Junior Data Scientist – Agronomic Decision Support Systems at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)

Job Title: Junior Data Scientist – Agronomic Decision Support Systems

Description

• 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.
• The Junior Data Scientist will contribute to a wide range of projects under the Regional Hub’s core activities with a particular focus on six of the Hub’s 20 Functions.
• Access and utilize digital soil health and fertilizer maps.
• Dashboard for soil health and fertilizer.
• Site-specific nutrient management recommendation models.
• Knowledge resources and databases.
• Rapid and efficient monitoring of delivery of agronomic gain.
• 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.

Requirements
Educational Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree in a computational field such as Data Science or Statistics or a related discipline.

Core Competencies & Experience:
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.

Key Skills:

• An agile and strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive under complexity and uncertainty.
• Ability to understand the needs and deliver scalable solutions for small-scale farmers.
• Proven capacity in data cleaning and data analysis to ensure high-quality outputs.
• Ability to develop basic skills in data storytelling tailored to internal team discussions.
• Agile self-learner who is not afraid to ask questions to clarify tasks and reduce/avoid predictable inefficiencies at the execution stage.

Benefit
Rewards:

• Impact: Play a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability in West Africa and the Sahel.
• Innovation: Be at the forefront of large-scale adoption of science and technology-based solutions for improving African agriculture.
• 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.
• Growth: Opportunities for professional development and career advancement within a dynamic and growing organization.

Duty Station:

• IITA HQ, Ibadan, Nigeria with expectation of extensive travel across West Africa.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is on 1st January, 2025 Qualified and interested candidates can: Click here to apply online. It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:
Official Job Website: http://www.iita.org/

Note:

Due to the nature of this role we will be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and the role might be filled and closed before the closing date. Early applications are encouraged.