BACKGROUND
ICRA The International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture - was established in 1981 by European donors to the CGIAR, to link agricultural research to development. Since then, ICRA has evolved considerably, from an organisation focussing on individual training programmes in Europe to an emphasis on building organisational and system-wide capacity in the South. We see our core competency as building a cadre of facilitators (or business support services), who can then scale-up innovation in agri-food systems by themselves coaching multi-stakeholder partnerships through the process of action-research learning cycles. We approach this niche through the 4 domains of agricultural research for development (ARD), tertiary agricultural education (TAE), agricultural advisory services (AAS) and agribusiness, but are most interested in the area of collective innovation where these domains overlap.
ICRA is a relatively small but growing international organisation; with currently 14 full- and part-time staff members and professional associates located at one of its two main offices in Wageningen, Netherlands, and Montpellier, France, as well as in Africa (Nairobi, Accra and Pretoria) and Latin America (Bolivia). Due to additional project activities, we are seeking additional staff to complement our current resources.
RESPONSIBILITIES (lead, or in collaboration with other ICRA staff):
- Design, implement and manage capacity strengthening programmes and projects in Africa, with a lesser emphasis in Asia and/or Latin America;
- Develop competitive proposals for capacity strengthening in rural innovation, with emphasis on agribusiness, value chain development and smallholder agriculture;
- Train in the facilitation of multi-stakeholder processes, agri-business and value chain development, and organisational development;
- Train in capacity strengthening processes, including needs assessment, the design, management and facilitation of experiential learning;
- Coach/mentor facilitators of multi-stakeholder platforms and business support services in ICRA programmes;
- Develop training materials to support ICRA capacity strengthening programmes;
- Develop and utilise a best practice framework for monitoring training programmes, and a results-chain based approach to evaluating ICRAs capacity strengthening programmes (in collaboration with other ICRA staff);
- Document training and capacity strengthening effectiveness (outcomes and impact);
- Network with potential ICRA partners both in Europe and the South (especially organisations specializing in agribusiness development, public-private partnership development, etc).
DESIRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
- A Masters or PhD degree in economics, business, or related field.
- A minimum of five years of experience in agribusiness or economic development of small-holder agriculture and agri-food systems, preferably including experience with the private sector and/or private-public partnerships;
- Agribusiness and Innovation Capacity Development Specialist to be based in Montpellier, France, or in Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Proven experience in capacity building within agricultural value chains or multi-stakeholder innovation platforms;
- Experience with training of trainers (preferred);
- Experience in training design, development of training materials and curricula;
- Experience with the design, management and evaluation of multi-stakeholder projects;
- Experience with promoting and managing organisational change;
- Ability to work in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural teams, as well as independently;
- Strong presentation skills, speaking and writing;
- Willingness to travel extensively within Africa, Asia and Latin America (approximately 30% of time).
- Fluent in French and English (Spanish is an advantage).
SALARY AND BENEFITS
This position will be based preferably at the ICRA office in Montpellier, France, or, alternatively, at our main office in Wageningen, The Netherlands. The salary will be based on qualifications and experience, within the indicative range of EUR 4,424 5,247 per month (full time, 36 hours per week). Applicants should be European nationals or in possession of a valid work permit.
TO APPLY
Please send your letter of application, with detailed Curriculum Vitae in English, names of three referees, and your contact details to the ICRA secretariat: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Closing date for receiving applications is June 30, 2013. For further general information please contact Ans Brom or Saskia Vleer (+31-(0)317-422938). Short listed candidates will be interviewed during July.
The selected candidate is expected to join our team before November 2013, at the latest. The initial appointment is for one year with the possibility of extension. ICRA is an equal opportunity employer.
Information about this position announcement can also be downloaded here.