Scientist-Bioeconomy Job World Agroforestry Centre

Looking for an agricultural job in Kenya? World Agroforestry is hiring a Scientist – Bioeconomy to lead research and support sustainable development initiatives. The role is based in Nairobi and experience in applied research is required.

Key Responsibilties

• Design and implement stakeholder engagement strategies linking research institutions, private companies, and government;
• Develop and operationalize matchmaking between Northern and Southern businesses in the bio-economy;
• Produce high-quality outputs for targeted audiences, including policy briefs, guidance notes, platform content, and practitioner-oriented tools on sustainable value chains and bio-economy;
• Provide leadership on design of methods and frameworks related to sustainable value chains, responsible sourcing and investment, bio-economy, and private sector engagement;
• Lead and co-author at least 3 peer-reviewed publications, as well as technical reports, and knowledge products linked to the project research agendas;
• Translate scientific evidence into actionable insights for policy, private-sector practice, and investment decision-making;
• Identify policy and regulatory mechanisms that support producer countries attract and enhance the social and environmental performance of investments in the agricultural, forestry and associated bio-economy;
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers, enhancing their capacity to conduct high-quality research independently;
• Contribute to the design of various types of capacity development initiatives (e.g., trainings, workshops, round-tables, peer learning) within the bio-economy that enhance the capacity of the private sector that enhances corporate social and environmental performance;
• Enhance the internal visibility and uptake of improved methods and approaches on value chain development and integrated landscape management;
• Disseminate research findings through high profile international conferences and policy fora;
• Represent CIFOR-ICRAF in national, and international workshops, dialogues, and industry-facing events related to sustainable value chains and investment;
• Coordinate and/or contribute to the policy-science dialogue in producer countries in Asia and Africa on sustainable value chain development and the bio-economy through organization of round tables, workshops, and policy dialogues;
• Coordinate and/or contribute to communications activities targeted at policy makers (including workshops, website and policy briefs) of relevant projects;
• Translate research findings into practical policy tools and frameworks and disseminate them through strategic networks and platforms;
• Support identification of strategic opportunities, themes, and donors to guide SVCI fund-raising activities and related CIFOR-ICRAF strategies, especially within the research-for-development space;
• Lead the development of at least 2 research proposals per year (>1m USD) aligned with CIFOR-ICRAF’s sustainable value chains, bio-economy, and private-sector engagement strategies;
• Build relations with donor agencies, foundations, and investors to explore and unlock innovative new funding opportunities that support development of a more programmatic approach and the development of co-investment platforms;
• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with research institutions, government agencies, private companies, investors, and development partners across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe that support the team and institutional strategy;
• Contribute to the development and implementation of an institutional bio-economy strategy;
• Foster improved coordination between themes and regions, identifying actionable avenues for knowledge sharing, joint project implementation, and synergies.

Qualifications

• A PhD in development studies, environmental policy, natural resource management, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of experience in applied research on sustainable value chains.
• Demonstrated experience working with research institutions, policymakers, and/or private companies on value-chain development or innovation partnerships.
• Experience working on sustainable sourcing and standard development as well as multi-stakeholder roundtables and partnership facilitation involving government, private companies, and research institutions at the global level.
• Experience in project management, including large and multi-country budgets, and facilitating and managing partnerships.
• Experience designing and implementing engagement strategies to accelerate development and research impact.
• Experience supervising or mentoring staff and consultants across different regions.
• Strong communication skills, and excellent written and spoken English; additional languages are an asset.

How to Apply

Click here to apply