Job Opportunity for Associate Scientist – Plant Protection at IRRI in Varanasi

About IRRI

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growing environment for future generations. IRRI is an independent, nonprofit, research and educational institute, founded in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with support from the Philippine government. The institute, headquartered in Los Baños, Philippines, has offices in 17 rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa, and over 1,000 staff.

Working with in-country partners, IRRI develops advanced rice varieties that yield more grain and better withstand pests and disease as well as flooding, drought, and other harmful effects of climate change.

Job Purpose

The incumbent will support implementation and monitoring of field activities, integrated pest and disease management in crops under different projects implemented through ISARC. S/he will manage collection and analysis of field data and evaluate the rice pest and disease diagnostic activities in collaboration with key stakeholders. S/he will assist in developing the content for training materials, learning guides, and rice production recommendations for the Rice Knowledge Bank. S/he will coordinate the transfer of knowledge on pest and disease management in crops through different means, including trainings and demonstrations.

This position will be based in Varanasi India and may only be filled by permanent citizens of the India.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop plans and manage implementation, monitoring and evaluation of field activities to ensure timely delivery of defined objectives
• Develop and implement appropriate strategies for the management and control of pests and diseases
• Provide support to the biotic stress network (BioNet) in collaboration with RBI regional and ISARC team
• Support the OneIRRI network by screening advanced breeding lines for diseases and pests prevalent in the region
• Provide support for the establishment of disease phenotyping facilities at ISARC
• Manage collection and compilation of data from the implementing partners to synthesize the results and interpret the research findings into the result-based deliverables on the defined objectives for preparing the reports
• Create content on the diagnostic results of crop health problems, preventive solutions and recommendations to develop training materials and update RKB
• Help to create and validate the content for ICT tools including Rice Doctor
• Develop strategy, methodologies, sourcing, capacity building activities on bio-agent production and maintenanc
• Collaborate with internal/external key research partner(s) including government agencies and universities, local NGOs, local farmers’ groups, farmer producer organizations (FPOs)/farmer producer companies (FPCs) and other public-private organizations to create best suitable management pathway(s)
• Build and sustain strong engagement with project teams, local government unit, implementing partners and farmers’ groups to ensure smooth execution of field activities in accordance with the work plan
• Apprise government partners on progress of the project activities through timely submission of scientific reports, field updates, presentations etc.
• Collaborate with different stakeholders for collection, production and maintenance of mother cultures to develop the bio-agent production units with FPCs
• Collaborate with different partners for organizing workshops, stakeholder meetings, content development, validation and capacity building to diagnose the crop health issue
• Establish coordination with project teams and implementing partners to manage the field activities and ensure quality standard Diagnose nature, cause and severity of all pests and diseases including viral, fungal or bacterial in field/rice crop and recommend economic control measures
• Conduct study to determine the losses caused by pest/disease infestation and develop practices to prevent or reduce losses
• Recommend interventions to resolve appearing difficulties such as mid-term corrections, technical errors and other complex issues that affect the successful completion of the objective
• Deliver timely research reports to meet the expectations of the stakeholders
• Oversee the implementation of activities, data management to guarantee quality data, data backup and data integrity
• Review existing course of actions, develop work plan, set milestones and supervise the implementation of research activities
• Prepare and assure good quality project reports and literatures for presentation at policy and academic forums and publication of progress reports and impact reviews
• Develop the ICT-based tools for pest management in local language and validate them with different stakeholders

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Plant Pathology/Entomology/Nematology with minimum of 5 years of work experience or Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology/Entomology/Nematology with 3 years of experience in the dissemination and delivery of agricultural technologies with focus on pest and diseases management. Candidate with a good publication record and very strong writing skills will be preferred

Skills Required

Mandatory

• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Good computer skills (MS office: Word and Excel
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to work in team as important player and take initiatives
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and has strong skills in planning and problem-solving
• Experience of doing research on the internet and extracting synthesizing information and data
• Experience of interpreting data, research findings and preparing

Preferred

• Experience of working in an international programs and organization

Allowances:

In addition to the base salary indicated above, IRRI also offers the following allowances:

House-Rent Allowance: IRRI provides a house rent allowance of 40% of base pay per month
Transport Allowance: A monthly transport allowance of INR 5000
Dearness Allowance: One Hundred and Thirteen percent (113%) of employee’s base pay
Leave Travel Allowance (LTA): One-month base pay per annum, on availing minimum 2 days of vacation leave
Education Allowance: INR 1000/- per child per month (limited 2 children) 
IRRI offers a highly extensive employee benefits package inclusive of globally-covered medical insurance, retirement plan, life and accident insurance and other allowances. Join our team and be part of our story!

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
This position will remain open until filled.