches.
• Contribute to and accelerate making a significant increase in funding for IRRI-AFRICA. For example, be a key contributor to prospects (funders and/or proposals) developed, working with relevant research teams and Directors.
• Contribute to broadening the base of IRRI funders for IRRI-AFRICA.

Engagement

• Under the overall direction of the global Communications Head, work hand in hand for the workplan priorities, strategies and implementation with the Deputy Director General of Strategy Engagement and Impact and the Regional Director.
• Work collaboratively with the Country Representatives and all regional staff to ensure that communication for resource mobilization needs are addressed
• Secure linkages and collaborate with regional project partners, other CGIAR centers, donors, communication subgroups, and the media to ensure timely delivery of outputs, information dissemination and technology

Delivery

• Active and responsive communications and messaging portfolio for IRRI-AFRICA
• Targeted stories and case studies capturing IRRI's scientific advancements and impacts in Africa for resource mobilization use and for corporate communications (in newsletters, website, social media, media, and the annual report, etc.). 
• Set of IRRI solutions for Africa prepared for pitching to funders.
• Funder intelligence collated for Africa, in collaboration with PDMO, the Director for IRRI-AFRICA, Country representatives, SEI DDG and others as required.
• Regular donor connections and follow-ups made, and relationships built.
• Coordination with scientific teams for funder requests. 
• Dashboard to track efforts and targets.
• Perform any other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Development, Communications, Journalism, or related field with minimum 7 years of relevant work experience. Qualifications in agriculture also highly regarded.
• Experience in developing communication products and in packaging them so they are applicable for different audiences and channels, especially for resource mobilization.
• Experience in resource mobilization and engaging with funders.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence others.
• Knowledge of the Africa media landscape highly regarded.
• Knowledge and experience in agriculture.

Key Responsibilities  

• Develop and implement communications strategy for CASA.
• Develop and produce project collateral and communications and knowledge products (e.g. brochure, banners, success stories, briefs, blogs, news articles, video stories and social media posts)
• Engage and keep project stakeholders updated on project activities and outcomes through a regular communication channel, for example, an e-newsletter.
• Review, edit and help format all official project materials, including reports and presentations.
• Ensure visibility of the project at national and regional events and in news media
• Collaborate with scientists and implementation partners to identify and pursue synergistic opportunities for promoting the project’s visibility and advancing its goals through targeted stakeholder materials and activities as needed.
• Engage with media personnel on behalf of the project in close collaboration with the Communications Manager
• Oversee and ensure implementation of WorldFish brand in all project materials and activities.
• Coordinate with global Communications team to provide content for global and regional campaigns, events, website, and social media channels.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in Communications, journalism, public relations or similar
• Minimum 7-10 years of applied working experience in implementing communications and marketing for complex research for development project, program, or institution, with at least 2 years with an international organization.
• Demonstrated exceptional writing, editing, and communication skills in English for producing products in a variety of formats (i.e., website, social media, print publications, press releases, event materials, etc.)
• Experience working and communicating effectively with a range of stakeholders including researchers, policymakers and government officials, NGOs, media, and community representatives.
• Well experienced in managing and coordinating development of products with team members and vendors, ensuring quality deliverables in a timely fashion.
• Proven ability to digest, analyze and present complex technical information clearly and concisely in a wide variety of formats to non-scientific audiences.
• Strong skills in event planning and management.
• Must be a self-starter with the ability to work independently with minimum       supervision, as well as part of a team.
• Strong editing skills with keen attention to detail in reviewing materials and quality of products.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint
• Experience with social media channels, drafting posts and promoting content
• Possess excellent organizational skills.
• Proactive and enthusiastic to initiate new ideas and convene teams to execute.
• Ability to produce audiovisual and multimedia materials preferred.
• Sound judgement, effective decision-making, and personal accountability.
• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple assignments with competing deadlines in a fast- paced environment.
• Flexibility to take on assignments at short notice or to change assignments at short notice.
• Functional skills in PhotoShop, Adobe video editing, Adobe Design or similar software preferred.
• Able to work under pressure and tight deadlines (possibly long hours )  when required.

The positions

• The MSc students will play a pivotal role in the “Go Heal Mastitis” project, a collaborative effort with Laval University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). This groundbreaking initiative seeks to pioneer a phage-based intervention to combat mastitis in goats and mitigate the dependency on antibiotics in Kenyan goat farming. Engaging actively in the project, students will undertake tasks including isolating mastitis-causing bacteria such as Staphylococcus sp. and identifying bacteriophages (phages) tailored to combat these bacterial strains. Their primary focus will be on the comprehensive characterization of these bacterial isolates and phages, encompassing both in vitro and in vivo   experiments.

Terms and reference

• Collaborate with supervisor(s), to design and develop MSc research proposals that outlines the objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes of the study.
• Isolate of Staphylococcus sp. strains.
• Isolate Staph-specific phages.
• Characterize the bacteriophages.
• Assess the antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus sp. strains and the presence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in these isolates.
• Evaluate the ability of key phages to reduce mastitis in animal models.
• Utilize statistical tools to analyze the data, interpret findings, and draw meaningful conclusions from the study.
• Prepare reports, publications, and conference presentations to share the results of the study with the scientific community and relevant stakeholders.
• Effectively manage project timelines, budgets, and resources allocated to the study.

Minimum requirements for the ideal candidate

• BSc degree in microbiology and immunology, biochemistry, or molecular biology.
• Work experience (1+ years) in a microbiology laboratory, with training in bacterial culture and molecular biology assays such as PCR/qPCR   is an added advantage.
• Experience working with phages is an added advantage.
• Completed coursework at JKUAT in an MSc degree in the stated related fields above is an added advantage.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with team members and stakeholders.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with the ability to work independently and take the lead in research activities.

Key Responsibilities  

The successful candidate will be responsible to:

• Co-lead data collection in the field (including supervising a team of data collectors) and activities facilitation at the community level.
• Carry out literature reviews pertaining to relevant topics that will be assigned.
• Be able to carry out quantitative and qualitative research.
• Facilitate meetings, workshops, and training with project focus communities, including engagement with external agencies and NGOs as necessary.
• Aiding in planning and organizing research activities and partnership events/meetings, acting as a liaison for communities and other partners.
• Contribute to the reporting of activities and research for project donors and programs and provide input to scientific publications.
• Ensure quality communication and engagement with national and county stakeholders, including government and NGO partners, on research activities implementation and findings.
• Work collaboratively with the work package leads, the Project Leader, and other senior experts. This includes engaging with WorldFish and partner scientists across other geographies to learn from and contribute to a growing body of work on gender equality and social inclusion.
• Ensure timely reporting of project activities and outcomes per WorldFish and donor requirements

Requirements

This job might be for you if you have the below skills and qualifications:

• A Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics, Social Science, Rural Development, Agricultural Sciences, Gender studies, Anthropology or related field.
• At least three years working experience in research or development programs in Kenya or any other African country relating to agri-food systems, aquaculture, small-scale fisheries, or natural resources (including research methods).
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate program activities and organize events (workshops, demonstrations, trainings).
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and participating in partnerships at national, municipal and local levels.
• Must be proficient in data collection and data management.
• Must be proficient in SPSS/STATA/R program and willing to learn if not able to use qualitative data analysis software, such as N-Vivo.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office 365 software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Comfortable and confident working within a diverse international team, with good interpersonal and communication skills to a broad range of colleagues and partners.
• Strong interpersonal skills, in particular, the ability to work effectively in diverse and dynamic teams as well as develop a close and effective working relationship with partners.
• Proven excellence in written and verbal English communication skills.
• A demonstrated ability to work constructively and effectively in complex contexts and a passion for equality, equity, inclusive poverty reduction, nutrition and food security, and environmental sustainability through research for development.
• Experience working with rural communities in Africa/Asia will be an asset.
• Ensure timely reporting of project activities and outcomes per WorldFish and donor requirements. 
• Aid in administrative duties, communication and research advocacy as instructed. 

Desired Skills and Qualifications

• Knowledge of fisheries and/or aquaculture and/or agri-food systems.
• Experience applying participatory methods that are fun and engaging and gender-sensitive research approaches.
• Demonstrated ability to analyses quantitative and/or qualitative data to a high standard.
• Experience developing information and education materials for government and community stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Good organizational skills.

Responsibilities 

• Support the design, development, and implementation of field studies, including the selection of appropriate epidemiological methods for collecting active and passive antimicrobial resistance and use data using a One Health approach.
• Contribute to quantitative and qualitative analysis of research data, interpret results, and prepare reports, manuscripts and presentations.
• Prepare research ethics applications, data sharing agreements, and progress reports.
• Represent ILRI on a day-to-day level with project partners and take responsibility for maintaining good relations with study participants, local authorities, funders, and other stakeholders.
• Liaise regularly with government officials.
• Disseminate research findings at scientific meetings and conferences.
• Co-organize trainings and workshops in AMR/U data analysis, including providing support to the epidemiology unit at the department of veterinary services.
• Be willing to spend long days in the field.
• Perform any other related duties as may be assigned.

Requirements

• MSc degree program in epidemiology, data sciences, or equivalent.
• Minimum of five years' experience in data analysis in field-based projects with a "One Health" theme.
• Formal training (e.g., certificate level) in team/project management, as well as significant practical experience of team management.
• Proficiency with appropriate analytic software and tools, especially R.
• Excellent organizational, analytic, and interpretive skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Good interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills, especially to diverse audiences and targets.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and foster teamwork.
• Ability to work with limited supervision and to take initiatives

Responsibilities

The main purpose of the job is to ensure that best practices for monitoring, evaluation and learning are employed across the Fleming Fund Project in line with ILRI and funder requirements

Monitoring (30%):

• Develop a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan aligned to the project objectives 
• Support the Fleming fund team in developing the projects Theory of Change and the underpinning assumptions.
• Track the progress of project against the Theory of Change and agreed project indicators.
• Design and implement data collection methodologies to track project progress (Outputs & outcomes).
• Participate in regular meetings with project teams, partners and other stakeholders) to update and streamline monitoring activities
• M&E work may involve working closely/directly with partners (and will spend maybe 1 day a week sitting at partner offices in Nairobi and NASIC)

Reporting (30%):

• Prepare regular and timely reports that meet the reporting requirements. The report should highlight  project performance, key achievements, challenges and lessons.
• Support the project team to  understand the reporting requirements.

Coordination and Learning (25%):

• Ensure efficient exchange of information and alignment of expectations between ILRI and partners
• Support project teams to design and implement collaboration, adaptation, and learning activities.
• Coordinate internal and external evaluations.
• Support country grant to strengthen interdisciplinary interaction within their teams.

Knowledge Management and Capacity Development (15%):

• Design and deliver trainings events, and materials to improve the capacity of project teams  in project monitoring and reporting.
• Take lead in data quality assessment to ensure credibility of the data.
• Data management and archiving Participate in ILRI led learning and sharing platforms
• Perform any other related duties as may be required

Requirements

• Masters degree in economics, social sciences international development, natural science or any other relevant field
• Seven years of experience in related field
• Relevant professional certification
• Experience in developing monitoring, evaluation and learning frameworks
• Proven experience in developing and tracking project monitoring and evaluation plans                                         
• Experience in data analysis and report writing
• Experience with statistical analysis and data modelling techniques, using R,/STATA/SPSS, and NVIVO
• Affective communication skill to present complex data concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities 

The epidemiologist will also provide technical in-field support to the Mitigating the Risk of Vector-Borne Disease in Northern Kenya (DTRA-NK) Project.

We are seeking, preferably, a veterinarian, with a minimum of 3 years experience in field-based projects with a "One Health" theme.

• Represent ILRI on a day-to-day level with project partners and take responsibility for maintaining good relations with study participants, local authorities and other stakeholders
• Through regular review data entering the ER Health platform and communication with focal points on conservancies at which the platform is being piloted, proactively ensure that the ER Health module is being adopted and appropriately used.
• Coordinate with ER Health training lead to ensure that training efforts are adaptive to the needs of rangers at each pilot site.
• Generate monthly data reports from EarthRanger, tailored to conservancies on which the platform is being piloted, and government stakeholders (WRTI, KWS and DVS).
• Work with the ER Health training lead to develop standardized protocols for broader adoption of the Earth Ranger Health system.
• Manage communications and outreach for the ER Health platform.
• Undertake examinations of, and collect biological samples from, livestock, peri-domestic wildlife and the environment according to project protocols.
• Willingness to spend sometimes long days in the field, and periods of time in Turkana, Marsabit and Samburu counties.
• Any other duties that may be assigned by the senior project staff.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience post-graduation with a Master’s degree, in Veterinary Science
• Proficiency in using Ms Office and statistical packages such as R etc.
• 3 years of working experience
• Experience in animal handling, field epidemiology and collection of epidemiological data
• Experience with the following platforms is desirable: EarthRanger, ODK/KoboToolbox
• Experience in teamwork/management of technicians
• Excellent communication skills  

Responsibilities 

• Support the collection of household and agricultural data (e.g. program survey tools, recruit and assist in the training of data collection staff, organize survey logistics, monitor quality of incoming data in real-time)
• Prepare data for analysis; build large datasets from multiple sources
• Analyze data using advanced econometric methods
• Conduct literature reviews and syntheses
• Assist in drafting reports and research papers
• Assist in capacity building
• Coordinate projects and support outreach activities
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Statistics or closely related fields.
• A minimum of 3 years’ work experience in academia, the private sector, a development-oriented research organization or comparable institution in the area of impact evaluation.
• Knowledge of microeconomic theory and applied quantitative econometric methods
• Excellent knowledge of STATA
• Willingness and openness to learn and “think out of the box” 
• Excellent analytical mind
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English
• Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task as needed, consistently meet deadlines and manage time well
• Demonstrated professional level of attention to detail and accuracy of work
• Ability to work independently and with initiative
• Willingness to travel

Responsibilities 

Manage content pipeline, review process and publishing for the GENDER virtual resource hub, including:

• Content pipeline management via Asana, including news items, blog posts, explainers, and others, to ensure steady, timely publication of relevant content.
• Drafting, uploading and publishing content such as news items, blog posts, explainers on GENDER’s virtual resource hub using Drupal CMS.
• Collating, writing, publishing and managing methods, tools, manuals and trainings on the GENDER resource hub, and ensuring steady expansion of existing resources on gender equality, youth and social inclusion.
• Curating select GENDER content onto CGIAR.org, into CGIAR newsletters and other relevant outlets for optimized and targeted reach.
• Ensuring up-to-date, complete and correct import of publications and data sets, to ensure representation of recent and relevant publications and datasets from across CGIAR and select partners.
• Improving and ensuring timely publication of articles, explainers, tools, manuals, methods, etc.

Manage the GENDER newsletter production and curate CGIAR-wide content, including:

• Inviting, collating, tracking and publishing content from CGIAR centers and initiatives for GENDER newsletters and resource hub to ensure wide, relevant representation and latest news in GENDER’s bi-monthly newsletters.
• Managing communications campaigns, such as for international days or events to ensure relevant, strategic foci of CGIAR-wide campaigns on gender equality, youth and social inclusion.
• Reviewing, editing and reposting news on gender, youth and social inclusion from across CGIAR on GENDER’s virtual resource hub using Drupal CMS to ensure up-to-date representation of latest news on gender equality, youth and social inclusion.
• Maintaining and growing GENDER’s GDPR-compliant list of newsletter subscribers via MailChimp.

Manage and coordinate the publications pipeline, including:

• Managing the production of GENDER’s established publications series, including the working paper and briefing notes series.
• Coordinating with GENDER modules, scientific editorial team, copyeditors and designers to plan, track, review, copyedit, layout and publish publications in GENDER’s series according to established guidelines to ensure timely publication of rigorous, relevant and in-demand research and evidence.
• Ensure the correct use and implementation of CGIAR and CGIAR GENDER branding and acknowledgment requirements, making sure to integrate any new requirements from funders or CGIAR Systems Organization.

Track, collate and make available publications and knowledge products from across the GENDER Impact Platform via appropriate repositories:

• Uploading knowledge products and other outputs, including meta data on license, publishers and more, in adherence with CGIAR guidelines, to GENDER’s publications repository (CG Space) to facilitate seamless annual reporting of Platform knowledge products, liaising with GENDER modules and GENDER’s portfolio manager.
• Supporting timely reporting of knowledge products and other outputs, as well as statistics and trends, in CGIAR reporting systems, including PRMS and via annual reports.
• Defining, monitoring and tracking KPIs for GENDER content and knowledge products, including via Google Analytics and the CG Space Explorer, to facilitate reporting as well as evaluation of publications and content performance.
• Perform any other related duties as may be assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, knowledge management, project management, ICT, business administration, or relevant field
• Minimum five years’ relevant experience
• Proficiency in written English
• Highly competent in using a range of web-based and social media tools.
• Knowledge of internal sharing tool such as share point an advantage.