Research Associate-Data and Information Systems Management
Publicerad 2024-05-16
TheInternational Potato Center (CIP) is seeking a Research Associate in Data and Information Systems Management, to be based inNairobi, Kenya.
About CIP
CIP is a not-for-profit international agricultural researchorganization with a global mandate to conduct research on potatoes,sweetpotatoes, Andean root and tuber crops, and sustainable management ofnatural resources. CIP’s vision is to contribute from its areas of expertise tothe fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular thosegoals that relate to poverty, hunger, child and maternal mortality, andsustainable development. CIP has its headquarters in Lima, Peru with staff andactivities in locations across Africa, Asia and Latin America. CIP, a member ofthe One CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. OneCGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land and water systems in aclimate crisis, and it is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in closecollaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regionalresearch institutes, civil society organizations, academia, developmentorganizations and the private sector.
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About the role
The International Potato Center (CIP) through the SweetGAINSproject has been working at modernizing sweetpotato breeding programs, byimproving excellence in the management of breeding data. The position willsupport these efforts for Root and Tuber Crops (RTB) in Sub-Saharan African(SSA), Latin America and Asia.
Key Responsibilities:
The data and IT specialist will be part of the data managementteam overseeing RTB breeding and seed data management systems.
Understand existing tools used for data capture and assist inthe developing modules that extend the scope for the current tools.
Respond to ICT support requests from CIP breeders and partnersin a timely manner through WhatsApp/telegram/telephone/field visits.
Contribute to writing standard operating procedures for RTBbreeding data management.
Lead capacity building efforts among project collaborators andpartners in data collection, storage and management. Act as lecturer in thesetrainings.
Implement and monitor Quality Assurance (QA) protocols androutines, including safe and remote back-up of database systems and tools.
Contribute to development and management of germplasm datamanagement systems for RTB invitro and invivo germplasm collections at KEPHIS,Mugaga, Kenya.
Designing (in collaboration with subject area specialists) andimplementing comprehensive, gender-aware, monitoring and evaluation systems toassure that quality data (both quantitative and qualitative) are collected,entered, and stored for project use and documented for eventual publicuse.
Contribute to development of additional dashboards to enableroutine monitoring of social science data coming from the field.
Support other information management activities at CIP.
Keep up to date with the latest tools and resources, includingopen-source software, for the collection, management, storage and sharing ofdata and information.
Maintain the confidentiality of all information collected.
Perform any other activity as assigned to by thesupervisor.
Supervise a junior data management staff member. Be committed to usingresearch for development in a complex cooperative environment of research anddevelopment partners. The work will require travel within Sub Saharan Africa.
Requirements
What are we looking for?
MA/MSc degree in Information Systems, Database Management, Computer Science, or related discipline.
At least six years research experience in the design and implementation of data management systems.
Experience working with integrated database systems preferably for research projects, including large-scale socioeconomic and/or biological surveys e.g., MySQL or MS SQL Server.
Knowledge and experience of mobile data collection systems.
Knowledge and experience of Linux operating systems.
Knowledge and experience in cloud services administration (like AWS or Linode).
Experience with database design, database management and computer programming, and with the application of quality assurance standards and procedures.
Understanding and experience of working in applied agricultural research preferred.
Experience in software and web application programming. Knowledge of PHP scripting language and development in WordPress preferred.
Good judgement, adaptability, and willingness to take initiative when appropriate.
Demonstrated success in working with multi-disciplinary teams and partnerships in research or project implementation.
Excellent interpersonal communication and good personal organization skills.
Advanced written and oral communication skills in English.
