International Consultant - Application Programmer

Remote | Philippines

Organization: IRRI - International Rice Research Institute
Location: Remote | Philippines
Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Information Technology and Computer Science
Closing Date: Closed

About IRRI

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations. IRRI is an independent, nonprofit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with support from the Philippine government. The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa, and over 1,000 staff.

Working with in-country partners, IRRI develops advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought, and other harmful effects of climate change.

Job Purpose

The Impact Opportunities portal enables live data analytics (including visualization and indexing) for > 200 development indicators using several databases (up to 7,000 entries). Users can customize the analytics using a sidebar panel with 15 fields/widgets. The app can be found here and is running on R Shiny. The code can be found here (SharePoint).

The primary objective of this consultancy is to optimize the existing R Shiny application for improved performance, specifically targeting a 50% increase in speed. The consultant will analyze the architecture of existing R scripts, identify performance bottlenecks, and implement necessary optimizations. Additionally, the consultant will conduct benchmark tests to compare the performance of the optimized apps with the original versions.

This position will be a remote / work-from-home set up and is open for international applications.

Roles and Responsibilities

Performance Analysis: Conduct a thorough analysis of the existing R Shiny application to identify performance bottlenecks
Script Optimization: Rewrite and refactor R scripts for improved efficiency, focusing on areas such as data manipulation, visualization, and computational tasks
Benchmarking: Develop and implement benchmark tests to measure the performance of optimized apps against original versions
Documentation: Prepare detailed documentation of the optimization process, including identified bottlenecks, optimization techniques, and benchmark results
Knowledge Transfer: Provide training and knowledge transfer to the organization's data science team on performance optimization techniques

Qualifications

Advanced proficiency in R programming and R Shiny framework
Strong understanding of performance optimization techniques for R applications

Skills Required

Mandatory

Experience in benchmarking and performance measurement
Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
Strong communication and documentation abilities

Join our team and be part of our story!

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.

This vacancy is now closed.