Latest Job Vacancies at The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a not-for-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, we improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. IITA is a member of CGIAR, a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future.

We are recruiting to fill the positions below:

Job Title: Security Information Assistant

Ref: STS2021 - 001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (Short-term Contract)
Duration: 2 years

Duties

• Under the supervision of the Head of Security, the Security Information Assistant (SIA) is responsible for the management of information relevant to security, including collection, collation, analysis and dissemination to be used as a decisionmaking and planning tool by the Head of Security in tropical Africa to enhance the safety and security of IITA personnel, assets and operations in the countries.
• Maintain security information awareness of all aspects which could potentially affect the safety and security of the IITA including up-to-date knowledge of events relating to the security environment through monitoring of security incidents, daily situation reports, local media and other open sources.
• Responsible for the identification and coordination of security information requirements, development of trend analysis, gathering comprehensive information on all factors on security and safety as well as determining the relevance and validity of security information and the reliability of information resources.
• Responsible for disseminating security information in a timely manner to the Headquarters, Hubs, and stations.

Qualification and Experience

• BSc / HND in Political or Social Science, Military Science, Criminology, International Relations or related field with a minimum of four (4) years’ experience performing similar or related role in a well-structured organization

Competencies
The ideal candidate must have:

Professionalism:

• Knowledge and understanding of methodologies for information collection, collation, analysis, and presentation.
• Knowledge and understanding of Country Security Plans, Contingency / Emergency planning, Evacuation / Relocation, Business Continuity Plan, Crisis Management Plan and Security Risk Assessment methodology
• Knowledge and understanding of physical security design, survey, and upgrade
• Knowledge and understanding of technical security systems like CCTV, alarm, and other intrusion detection system
• Have ability to communicate complex issues to clients and supervisors, clearly present research findings and formulate security advisories and alerts.
• Have ability to use presentation tools like PowerPoint maps and charts so as to regularly update the Security Unit Intranet webpage and to deploy mass security / safety notification systems

Communication:

• Speaks and writes clearly and effectively.
• Listens to others and correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately.
• Asks questions to clarify, exhibits interest in having two-way communication and tailor’s language, tone, style, and format to match the audience.
• Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning and Organizing:

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies.
• Identifies priority activities and assignments and adjusts priorities as required.
• Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work;
• Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning;
• Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary;
• Uses time efficiently.

Core Competencies:

• Integrity, professionalism, respect for gender, Diversity, and Inclusion (GDI).
• Good communication skills (written and oral), working knowledge of French is an added advantage.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.

Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Job Title: Data Curator

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)

Duties

• Work with Data Manager and the Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) on the adoption of a data management system (Enterprise Breeding System – EBS) for storing and retrieval of information;
• Curate historical data from the Maize crop improvement program into templates for migration to the EBS;
• Check the quality and integrity of the data to be uploaded to the EBS;
• Ensure that the CG-core metadata standards are adhered to for all Maize improvement data;
• Perform data wrangling of large datasets to fill defined templates;
• Define and implement data standards and best practices for Research Data Management by developing ontologies, phenotyping protocols, quality standards, Trait dictionaries, templates and fieldbooks.
• Maintain coherent repository of Crop Information (genealogy, phenotype and genotype) allowing public access and secondary use for predictive breeding and comparative biology;
• Assist members of the Maize breeding program to capture data electronically and use the EBS to manage the day to day activities of their breeding programs;
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Qualification

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Biometrics, Research Methods, Bioinformatics or other related field with five (5) years relevant experience in data management.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must have:

• Computer, data management, R Data wrangling skills.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.

Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Job Title: System Administrator - Bioinformatics

Ref: IITA-HR-NRS2021-001
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Recruitment Type: National (1-year renewable contract)

Duties

• Work with the Bioinformaticians and the Excellence in Breeding Platform (EiB) on the setting up of a newly purchased HPC server.
• Installation and maintenance of all needed software for the bioinformatics and breeding requirements on the server
• Maintain an accessible database for all installed software
• Support the bioinformatics and breeding teams with bioinformatics tasks
• Maintain the new and existing servers updated, OS and installed software
• Control the use of the servers, CPU-, RAM- and storage-use and provide metrics on usage and defined cost recovery figures
• Train staff, students and partners on usage of bioinformatics tools on the HPC especially for polyploid crops;
• Perform any other additional duties assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics or other related fields with five (5) years relevant experience in systems Administration.

Competencies:
The ideal candidate must have:

• Excellent knowledge of Unix and high performance in computing.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter which should address how their background / experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, Curriculum Vitae, Names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include either the Head of the applicant’s current or previous organization or applicant’s direct Supervisor / Superior at his / her present or former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head, Human Resources Service.

Click here to apply

Click here for more information (PDF)

Remuneration
We offer highly competitive salary with equally attractive benefits and excellent working conditions in a pleasant campus environment.

Application Deadline  20th January, 2021.

Note: IITA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce. While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.