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Senior Research Associate for the DeRISK Southeast Asia Project
The Organization
The Alliance [1] of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.
With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.
The Alliance is part of CGIAR [2], a global research partnership for a food-secure future.
About the position
The Applying seasonal climate forecasting and innovative insurance solutions to climate risk management in the agriculture sector in SE Asia, also known as the DeRISK Southeast Asia Project, led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), co-implemented by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and the Alliance, with funding support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), (https://deriskseasia.org [3]) aims to develop climate risk management systems, best practices, and insurance products that will shield smallholder farmers and businesses across the agricultural value chain in key Southeast Asia countries from physical and financial disaster associated with climate change. It will assist the governments in developing national and regional adaptation and risk management strategies. The project is working with local partners to co-develop agroclimatic information (weather and seasonal climate forecasts and associated agro-advisories) for pilot districts in Ninh Thuan and Tien Giang provinces.
As a member of the Climate Action lever in Asia, the candidate will take on the role of Vietnam country coordinator of DeRISK SE Asia (2018-2022). Working closely with the DeRISK SE Asia regional team, the Vietnam country coordinator will have the overall responsibility for facilitation, coordination, and technical oversight of project activities in line with the 2022 country workplan and budget with a specific focus on scaling climate services in Vietnam. The candidate is expected to integrate and build on these activities within the context of new project and programs, in particular ‘Asia Mega Deltas’, a new 3-year regional CGIAR initiative which is expected to commence in 2022 (Securing the Asian Mega-Deltas from Sea-Level Rise, Flooding, Salinization and Water Insecurity - CGIAR [4]).
Key responsibilities
- Communication
- Act as a liaison between the regional and country team and local partners; maintain communication with relevant government agencies and other partners in Vietnam;
- Coordinate/participate in relevant technical dialogues and technical working group meetings for mainstreaming the DeRISK SE Asia and Alliance agenda;
- Represent the project in different meetings/ seminars/workshops in Vietnam and abroad; prepare communications with mass media; network with other stakeholders (NGOs, other projects, institutions, networks).
- Logistics management
- Assist in supervision and management of the procurement of goods and in support of programmatic activities to ensure the compliance with the country regulations for counterpart funding.
- Project planning and management
- Lead the development, preparation and adaptation of annual work plan and budget in consultation with regional team and partners.
- Project implementation
- Supervise piloting of local agroclimatic advisories based on seasonal climate forecasts and 10-day weather forecasts in Mekong River Delta (MRD) and South-Central Coast (SCC);
- Regular interaction and coordination with local government partners to support the development and dissemination of agroclimatic advisories;
- Organize trainings and workshops in Vietnam (with focus on pilot sites in MRD and SCC) to improve quality, implementation, and use of climate services for agriculture;
- Liaise with relevant partners to scale agroclimatic advisories through existing mechanism and structures;
- Engage with national level and regional partners based on lesson learned and data generated to develop strategies and products to further improve climate services.
- Project monitoring, reporting and evaluation
- Oversight of baseline and end line activities in pilot communes for agroclimatic advisory in MRD and SSC in coordination with M&E specialist of DeRISK SE Asia;
- Implement, coordinate, follow-up, spot check on-going activities for quality control, identify arising problems/issues and coordinate with relevant partners to trouble-shoot/determine remediation in a timely manner (including mid-season and end-of-season review of agroclimatic advisory pilots);
- Provide information to prepare periodic internal and external reports (information for website, newsletter, annual reports etc.);
- Regular updates on progress on activities and results with project team and partners.
- Supervision
- Lead and supervise staff of Vietnam country team (e.g. research associate, assistant);
- Supervise and/or support management of consultants who are engaged in project’s activities.
Required qualification and experience
- University graduate in agriculture, natural resource management, development studies, geography or other relevant fields; Master’s degree preferred;
- Minimum of four (4) years relevant work experience in agriculture, rural development, climate change adaptation, or disaster risk reduction with state institutions, provincial authorities, NGOs, etc.; prior engagement with climate information services is an advantage;
- Experience in capacity building, identifying needs, organizing and delivering training courses and workshops, and developing tools at the farm level, with government agencies, NGO’s and other stakeholders;
- Working knowledge on stakeholder’s interactions at the farm, local and national levels;
- Experience in project coordination in Vietnam is an advantage.
Skills and competence
- Good community mobilization skills, including networking/coordination among different type of stakeholders, especially local partners;
- Good training and facilitation skills;
- Knowledge and understanding of project planning, management, monitoring and evaluation;
- Familiarity with MS Office applications (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) and relevant virtual communication tools (e.g., zoom, teams);
- Good oral and written communication skills in English; experience in report writing and presenting in conferences and/or meetings;
- Excellent oral and written Vietnamese language (suitable for corresponding with Ministries and partners);
- Willing to travel and to work under tight deadlines and flexible schedules;
- Ability to work both independently and in a team.
Terms of employment
This is a full-time position and available for Vietnamese nationals based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Contracts are issued and renewed annually, based on performance and availability of resources. This position is subjected to an initial two-month probation period and is graded at a level BG7 in a scale of 14 levels being BG14 the highest level. The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is an equal opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity.
Applications
To be considered for this position, please send an email to [email protected] [5] (Ms. Angelica Barlis, Project Manager) and [email protected] [6] (Ms. To Mai Trang, HR Unit) with the subject line “Application – Senior Research Associate for DeRISK – Candidate’s full name”. In your email, please include:
- A cover letter illustrating your motivation to apply and suitability for the above position against the listed qualifications and work responsibilities;
- A detailed curriculum vitae, including the names and email addresses of two professional referees who have worked either as your professional or academic supervisors and are knowledgeable about your skills and professional abilities; and
- A writing sample of a professional or academic publication in which you were a lead author or contributed to publication development.
Since this is an urgent position, the vacancy remains open until suitable candidate is found. Only qualified applicants with relevant skills and experience will be contacted. We recommend applying as soon as possible and no later 4 March 2022.
We invite you to learn more about us at: https://alliancebioversityciat.org/ [7]