AfricaRice - Innovation Specialist - Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS)

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Innovation Specialist – Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS)
Ref: CONS/R4D/2021/21

AfricaRice is seeking a highly motivated Consultant Innovation Specialist – AIS with competence and skills in innovation systems in agriculture value chains to be based at Suakoko, Liberia About AfricaRice
AfricaRice is a leading Pan – African rice research organization committed to improving the livelihoods in Africa though strong science and effective partnerships. AfricaRice is one of the 15 international agricultural research
centers that are members of the CGIAR System Organization (CSO). It is also an Intergovernmental association of African member countries. Its membership comprises of 28 countries with headquarters in Côte d’Ivoire.

About the position
The incumbent will be part of a multi-disciplinary team to sustain and improve the productivity, sustainability and profitability of the rice and fish food system in Liberia in ways that is consistent with AfricaRice’s mission and
mandate.

Responsibilities
The Consultant Innovation Specialist – AIS will conduct activities with specific tasks that include, but are not limited to:
• Conduct Stakeholder landscaping/mapping
• Form multi-level/multi-stakeholder platforms at community, county and national levels
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder processes and social learning using functional multi-stakeholder Innovation Platforms (IPs) in the rice and fish sector development hubs (rice and fish hubs) of target counties, to generate, deploy, and promote the wide-scale dissemination of technologies and institutional innovations for the benefit of diverse social and economic operators in the rice and fish food system
• Conduct training of households on Social Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) and Nutrition
• Develop communication materials to increase the adoption of climate-smart rice-fish productions systems
• Develop communication materials to address the harmful norms, attitudes, practices and power relations and increase gender equality and food/nutrition security outcomes
• Conduct Research to understand current gender norms, attitudes, practices, and power relations that constraint especially women and children from participating in and benefiting from rice-fish value chain activities
• Ensure equitable gender‐sensitive collective action and good governance of the rice food system in the deployment of technologies and innovations for increased food and nutrition security and incomes
• Facilitate the good governance of the IPs in the IRFFS hubs including the quality of leadership of the IP Coordination and Facilitation Team, effective representation and robust voice of the diverse rice value chain stakeholders, especially women and youths’ groups
• Through the IPs in the rice and fish value chain of the rice and fish hubs, promote agri-business models on youth and women entrepreneurship development
• Develop innovative ways to enhance the competence and skills of rice and fish value chain stakeholder groups (farmers/producers, seed enterprises, millers/processors, traders, transporters, policy advisers and policy makers, financial institutions, media, consumers, etc.) and their interactions and learning on wide-scale dissemination of technologies and innovations through the IPs in the rice and fish hubs
• Enhance the competencies and skills of community-based IP facilitators, champions of change, and IP actors in the IRFFS hubs
• Ensure complementarity and synergy in the mainstreaming of technological, institutional and organizational drivers of system change through IPs in the IRFFS hubs
• Facilitate information and experience sharing and learning, and document and publish evidence-based case success stories and articles on governance and outcome change induced by the IPs in the rice and fish hubs
• Participate in and contribute to resource mobilization efforts
• Ensuring risks are considered in the delivery of the assigned duties and responsibilities
• Undertake any other duties related to the position and as required by the needs of the Center

Qualifications/Selection criteria
Academic qualifications:
• Holding a PhD in Anthropology, Rural Sociology, Sociology, Agricultural Extension and Education or related fields
Professional experience:
• Field experience in both qualitative and quantitative research for development on innovation processes, social learning, and governance in agriculture value chains, food systems, and/or natural resource
management;
• Hands-on experience in implementation and facilitation of Multi-stakeholder Innovation Platforms (IPs) in the rice/fish value chain;
• good knowledge of agricultural innovation systems concepts and practices and specifically;
• hands-on experience on the use of multi-stakeholder innovation platforms (IPs) in the rice/fish value chain in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Key competencies and abilities:
• Pro-active and original way of thinking;
• Proven ability to work efficiently as a member of a multidisciplinary team;
• Willingness to travel internationally;
• A good publication record.

Languages:
• Good ability in writing and speaking, in both English and French or at least working knowledge in the
other language.

Terms and conditions
• This is an international consultancy position
• AfricaRice provides an attractive salary and benefits package and a collegial and gender-sensitive working environment
• The appointment is for three (3) months

How to apply:
1. To apply, click on the following link: http://eservices.africarice.org/application/index.php
2. Create an account if you are a new user, if not log on with your credentials to access active vacancies
3. Select “Innovation Specialist – Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS)’’
4. Follow the step-by-step application procedure.

Only online applications will be considered (If you encounter any technical issue on the career
site during your application, or you are prevented to proceed with your application until its
final completion: Please kindly revert to us along with the screenshot of the issue through
this email: africariceHR@cgiar.org ). Applications are not allowed through this email.

Not later than 9 December 2021

AfricaRice promotes equal opportunities and believes that the diversity of its staff contributes to
excellence. We thank all candidates, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For more information on AfricaRice, please visit our website at: www.AfricaRice.org