Associate Program Officer (Education and Training for Crop Improvement)

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is working with African governments, donors, NGOs, the private sector and African farmers to significantly and sustainably improve the productivity and incomes of resource poor farmers in Africa through agricultural development targeted at resource poor farmers.  AGRA has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, a regional office in Accra, Ghana and is opening several country-based offices. 

AGRA is seeking to recruit highly competent and experienced individuals to fill the following position: 

Associate Program Officer (Education and Training for Crop Improvement ), PASS (Ref.: APO – PASS / 1-14)

Reporting to the Director, Program for Africa’s Seeds Systems (PASS), the Associate Program Officer for Education and Training for Crop Improvement will be responsible for supporting grant supervision in the area of degree training and in-service training. The Associate Program Officer will also be responsible for identifying and providing internship opportunities in seed companies, national and international agriculture research centres where there are viable breeding pipelines.

This position is nationally recruited and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya on a three (3) year renewable contract and involves 50% travel.

Specific responsibilities will include:

·        Carrying out regular monitoring and evaluation of degree training activities conducted at African universities in order to ensure the quality of the training experience and  its relevance to the needs of African farmers and the program objectives of PASS;

·        Assisting university professors, lecturers, and other officials in improving the quality and relevance of the curricula they offer to students in the fields of crop and seed science;

·        Working closely with PASS Officers and Business Development Services Consultants specializing in Seed Production for Africa to identify internship positions for M.Sc. students;

·        Following up to ensure that individuals who complete M.Sc. fellowships successfully re-integrate into productive roles in their home countries;

·        Monitoring  and evaluating internships to ensure quality internships that provide facilities and conditions for students to learn the breeding pipelines of a variety of crops;

·        Working closely with the PASS Officers specializing in crop genetic improvement to identify and recruit high quality students in order to build a full complement of plant breeders for priority crops at national level;

·        Working with the PASS Officers and other service providers specializing in crop genetic improvement to provide relevant non - degree training opportunities to plant breeders and seed specialists working within both public and private institutions;

·        Offering oversight over   M.Sc. Cultivar Development grants to ensure effective training of students; and

·        Managing an operational budget within the assigned area of responsibility.

Key qualifications, knowledge and experience required:

·         A Master’s degree in plant breeding or a related discipline from a recognized university;

·         At least five (5) years’ proven teaching experience in a university; or

·         PhD in Plant breeding with a minimum of 2 years teaching experience is an added advantage;

·         Must demonstrate a strong understanding of the principles of effective curriculum development within a rapidly evolving educational environment and building public - private partnerships in the biological sciences field;

·         Ability to identify and inspire emerging talent in the area of plant breeding and seed systems;

·         Strong communication skills, organizational skills, negotiation skills  and strategic orientation skills with proactive leadership skills; and

·         Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite.

For more information on this position, applicants can visit www.agra.org

An attractive remuneration package commensurate with the positions responsibilities will be negotiated with the successful candidates. If you believe you can clearly demonstrate your abilities to meet the relevant criteria for these roles, please submit your application with a detailed CV, stating your current position, current remuneration, and e-mail and telephone contacts and quoting the relevant reference number on your application letter.

To be considered, your application must be received by 14 February, 2014 addressed to:

The Director

Executive Selection Division

Deloitte Consulting Limited

Email: agra@deloitte.co.ke