The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is looking for a qualified Senior Research Assistant   to support active projects related to the use modern breeding technologies to assist in bean varieties improvement. The use of genomic selection in plant science has been well established. Specifically, advanced breeding techniques for selection of desirable plant traits for advancement. The Alliance is working to establish breeding program to enhance breeding activities that will enable development of new bean varieties that are more resilient, productive, and nutritious. The Senior Research Assistant   will provide advance breeding techniques to promote the breeding research activities.

Main duties and responsibilities include:

• Support identification of traits in beans verities that are desirable for advancement, such as disease resistance, increased yield, or improved growth rates.
• Participate in testing new bean varieties in different growing conditions to determine how well they perform in nature.
• Assist in monitoring and identifying bean diseases and creating strategies to prevent them from spreading to other plants.
• Supporting development of new strains of bean that meet specific criteria, such as increased productivity or improved taste, color and cooking time.
• Participating in selection of the best bean verities to breed based on desired traits and characteristics.
• Participate in development of breeding strategies to produce bean varieties with the desired characteristics, including selecting parents with desired traits that can be passed on to offspring
• Ensure timely availability of germplasm inventory reports.
• Conduct and collect necessary data for advanced breeding lines in both greenhouses and in the field locations
• Maintain bean germplasm in the cold room
• Analyse the data and report to supervisor on time
• Supervise daily casual laborers and other subordinate staff
• Carry out any other duties as maybe required.
  

Requirements

•  BSc degree or higher diploma level in agronomy, plant sciences, crop production, plant breeding or other related areas of study.
• At least one year experience in breeding activities especially in beans and other related crops will be an added advantage.
• Experience in data collection and entry, data management, quality assurance, and timely reporting.
• High attention to detail and excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Kiswahili
• Computer proficiency including MS Office (Word/ PowerPoint, advanced Excel skills, and SPSS)
• Must be able to work independently with minimum supervision, but also participate as a team member in accomplishment of duties.
• Excellent interpersonal with advanced written and verbal communication skills in English language.
• Strong ability to co-ordinate, prioritize and organize workload; take initiative and work under pressure.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to maintain the highest level of integrity and standards of ethics, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• Professional integrity and a high performing team player who can work autonomously, remains accountable and contributes to a positive and cohesive team environment.
• Commitment to Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT’s mission and core values. 
  

Terms of employment:

This is a nationally recruited position based in Arusha, Tanzania. The contract will be for one year period, subject to a probation period of three (3) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. The Alliance offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. The Alliance is an equal opportunity employer and strives for staff diversity in gender.