RESEARCH OFFICER :::: Bulindi Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (BUZARDI)

Buginyanya ZARDI is one of the Public Agricultural Research Institute established by the National Agricultural Research Act, 2005. The institute is mandated to conduct applied and adaptive agricultural research in the South Eastern Agro-Ecological Zone of Uganda under the policy guidance of the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO). Buginyanya ZARDI is currently site coordinating an IDRC-funded project entitled,Going to Scale: Enhancing the Adaptive Management Capacities of Rural Communities for Sustainable Land Management in the Highlands of Eastern Africa'. This is a collaborative project with African Highland Initiatives (AHI) and the Policy Analysis and Advocacy Programme (PAAP) of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) with study sites in Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo districts. The Director Buginyanya ZARDI invites suitably qualified Ugandans to fill the position of RESEARCH OFFICER within the Protect.
RESEARCH OFFICER
Tasks and Responsibilities:
1. Under overall supervision of Director, BugiZARDI and in close guidance of project implementation partners (ICRAF-AHl and ASARECA-PAAP), facilitate innovation Platforms (IPs) including mechanisms to catalyze wide adoption of Sustainable Land Management (SLM)
2. Establish a framework for data collection, organization, analysis and management and a strategy for sharing with relevant/target stakeholders and capturing feedback.
3. Organize and contribute to capacity building efforts for the actors in the innovation platforms white effectively leading data collection and management.
4. Backstop the process of gender mainstreaming for SLM in the project sites
5. Facilitate the process of bye-law formulation for enhancing the upscaling of SLM in the project sites
6. Catalyzing collective action for purposes of promoting wide adoption of SLM and facilitating the development of community action plans for addressing the project objectives including selecting appropriate SLM innovations, identifying methods, approaches, strategies and tools for implementing the selected SLM innovations and determining how to measure progress based on the needs and SLM innovations identified
/. Implementing and facilitating review and reflection of the communication strategy.
8. Systematically documenting experience and lessons across sites, Innovation Platforms and presenting results in national, regional and international conferences,
9. Perform other duties to support the Director, KAZARDI towards smooth implementation of site level project activities

Minimum Qualifications and Experience:
Applicants should possess at least a BSc (Hons.) degree in Agricultural Science disciplines or Natural Resource Management with hands on experience in project management in rural settings. He/she should be well versed with participatory research approaches, a team player with specialized skills in communication, participatory monitoring and evaluation as well as writing to a wide range of audience. Demonstrated experience in driving with a valid licence is a requirement.

Duration of the assignment: One year renewable subject to satisfactory performance.

Application procedure:

Interested persons with the above requirements should submit hand-written applications together with a detailed curriculum vitae giving day-time telephone numbers and names and addresses of 3 (three) referees as well as copies of professional certificates and transcripts to the undersigned not later than 5.00 p.m on Monday 27th - September 2010.

The Director
Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and
Development Institute,
P.O. Box 1356, Mbale

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