THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve PEOPLE’S lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.


The Alliance works with local, national and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services.


About the position

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is seeking to recruit a Senior Research

Associate. The Senior Research Associate will be based in Arusha, Tanzania with travel to project sites, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in grain trading and processing, farming communities and in the regions within Africa when necessary. The incumbent will coordinate in all the stages of project management by supporting the crop value chain actors, coordinating surveys and data analysis for PABRA projects in Tanzania.


Key duties & responsibilities

  • Support the project coordinator to oversee and monitor the execution of various experiments, protocols activities in the project and adhere torigorous scientific standards for research
  • Work collaboratively with the rest of the project team to develop a deep understanding of the best ways to accelerate adoption of OPV crop cultivars.
  • Support gender mainstreaming within the ABC projects and lead and carry out fieldwork in rural communities, traders for gender focused qualitative (i.e., intra-household) research and in relation to the variety turnover and evaluation with stakeholders and project partners
  • Support development of digital tools to guide decisions regarding accelerating adoption of new cultivars and increasing varietal turnover by farmers, policy makers, and those in the bean, sorghum and groundnut value chains.
  • Strengthen and support external partnerships for scientific research with a number of colleagues and professionals from various disciplines.
  • Contribute to the design and coordination of data collection from on station and on-farm trials and project beneficiaries using digital tools and support quantitative and qualitative analysis using statistical software
  • Support fostering a strong network and coordination with NARES partners, private entities, seed corporations and other key seed stakeholders and engage them for scale up pathways for high-potential digital innovations and cultivars.
  • Contribute to project technical reporting (quarterly/ annual donor technical and trips) and publication of research results in peer-reviewed journals
  • Perform other tasks as assigned as a member of Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) team

Requirements

  • MSc degree in agricultural science (agricultural economics/Agribusiness, Agriculture etc), Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, social science or related field with an understanding of seed systems and strengthening partnerships for delivery of agricultural programs in developing countries.
  • Have excellent social skills in building contacts of trust with key persons in rural communities such as traders, community leaders, farmers and processors etc.
  • Have experience with qualitative and quantitative data analysis and management using tools such as SPSS/STATA or R and familiar with digital tools and innovations in agriculture
  • Experience working on digital farmer services and knowledge of digital tools and communication platforms
  • Experience working with National Agriculture Research Systems (NARES) and smallholder farmers is a plus.
  • Working experience around in social science, technology transfer, development research, rural development
  • Knowledge of human-centered design, design thinking and scalable digital agriculture tools is a plus
  • Excellent/proven English writing skills. Other languages (e.g., Kiswahili and local languages) would be a plus.

Terms of employment

This position is a nationallyrecruited position based in either Arusha, Tanzania. The initial contract will be for 1 year subject to a probation period of 3months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources.

This position is graded at BG07 level in a scale of BG01 to BG14 (BG14 being the highest level according to the Alliance job classification framework policy). We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits including but not limited to insurance, retirement plan, staff training and development, paid time off and flexible working arrangements.

The Alliance Bioversity-CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

Applications

Applicants are invited to visit https://alliancebioversityciat.org/careers to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUST include reference RFP301191 SeniorResearch Associateas the position applied for. Cover letter and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting. The Alliance collects and process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Applications closing date:16th April 2026

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.



At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.