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THE ROLE

Job title: Research Associate (No. of Posts: 5)         

HAY BAND: 3              

Reporting to: Project Manager/Project Leader        

Direct reports: Project Manager

Key peer group: Project Scientist        

Location:  Rawalpindi/Tandojam/Hyderabad/Lahore/Faisalabad

 Purpose of the role:  

CABI Central & West Asia is implementing ‘Strengthening vegetable value chains in Pakistan for greater community livelihood benefits’ under Agriculture Value Chains Collaborative Research (AVCCR) program of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in Pakistan. The project objectives are 1) To engage and mobilize participating communities; 2) To diagnose vegetable value chain problems; 3) To evaluate technical and organizational innovations in selected vegetable value chains; and 4) To scale-out vegetable value chain improvements and to achieve sustainability of project interventions. The project is being implemented with collaboration of various partners from Pakistan and Australia.

The selected candidates for these positions would be responsible for implementation of project plans at assigned sites under guidance of Project Manager and with the support of local project collaborators. These positions are initially recruited for 6 months, but after passing the probation period, the successful candidates will be offered employment until end of the project (December 2021).

Key accountabilities:

  • Work under the guidance and supervision of Project Manager AVCCR-ACIAR.
  • Maintain good working relationships with government and private sector project partners / stakeholders.
  • Develop work plans aligned with the project objectives - with advice and support of project partners.
  • Track the work plans associated with the relevant project partners and submission of weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, and any emerging reports.
  • Facilitation of project partners in achieving project deadlines/milestones committed with the funding agency.
  • Design and conduct experiments in social and natural science context in field and laboratory conditions.
  • Write journal papers, develop project reports, develop brochures, and present scientific publications.
  • Organize and conduct meetings, workshops, seminars, visits, and briefings.
  • Facilitation of project partners in implementation of the project following the CABI’s financial and policy guidelines.
  • Maintain portfolio of the project in social, press, and electronic media.
  • Any other assignments required for satisfactory completion of the key role requirements.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education & Qualifications

  • Candidates should have earned a PhD or Masters (Hons) degree in Horticulture, Agribusiness, or a related field from an international degree awarding institute.  Knowledge of fresh produce supply chains in Pakistan is prerequisite. Preference will be given to higher academic qualifications and hands-on experience.

Experience

  • Experience with a diverse range of horticultural crops grown in Punjab and Sindh would be preferred.
  • Strong understanding of Australian research systems, ACIAR and Australian Universities will be essentially required.
  • Strong understanding of horticultural production and postharvest handling systems.
  • Willingness to travel frequently, for periods of up to two weeks, for at least four months per year.
  • Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.
  • Experience and ability to work under pressure and within limited timeframes.
  • Strong technical report writing skills.
  • Publications in journals, media, and newsletters etc.
  • Ability to plan work schedules to meet agreed deadlines.
  • Effective team player and conversant with a transdisciplinary approach.
  • Practical and pragmatic – preferably with experience of working with Government systems.
  • Experience of TNA, Training Design, Training Material development and Training Evaluations.

Personal Characteristics

  Applicant for this role needs to be honest, dedicated, social, motivated, disciplined, and self-organized to deliver quality work at prescribed deadlines.

NOTE

  • This job description is not intended to be exhaustive. It is expected that the post holder and CABI will adopt a flexible attitude and accept that the duties may have to be varied according to circumstances, in particular changing corporate requirements and individual development needs.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

CABI is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation or marital status.  No applicant will be disadvantaged by conditions which cannot be shown to be justified and selection will be based on merit.