Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA, United States
Responsibilities
The Senior Program Officer (SPO), R&D will contribute to the development of priorities for investments in sustainable practices, technologies, and management systems that increase the productivity and incomes of farmers in South Asia (SA) and Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The SPO will develop, manage, and support projects that develop and validate innovations to:
- Sustainably increase soil health, crop productivity, and farm productivity in African and South Asian cropping systems;
- Mitigate the impact of climate variability on smallholder farmers;
- Improve the productivity, lives, and livelihoods of rural women;
- Reduce crop losses due to weeds, pests, and diseases;
- Apply remote sensing and crop growth monitoring tools to crop management;
- Reduce storage losses and enhance the safety of staple crops;
- Improve the capacity of national research systems and CGIAR programs to develop and deliver adoptable practices and recommendations that increase the productivity of smallholder farmers;
- Support the development and implementation of new training models for agronomists in SA and SSA. In developing and managing grants in this field, the SPO will engage in internal and external communication for partnership development and the identification of high-impact opportunities. This may include leading efforts to collaborate with key research and product development partners including international agricultural research institutions, South Asia and African governmental R&D institutions, international and national private sector companies, NGOs, and universities. He/she will also manage consultants, cooperate with colleagues, and coordinate activities with other donors to seek co-funding and other forms of support.
Primary responsibilities will include:
- Working closely with the R&D team to identify, evaluate, and exploit new opportunities to reduce hunger and poverty through R&D projects that sustainably increase the productivity of smallholder farmers;
- Strategic planning, grant management and external relationship management, with input from the other members of the R&D and broader Ag Dev team;
- Solicit and review letters of inquiry/grant proposals and provide recommendations for funding to leadership. These recommendations are comprehensive and insightful written analyses that complement the grant proposal and are the basis for making grant decisions. The recommendations will be supported by quantitative analysis of effectiveness, cost effectiveness and sustainability of the products, practices or services to be developed for small holder farmer use;
- Assume the management of a group of contracts and grants as assigned, learning the background of those investments and developing sound relationships with the grantees and contractors, and otherwise exercising strong management techniques and respect for internal processes to ensure that they achieve high impact and conform to foundation standards;
- Work with grantees and contractors, providing scientific and managerial leadership to help them be more effective and efficient. This may include conducting site visits, providing technical guidance, convening meetings and applying and evaluating milestone-based performance objectives;
- Write and produce informative briefings and other materials on key issues for R&D, the Agricultural Development team and foundation leadership;
- Publicly represent the foundation with stakeholders including both public and private entities (domestic and international), grantee organizations, other funders, universities, think tanks, media, and other valued partners.
Qualifications
- PhD in a discipline relevant to crop management, including cropping systems, agronomy, soil science, or crop physiology;
- Practical field experience leading or supporting a successful agronomic research program, with well-documented impact;
- Research experience in vegetatively propagated crops, sorghum, millet, or grain legumes is desirable;
- An understanding of and experience with smallholder agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and/or South Asia;
- Understanding of tropical cropping systems and soil fertility management;
- Experience developing and managing research projects in a variety of organizations, with experience in a developing country strongly preferred. This includes an ability to prioritize issues that are likely to have the biggest possible impact;
- Demonstrated success in roles requiring logical, systematic thinking while managing multiple priorities in a highly dynamic environment;
- Proven cross-cultural and management experience;
- An ability to listen, provide respectful feedback, and facilitate discussions with partners;
- Demonstrated excellent written and oral communication skills, in positions requiring communication with a broad and diverse audience;
- Experience in a role requiring collaboration in complex organizations, as well as a demonstrated ability to work with efficiency and diplomacy, particularly as part of a team effort;
- Willingness to travel up to 20%-30% of time;
- Reports to: Crop Productivity Functional Team Lead, Agricultural Development.