Research Technician -DCP – CIMMYT at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

Job Description

Duties and responsibilities

Management of phenotyping nurseries and trials.

Work closely with CIMMYT scientists and NARS implementing partners to ensure timely land preparation, seed assembly and planting of trials/nurseries according to the experimental design.
Ensure proper agronomic management of trials like application of fertilizer, timely irrigation, weed and pest control
Ensure disease/striga screening trials are artificially inoculated according to laid down procedures
Ensure seeds for checks are available in sufficient quantities and when necessary increased in a timely manner
Ensure pure pathogen cultures and striga seed are maintained in a viable state and available for artificial inoculation when needed.
Data Collection and Organization.
Manage accurate and timely data collection at different stages of the trials in the field, nurseries using the relevant tools and software
Ensure accuracy of data entry and consolidation in preparation for analysis by the Scientists
Learn and operate Enterprise Breeding System (EBS) for routine operations, data upload, data curation and preliminary analysis; basic familiarity with Breeding Management System (BMS) may be helpful.
Supervise casual Labor.
Develop budgets, and monitor budget utilization.
Other Responsibilities.
Assist partners based on their needs in coordination with the supervisor
Establish and maintain contact with collaborating /implementing organizations and partners
Any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

BSc or MSc in Crop protection, agronomy or related Agricultural Sciences with at least 3 years accumulated practical experience in field trialing and management.
Knowledge in managing agricultural field activities or research projects in a dynamic and fast paced organization.
Thorough knowledge of field trials management, and field identification of biotic stresses affecting dryland crops.
Familiarity with application of pest and disease evaluation scales especially of dryland crops.
Ability to provide supervision and training to field staff to manage research activities
Basic supervisory skills and experience are a must.
Ability to communicate orally day-to-day matters and to prepare brief but accurate reports or complete forms without assistance.
Ability to analyze situations or problems and timely propose or evaluate possible resolution mechanisms.
Competency to use the standard Windows-based software for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and email used at CIMMYT.
The selected candidate must exhibit the following competencies: Problem-solving and decision-making, negotiation and conflict resolution, communication, and teamwork.