Title: Climate Resilient Agriculture Analyst (project position)
Theme: Livelihoods
Initiative: Resilient Mountain Solutions Initiative/Building Resilience of Agro-ecosystem and Community Empowerment (BRACE) project

Summary

We are looking for someone who is a passionate agriculture researcher, results driven, and motivated to make a difference. You will be based in Kathmandu, Nepal, and working in a cross-cultural, impact-oriented environment, primarily focusing on implementation of the project activities and providing support in data collection, compilation, analysis, and reporting. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who values partnerships and diversity, is passionate about mountains and people, and is committed to helping build a greener, more inclusive, climate-resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya as ICIMOD moves into its new Strategy 2030 period from 2023.

Responsibilities and Tasks

This position is within our new project − Building Resilience of Agro-ecosystem and Community Empowerment (BRACE), under the Resilient Mountain Solutions (RMS) Initiative. The BRACE project aims to improve climate-resilient agricultural practices for wider adoption within the Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces and beyond through action research, including on-farm demonstrations; evidence-based knowledge generation; and scaling up at the municipal, provincial, and national levels. The project has identified 19 municipalities (10 in Sudurpaschim and 9 in Karnali provinces) and aims to directly benefit 2,500 households. This position is expected to collaborate with partners on the implementation of the project activities and provide support in data collection, compilation, analysis, and reporting.

Under the direct supervision of the Theme Leader of Livelihoods, in close cooperation with the Project Coordinator of BRACE, and under the overall guidance of the Regional Programme Manager (Adaptation and Resilience Building), the Climate Resilient Agriculture Analyst will have the following broad duties and responsibilities:

• Lead the field-level implementation and quality monitoring of all BRACE activities in close coordination with implementing and research partners
• Provide innovation and technical support to implementing partners for testing and demonstration of climate-resilient technologies/practices in pilot sites
• Collect, review, and consolidate secondary and primary data/information on climate-resilient agricultural technologies/practices and support the preparation of knowledge products
• Maintain effective communication with implementation and research partners, government line departments, and other relevant stakeholders on BRACE activities in Nepal and provide professional inputs to implementation partners appropriately.
• Coordinate to organise various training and capacity-building events for the project at different scales 
• Support the project team in organising and reporting local, provincial, national, and regional workshops and events from a content perspective
• Provide overall support to the BRACE team for the development of knowledge products, project reports, and synthesis reports
• Provide a range of technical support to achieve BRACE outcomes and outputs or any other organisational goal in consultation with the theme leader, regional programme manager and project coordinator

Minimum qualifications and requirements 

• A master’s degree in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental sciences, or related subjects with at least four years of relevant work experience is required. A first-level university degree in combination with five additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Good knowledge and understanding about climate-resilient agricultural practices and experience working in the field with diverse stakeholders 
• Ability to interact with government line departments and willingness to travel to remote districts of Nepal
• Good knowledge and understanding about gender equality and social inclusion approaches
• Fluency in speaking and technical writing in English and Nepali. Analytical skills with an ability to understand and contextualise research and demonstration results to be presented in a coordinated manner to external stakeholders will have added advantage.
• Knowledge on using statistical software like R, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as good working understanding of data management software 

Competencies 

• Cross-cultural impact: Adapts to various customs and practices
• Result orientation: Works in challenging situations to generate concrete results, successfully transforming output to outcome
• Teamwork and cooperation: Solicits ideas and opinions to help form specific plans and take decisions cohesively
• Networking and stakeholder management: Identifies relevant stakeholders and other external parties and builds relationships with them
• Impactful communication: Is an active listener and able to tailor convincing messages for different audiences, integrating ideas from several sources
• Continuous improvement and innovation: Spots opportunities for improvement, encourages new ideas, and implements new technologies to enhance workflow
• Analytical thinking: Simplifies complex issues to identify the essence of a problem or opportunity in order to make effective, timely decisions.
• Behavioral flexibility and change management:  Adapts to change and adjusts to new responsibilities and circumstances.

Duty station

• The duty station is Kathmandu. Frequent travel and field work in Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces of Nepal will be required.

Duration

• This is a non-renewable project position till 31 October 2024, starting as soon as possible, with a probation period of six months.

Remuneration

• Salaries and benefits at ICIMOD are competitive with other international organisations. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, which includes provident fund, health insurance, severance pay, education grant, and paid leave. For expatriates there is tax exemption in Nepal; they are responsible for home country tax payments as applicable. Expatriate staff are also entitled to home leave ticket, as well as a removal and installation allowance.  
• Remuneration is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Gender and equity policy

• Qualified and eligible women candidates and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are highly encouraged to apply. ICIMOD upholds a gender equity policy and is supportive of women professionals. It operates a day-care centre at the campus and is committed to the integration of gender equity at organisational and programmatic levels.