Vacancy Number:    IBRS/PLE/01/10
Department: People, Livestock and Environment
Location:  Accra, Ghana
Duration: 3 years
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the International Water Management Institute (IMWI) seek to recruit a highly competent and dynamic scientist to broaden our capacity to address natural resource management and agricultural productivity issues related to the interactions between water and livestock, in particular in the context of small reservoirs in West Africa. The position will conduct research at local through to landscape/regional scales to assess and provide solutions for the integrated management of water and livestock resources. The position will be based in IWMI’s West Africa office in Accra, Ghana and reports to IWMI’s Theme Leader on Productive Water Use and ILRI’s Theme Director on People, Livestock and the Environment.
The successful candidate will be part of an international, transdisciplinary team that focuses on understanding and improving the integrated management of water resources in the context of ILRI’s research on mitigating vulnerability of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities and integrated crop livestock systems and IWMI’s research on productive water use in irrigated, rainfed and wetland agro-ecosytems. The focus of the research is on identifying solutions that enhance the environmental and livelihood benefits of livestock integration in water resource design and management and mitigate negative effects, including land and water degradation and conflicts. The candidate will provide leadership in integrated livestock-water productivity and sustainability assessment using a systems approach integrating livestock, crops, water, land, institutions and policies.
Duties and responsibilities
The successful candidate will, in collaboration with livestock and systems scientists, water resource scientists, economists and social scientists:

• Implement research at local, national and regional scales to understand livestock-water interactions and system functioning and productivity, and provide solutions that enhance the synergies and minimize trade-offs between livestock and diverse other water uses in the context of livelihood and environmental dimensions

• Integrate the research on biophysical issues with findings on social, policy and institutional dimensions to generate new knowledge on the sustainable management of water and livestock resources that would minimize negative externalities like conflicts and resource degradation.

• Use this knowledge to develop, with policy makers, communities and development / natural resource partners, technical, policy and institutional interventions to improve the productive use of water, resilience and adaptive capacity of coupled human – livestock – environment aspects of (agro-)pastoral and mixed crop-livestock farming systems

• Engage in mobilizing resources to support this research and contribute to capacity building and communication of research findings.

Preferred Skills and experience

• A combination of a PhD in a field such as Water Resources Management, Agro-ecology, or Ecosystem Sciences, and academic background in and a sound knowledge of the interface between the livestock, crops and water resource management and at least five years experience of agricultural/environmental research and development in developing countries.

• A systems perspective especially related to issues of water productivity and sustainability in the context of agro-pastoral and mixed crop livestock systems.

• Experience in quantitative applied research methods, and strong quantitative and analytical background

• Experience in analysing water productivity in agricultural systems, including field based application of water balance models

• Good understanding of processes impacting on livestock systems evolution in Africa

• Proven success in field based research, with some experience in developing and managing partnerships.

• Good publications record with strong written and oral communication skills in English and at least a working knowledge of French

• Proven skills to work in multidisciplinary teams and to obtain positive results from working in diverse partnerships at a range of scales including research, extension, and development and in public, private and civil society.

• Proven skills in capacity building of students

Terms of appointment: Initial appointment is for three years with the possibility of renewal, contingent upon individual performance and the availability of funding. ILRI and IWMI offer a competitive remuneration package paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae and the names and addresses (including telephone, fax and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience, to the Human Resources Office, recruit-ilri@cgiar.org by 5th February 2010. The position title and reference number REF: IBRS/PLE/01/10 must be clearly indicated in the email subject line.
To find out more about ILRI, visit our website at www.ilri.org
To find out more about IWMI, visit our website at www.iwmi.org
We provide a gender- and diversity-friendly work environment, and particularly encourage women and developing country professionals to apply.
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