B24214 Senior Research Associate

CIMMYT is a cutting edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. It is entrusted with fostering improved quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops through applied agricultural science, particularly in the Global South, through building strong partnerships. This combination enhances the livelihood trajectories and resilience of millions of resource-poor farmers, while working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries.

For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

CIMMYT is seeking a dynamic, self-motivated, and service-oriented professional for the position of Senior Research Associate to be a part of CSISA-MEA project team

This position will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Duties and Responsabilities:

• Co-design and coordinate and execute the research activities on soil management and rice-based systems in collaboration with public and private partnerships.   

• Develop/contribute to the state of soil acidity and salinity and the determinants of yield gaps in Bangladesh's project domain agroecology.   

• Define needs and act on opportunities to promote sustainable, resilient, and profitable farm management technologies, improve sustainable cropping system intensification, and bridge yield gaps in partnership with the public and private sectors.  

• Develop and co-design precise fertilizer management strategies using existing digital soil maps and recommendations to improve nutrient use efficiencies in Bangladesh's particularly acidic and saline environments.  

• Coordinate participatory adaptive research and development activities on resilient and sustainable resource conserving crops and cropping systems management, appropriate agricultural machinery, and livestock-integrated farming systems in project working ecologies. 

• Lead efforts coordinating research teams in the design, research, and implementation of techniques for modeling the environmental sustainability and resilience of food systems in Bangladesh. 

• Provide technical backstopping to public and private collaborators to develop efficient and dynamic research and development activities. 

• Work closely with an interdisciplinary project team of soil scientists/agronomists, data scientists, engineers and remote sensing specialists to advance sustainable and resilient rice-based production systems. 

• Summarize and communicate project activities and outcome results to various audiences, while contributing to annual and semi-annual reports. 

• Assist in the design and implementation of capacity-building strategies, with an emphasis on developing appropriate training content and materials and decision-support tools for different stakeholder groups. 

• Take lead responsibility in assuring that analytical techniques and/or fieldwork are developed in compliance with established quality standards. 

• Perform advanced statistical analysis of the information collected on soil management, crop production and lead the development of a database to present the results achieved by the project under the supervisor’s guidance. 

• Coach other staff members on data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and curation 

• Assist in writing papers for international scientific journal standards. 

• Supervise field activities as assigned and report abnormal situations that arise in the development of the project assigned. 

• Take lead responsibility to carry out special investigations as assigned by the supervisor/project lead. 

• Take a leading role in conducting field surveys and interviews with farmers and other stakeholders, and analyze this information, for inclusion in CIMMYT publications. 

• Masters’ degree in soil science, agronomy, systems analysis in agriculture, or another related field. 

• Advanced knowledge of relevant administrative and operating protocols and policies required for research associates. 

• Demonstrated experience with soil management (acidity and salinity) skills.  

• Specialized knowledge of environmental systems (esp. fertilizer management, water, nitrogen, environmental foot-printing and greenhouse gas emissions) and their interactions with agricultural systems. 

• Medium to advanced managerial competence. 

• At least 8 years of professional work experience in research and research for development projects. 

• Requires conceptual knowledge of theories, practices, and procedures within soil management and rice-based production systems including working with large spatial datasets. 

• Publications in Soil and Agriculture Science field.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, and multi-cultural environment. 
• Involves the application of concepts from environmental sciences and agriculture. 
• Understand the linkages with other disciplines. Create multi-disciplinary projects and initiatives. 
• Ability to identify and finalize solutions to field problems (soil, water management, farm machinery, nutrient management, food transport, and processing). 
• Familiarity with GIS and remote sensing is a benefit. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. 
• Demonstrated ability to write, publish, and disseminate technical reports, success stories, and promotional materials. 
• Information Technology needed: Proficiency in using standard software at an advanced level; knowledge of Rand potentially Python for data analysis. 
• The selected requires the following competencies: Team Leadership, Negotiation, Resolution, Client Orientation, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving.

The position is for Bangladesh Nationals for an initial fixed-term contract of 1-year with 3 months probationary period, which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds.

CIMMYT will provide a nationally competitive salary and benefits that include comprehensive health and life insurance, paid vacation, contributions to a retirement plan, and a range of other benefits as required by Bangladesh law. 

Applications must include a CV and a cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer.

It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity.

Women are encouraged to apply.