Position: Head of Farm Management
Ref. No: DDG-R4D/HFM/R/04/20
Location: Ibadan, Oyo
Background
IITA has successful breeding programs on six very important crops in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): cassava, yam, banana/plantain, maize, soybean and cowpea. In recent years, these have been reviewed based on the Breeding Program Assessment Tool (BPAT) (https://plantbreedingassessment.org/).
The programs have also had extensive interaction with the CGIAR Excellence in Breeding (EiB) platform during which crop-specific and cross-cutting (institutional) improvement plans have been developed along with product profiles and market segmentation analyses.
IITA plans to improve the quality of its field stations, farm operations, and plant growth facilities as part of the plans for, and in support of, improving crop breeding. To achieve this, an experienced manager with a strong background in research farm management and the ability to work closely with an Institutional Head of Breeding and breeding team leads is needed. This is a senior-level appointment and the appointee will report to the Director for West Africa.
Position Responsibilities
The Head of Farm Management will manage the research farms and plant growth facilities of IITA in support of activities of the Institute’s crop breeding programs.
S/he will have responsibility for all IITA research farms and plant growth facilities in sub-Saharan Africa, with 70% of his/her time in West Africa (especially at Ibadan, Ikenne and Kano stations in Nigeria) and 30% at IITA stations outside West Africa (e.g. in Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda). With support from station farm managers/superintendents and other staff, his/her activities will include the following:
Lead research farm teams in the implementation of field operations of breeding programs in collaboration with breeding team leads.
As lead for a Western Africa support network for field operations, develop a plan for running trials (at cost) for other CGIAR centres and national research programs and identify opportunities for sharing services with them.
Develop and implement improvement plans for irrigation and soil and pest management.
Ensure organization and regular maintenance and repair of farm machinery and equipment.
Ensure monitoring and control of farm operations efficiency.
Optimize procedures for material handling and workflow for seed processing and packaging.
Manage greenhouse equipment, fertigation, pest management, and environmental controls.
Define an investment plan for research farms and plant growth facilities in consultation with the head of breeding and breeding team leads.
Contribute to resource mobilization for upgrading farm infrastructure and equipment.
Manage the human and financial resources of the Research Farms Unit.
Develop the capacity of research farm staff and raise the quality of farm management at all sites, including increased mechanization of operations.
Establish a culture of continuous improvement of experimental stations and farm practices.
Promote a culture of maintaining healthy, safe and environmentally friendly stations.
