Agronomist Post-Doctoral Fellow/Associate Scientist

Job Category:	Global Conservation Agriculture Program
Position Title:	Agronomist Post-Doctoral Fellow/Associate Scientist
Type of Contract:	Internationally Recruited Staff
Location:	Afghanistan
Desired Skills:
Description:	We are seeking a dynamic, innovative, self-motivated, and service-orientated candidate for the position Post-Doctoral Fellow/Associate Scientist in the Global Conservation Agriculture Program under the leadership of Dr. Hans Braun and will contribute to wheat and maize research at CIMMYT Afghanistan and with other institutions on various aspects of wheat and maize breeding including outreach activities in different provinces of Afghanistan. Extensive travel inside Afghanistan would be required. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT®, is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information:www.cimmyt.org The position offers outstanding career opportunities for researchers interested in global wheat research, and will be based at CIMMYT Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The position is available initially for 2 years. Specific duties of this position include: Research Experiments: Conduct experiments across 12 research stations leading to development of technologies viz., varieties and crop management practices. Demonstration of Technologies on farmer fields: There will be four HUBs at Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh and Herat. Each Hub will demonstrate new technologies (varieties, crop management practices, crop sequences etc). Establishment & Support to Hubs: To be informally led by CIMMYT, the hubs will act as informal local technical working groups comprising local staff of agriculture department, extension workers, NGOs, farming community etc. The mandate of the hub would be to train and equip those who carry the technology to end users and to organize demonstrations of the technology at least on ten hectares in each hub region spanning the whole process of crop production, from choice of variety and sowing time to harvesting and post-harvest management of the produce. Field Manual/ Extension Bulletin: Develop R&D and extension material for distribution among researchers and others engaged in extension and development work in country. We are seeking candidates with the following academic qualifications, skills and attitudes: A recent Ph.D. in agronomy in wheat or maize. Demonstrated experience in outreach activities. Experience with field based crop production experimentation. Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. Ability to form part of an interdisciplinary team. Ability to work under multicultural setting. Experience with agri-extension will be an advantage. Experience with statistical and biometrical packages to analyze multisite breeding data will be an advantage. Knowledge of Dari/ local language will be an advantage. We will offer an initial contract for 2 years, which may be renewable subject to continued need and funding for the position and performance of the staff member. Our internationally competitive salary and benefits include housing allowance, car, comprehensive health and life insurance, assistance for children’s education, paid vacation, annual airfare, contribution to a retirement plan, and generous assistance with relocation shipment. CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer. It fosters a multicultural work environment that values gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply. To apply for this position, please email cover letter and CV no later than Friday, 28 February, 2014 to Human Resources, CIMMYT (Email: irsrecruitment@cgiar.org / Please indicate Position Reference number: 12295 in the header of your email). For further information on the selection process, please contact Guillermo Flores, Staffing Specialist, at g.flores@cgiar.org. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.