The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) invites applications for the internationally recruited position of Junior Data Scientist for the Regional Hub for Fertilizer and Soil Health in West Africa and the Sahel.
This is a unique opportunity to impact smallholder farmers, agricultural development, and the agribusiness sector through an innovative approach that can leverage more than a billion dollars of investment in improving soil health across the region.
Hosted on the IITA campus in Ibadan, Nigeria, the Regional Hub operates as an ECOWAS sub-program, with initial funding from the World Bank (through its AICCRA program) and OCP Africa plus ongoing discussions with a pipeline of other investors across sectors. The Regional Hub aims to improve long-term soil health and fertility for enhanced yield and incomes, efficient resource use, and climate resilience. The Regional Hub is a public-private partnership tasked with driving holistic solutions at scale through engaging entire value chains across country priorities.
The Junior Data Scientist will contribute to a wide range of projects under the Regional Hub\u2019s core activities with a particular focus on six of the Hub\u2019s 20 Functions.
\u2022 Access and utilize digital soil health and fertilizer maps.
\u2022 Dashboard for soil health and fertilizer.
\u2022 Site-specific nutrient management recommendation models.
\u2022 Knowledge resources and databases.
\u2022 Rapid and efficient monitoring of delivery of agronomic gain.
\u2022 Farmer-led experimentation.
We are seeking candidates with a background in applying advanced machine learning and modeling techniques to enhance decision-making, preferably with some experience with applications for site-specific agronomic advisory. This position will support the design, development, and implementation of decision support tools (DSTs) for agronomic management and climate adaptation across multiple projects. The success advisories will work collaboratively to develop actionable, climate-informed agronomic advisories and assist partners to adopt and scale them with millions of farmers across our target region.
The ideal candidate will combine expertise in data science and statistical models, preferably with experience in crop modeling and remote sensing, preferably with an understanding of agriculture in Africa. The Junior Data Scientist will support project management needs, including engaging with partners, providing input to reporting, fundraising, capacity development, user testing, and project visibility needs. Experience working across organizations, sectors and geographies would be a benefit. The successful candidate is expected to support and adhere to open and FAIR data and code practices to the extent possible, given some incoming resources may have proprietary constraints.
Position Responsibilities
Team Contribution: Work effectively with a network of data scientists and modelers, sharing knowledge, code, and technical expertise. Be open and willing to learn on the job from team colleagues, while championing and practicing open and fair, well-documented data and code and best practices.
Developing Decision Support Tools (DSTs): Contribute to the design and implementation of robust, modular DSTs that integrate process-based and empirical crop models. Process data using the Carob workflow and contribute to the design and development of analytical solutions for scalable decision support through modular tools that integrate process-based and empirical models and/or remote sensing. Contribute to making DSTs scalable, user-centered, and effective for various extension platforms. Engage with agronomists and other field specialists in the expansion and improvement of site-specific nutrient management recommendation models to cover all priority cropping systems and countries across West Africa and the Sahel.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing: Support training and capacity-building efforts for partners and team members around analytical techniques, helping to build expertise across technical partners, national institutions and delivery channels organizations.
Delivering Impactful Technologies: Contribute to the development or adoption of country-specific solutions tailoring to the local context and needs. Provide technical input as required by scaling experts working on bundling of solutions, and training experts working.
Project Management and Reporting: Contribute as required by the core project management team in tracking milestones, preparing reports, and maintaining strong visibility of project outcomes. Assure where appropriate that data and code are published in open repositories, and lead/contribute to open access publications to disseminate project results.
Grant Proposal Development and Fundraising: Actively participate in the development of grant proposals to secure funding for high-priority research and delivery initiatives. Contribute ideas for new approaches and new sources of to enhance innovation and develop partnerships with new cutting-edge researchers and practitioners.
Quality Assurance: Contribute to ensuring adherence to best practices in design, security, and scalability. Provide input on the implementation of data pipelines and workflows, maintaining quality control across all stages of the data lifecycle.
\u2022 An agile and strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit.
\u2022 Demonstrated ability to thrive under complexity and uncertainty.
\u2022 Ability to understand the needs and deliver scalable solutions for small-scale farmers.
\u2022 Proven capacity in data cleaning and data analysis to ensure high-quality outputs.
\u2022 Ability to develop basic skills in data storytelling tailored to internal team discussions.
\u2022 Agile self-learner who is not afraid to ask questions to clarify tasks and reduce/avoid predictable inefficiencies at the execution stage.
Requirements
Advanced Degree in a computational field such as Data Science or Statistics or a related discipline.
This role offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on agriculture in Africa by driving innovations in climate-smart decision-making tools. If you are a forward-thinking data scientist with a strong record of leadership and a passion for advancing sustainable agriculture, we encourage you to apply.
Extensive Technical Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning and AI, preferably with experience in crop modeling and remote sensing. Experience with process-based models and their application to agronomic decision-making is preferred.
Team Experience: Demonstrated success from working with multidisciplinary and multisector teams and within cross-functional projects. Experience in capacity-building and agile development processes would be an advantage.
Communication Skills: Strong spoken and written English communication skills are essential; proficiency in French would be a significant benefit. Experience in communicating with diverse organizations across geographies and sectors would be beneficial.
Technical Skills: High proficiency in Python, R, and other relevant programming languages. Experience with version control (Git), cloud platforms, and tools for handling large datasets (e.g., climate and soil data) would be an advantage.
Adaptability and Solution-Orientation: A proactive problem solver with the ability to adapt to changing project needs and priorities.
Project and Grant Management: Strong organizational skills, ability to understand and grasp needs quickly, work independently and deliver results according to project timelines.
Benefits
\u2022 Impact: Play a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability in West Africa and the Sahel.
\u2022 Innovation: Be at the forefront of large-scale adoption of science and technology-based solutions for improving African agriculture.
\u2022 Collaboration: Work with a dedicated team that is passionate about making a difference, from scientists and extensionists to companies of all sizes and government policymakers.
\u2022 Growth: Opportunities for professional development and career advancement within a dynamic and growing organization.
Duty Station: IITA HQ, Ibadan, Nigeria, with the expectation of extensive travel across West Africa.
General information: The contract will be for an initial period of three years. IITA offers an internationally competitive remuneration package that is paid in US dollars.
Applications: Applications must include a cover letter which should address how the candidate\u2019s background/experience relates to the specific duties of the position applied for, curriculum vitae, and names and addresses of three professional referees (which must include the applicant\u2019s direct Supervisor/Superior at his/her present or most recent former place of work). The application should be addressed to the Head of People and Culture and copied to the Interim Director of the Hub. Please complete our online application form using this link: https://apply.workable.com/iita/#jobs
Closing Date: 1st January 2025
IITA is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse workforce, particularly welcoming applications from women.
While all applications will be acknowledged, please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.